Birria Tacos are having their moment right now in the foodie scene, but I’m here to teach you how to make them at home! Birria tacos are corn tortillas loaded with tender beef and melted cheese cooked until crispy, served alongside a chile-based stew for dipping. These tasty little tacos have exploded in popularity for good reason!
And my #1 tip when making this recipe is to buy the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and bay leaves for the stew in the Mexican cooking aisle of your grocery store instead of the baking aisle. It will save you a lot of money!
For example, here are the cloves for sale in the Mexcian food aisle…
And here they are in the baking aisle.
That’s over a $10 difference!
The Marinade
About 12-36 hours before serving, get your beef soaking in a flavorful tomato and chile marinade to infuse the meat with tons of flavor. This marinade also becomes the base of the stew you serve alongside the tacos.
Combine the crushed tomatoes, chiles, vinegar, and seasonings in the blender and pour the marinade over a beef chuck roast.
I like to put the roast and marinade together in a gallon sized ziplock bag to make sure the meat is coated on all sides.
Guajillo Peppers
Look in the Mexican food aisle for the dried guajillo peppers. They are usually pretty easy to find, but if you can’t find them you can substitute dried New Mexico peppers.
Soak the peppers for about 10 minutes to soften, then cut the tops off of the peppers and dump the seeds (or else you will have a very spicy marinade on your hands!).
Put something heavy on the peppers to keep them submerged in the water or they will float to the top. I like to use a meat mallet.
Slow Cook
After your meat has been marinating for 12 hours or so, sauté one diced onion on your stovetop and add it to the bottom of a crock pot.
Add the beef and marinade…
…and pour enough chicken stock over the top to cover the beef. Lastly, add the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Cook on high for 6-8 hours until very tender.
Alternately, you can sauté the onions in the bottom of a large stock pot and then add the meat, marinade, and stock. Let the mixture simmer over low on the stovetop until tender (this will take about 4-6 hours).
After the meat is fall apart tender, remove it from the stew and shred. Season to taste with more salt. Set aside the beef for assembling the tacos.
Assembling the Tacos
Drizzle a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil over a griddle of large nonstick frying pan. Heat to medium heat and place corn tortillas flat on the pan.
Sprinkle with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Next, place a generous serving of beef down the middle of each taco.
As the cheese begins to melt, use 2 spatulas and fold the tortilla in half. Continue to cook until the taco is crispy and the cheese is melted and gooey. You will likely have to flip the tacos a few times to get them crispy on both sides.
How to Serve Birria Tacos
Serve the crispy tacos, alongside the stew they cooked in. with plenty of cilantro, diced red onion, and lime for squeezing. Use the stew as a dipping sauce – kind of like au jus with French Dip Sandwiches.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
Birria Tacos
Marinade:
3 dried guajillo peppers (or New Mexico peppers if you can’t find guajillo), these peppers are found in small cellophane packs in the Mexican food aisle
3 chipotle peppers and 2 tablespoons of adobo (taken from 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, also found in the Mexican food aisle)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
10 gloves garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
4-5 pound boneless chuck roast
Stew:
1 large onion, chopped and sautéed in a little oil until soft
2 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
10 cloves
1-2 quarts chicken stock (enough to cover the meat)
Tacos:
Corn Tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Cilantro, diced
Red Onion, diced
Lime, cut into wedges
Directions
Marinade:
Soak the guajillo peppers for 10 minutes to soften, cut off tops and dump seeds. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Pour over a 4-5 pound chuck roast and let marinate in the fridge for 12-36 hours. (I just put the roast and marinade into a gallon sized ziplock bag to make this step easy.)
Stew:
Chop and caramelize onions, and add to the bottom of a crock pot. Add meat, marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and enough chicken stock to cover the roast. Let cook on high for 6 hours until fall apart tender.
Alternatively, you can caramelize onions in the bottom of a large stock pot, then add meat, marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and enough chicken stock to cover the roast. And let cook over low heat, covered, for 4-6 hours.
Remove the beef from the stew and shred for tacos. Add salt to the shredded beef and stew, to taste.
Tacos:
Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet to medium heat and drizzle with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Place corn tortillas on the griddle and sprinkle with cheese (see photos above). Next, add a generous portion of shredded beef down the middle of each tortilla. And using 2 spatulas, fold the tortilla in half while the taco finishes getting crispy. You may have to flip the taco a few times to cook evenly on both sides. Repeat until all of the meat and cheese has been turned into tacos! Serve with the reserved stew for dipping along with cilantro, red onion, and lime wedges for garnish. Enjoy!
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