Description
Authentic Birria Tacos are a traditional Mexican dish featuring tender, slow-simmered chuck roast and short ribs cooked with a flavorful blend of guajillo chiles, spices, and aromatics. The rich, savory meat is shredded and used to prepare quesabirria tacos, where tortillas are dipped in the seasoned fat and toasted with melty cheese to create crispy, flavorful tacos served with a fragrant broth for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Broth
- 4 lbs chuck roast, cut into 4 large chunks
- 2 lbs short ribs (bone in) or back ribs (bone in)
- 7–8 cups hot water
- 1 large white onion, dry skins removed, cut in half crosswise
- 1 garlic bulb, top cut off (no need to peel cloves)
- 1 carrot, quartered
- 5 bay leaves, dried
- 8 guajillo chiles, stems removed and seeds discarded
Seasonings
- 3 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1–2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
Taco Assembly
- 14–16 white corn tortillas
- 2 cups quesadilla cheese or any good melting cheese (Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Oaxaca)
- Fresh cilantro, diced (for garnish)
- Fresh lime juice (for garnish)
- White onion, diced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a large 7-quart pot, add the chuck roast, short ribs, halved white onion, garlic bulb, quartered carrot, bay leaves, and guajillo chiles. Pour 7-8 cups of hot water into the pot until nearly full.
- Add Seasonings: Stir in the chicken bouillon, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, salt, and 1-2 teaspoons chili powder. Place the pot on the stovetop and bring to a boil.
- Skim: After about 30 minutes of boiling, skim off the foam and impurities floating on the surface to clarify the broth for a cleaner flavor.
- Blend Peppers: Remove the softened chiles, onion halves, garlic cloves (squeeze out from bulb), and carrots. Place these into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup of broth as needed to facilitate blending.
- Strain: Optionally strain the blended pepper sauce to remove any leftover skins or bits for a smoother broth, especially if not using a high-powered blender.
- Combine: Return the blended pepper sauce to the pot and stir well to mix with the broth.
- Season to Taste: Add any extra chili powder if desired for deeper color and more robust flavor, adjusting seasoning accordingly.
- Simmer: Cover the pot and simmer gently on low heat for approximately 3 hours, stirring every 40 minutes. The meat is done when tender and easily shreddable. Taste broth towards the end to adjust seasoning as needed.
- Reserve Grease: Skim the fat from the broth’s surface and save this rich grease in a small skillet or saucepan for frying the tacos later.
- Serve as Stew: Remove the meat from the broth, discard bones, and cut the meat into large chunks. Serve in bowls with broth, garnished with diced white onion, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge.
- Prepare Quesabirria Tacos: Finely shred the meat into small pieces for taco filling.
- Heat Skillet: Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat for frying the tortillas.
- Fry Tortillas: Dip each corn tortilla into the reserved fat. Place it on the hot skillet and add shredded meat and cheese on one half, folding the tortilla over and pressing lightly with a spatula.
- Cook Tacos: Fry the taco until the bottom is crisp and golden, about 2-3 minutes, then flip to crisp the other side. Add more fat as needed to achieve extra browning and crispiness.
- Serve Tacos: Remove the tacos from the heat and allow them to cool briefly. Garnish with diced white onion and fresh cilantro to finish.
- Enjoy: Serve the quesabirria tacos along with bowls of fragrant broth garnished with onion and cilantro for dipping the tacos, creating an authentic and delicious Mexican dining experience.
Notes
- Removing the bones from the short ribs before serving makes eating easier but keep them to enrich the broth during cooking.
- The fat skimmed from the broth is essential for frying the tortillas to get authentic flavor and crispiness.
- Adjust chili powder amount to control spice level according to your preference.
- Straining the blended sauce is optional and mostly for those who prefer a smoother broth.
- Leftover broth can be stored and reheated for a flavorful soup or dipping sauce.
- Use high-quality melting cheese to achieve a gooey, delicious filling in the quesabirria tacos.
- Serve with fresh lime juice to add brightness and balance the rich flavors.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Birria Tacos, Quesabirria, Mexican Tacos, Slow Cooked Beef, Guajillo Chile Tacos, Authentic Mexican Recipe
