birria quesatacos

Beef Birria. Rich and flavorful this beef birria is perfect served as a stew topped with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. OR chop up the meat and fry up some Quesabirria tacos! These are the most FAMOUS Tacos!

Best Beef Birria and Birria Tacos

water

lbs chuck roast

white onion (dry skins removed, cut in half crosswise)

garlic bulb (cut the narrow top off, no need to peel)

carrot

bay leaves (dried)

guajillo chiles (stems

tbsp chicken boullion

chili powder

tsp mexican oregano

tsp cumin

salt ((adjust

white corn tortillas

quesadilla cheese (or any good melting cheese)

Combine Ingredients

Combine Ingredients: In large pot add meat, onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaves and dried peppers. Cover with water. (This uses my large 7 qt pot and fills it to the top!)

Add Seasonings

Add Seasonings: Add chicken bouillon, oregano, cumin and salt, stir to combine. Bring to a boil.

Skim

Skim: After 30 minutes, skim the top of the pot to remove impurities from the bone cooking out. (will look like little bits of foam on the top)

Blend Peppers

Blend Peppers: Remove the peppers (should be softened) and place in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, add up to 1/4 cup of broth if needed to help get a smooth consistency. 

Strain Peppers

Strain: Strain the peppers if needed to remove bits of skin (if using a high powered blender this step is not necessary). 

Combine

Combine: Add the blended peppers into the broth and stir to combine.

Season

Season: Add in the chili powder as desired to get a nice deep red color to the broth. 

Simmer

Simmer: Cover and continue to simmer for about 3 hours or until meat is tender and easily shredding on it’s own. (remove lid and give a stir every 40 minutes or so. Can also taste the broth once the meat is cooked through and adjust seasonings as needed).

Reserve Grease

Reserve Grease: Skim the grease from the top of the broth (SAVE THIS!) pour the grease into a small skillet or saucepan, this is used for making the tacos if desired. 

Remove Flavorings

Remove the onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaves from the broth. (these ingredients were in the broth for flavoring…people are more than welcome to eat and enjoy them, so save them if you want!)

Cut Meat

Serving: Remove the meat from the broth and cut into large chunks for serving. Remove any bones. 

Serve Soup

Serve a couple pieces of meat into a bowl, spoon broth on top.

Toppings

Top with diced onion and fresh cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze in.

To Serve as a Stew:

Chop Meat

Chop Meat: Remove the meat from the broth, and finely chop until only small pieces remain. 

Heat Skillet

Heat a large skillet/griddle over medium heat. 

Frying Tortillas

Frying Tortillas: Dip the corn tortilla into the reserved grease from the broth. 

Add Fillings

Place on heated griddle, top with the chopped meat and cheese. 

Frying

Fold the taco over and press down with a spatula. Continue cooking until the taco is crisp and golden on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Then flip and continue cooking the other side. (it’s ok if some of the cheese leaks out while frying, the golden cheese is the best part!) Plus you can spoon some additional grease onto the tortilla while it cooks if you need more coloring to the tortilla. 

Cook until both sides are crisp. Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly before serving, will be very hot. 

Continue

Topping

Top tacos with fresh cilantro and onion if desired.

Serving

Serving: Serve with a bowl of the broth topped with onions and cilantro on the side. 

Dip the tacos into the broth while eating.

To Make Quesabirria Tacos:

These Beef Birria Quesatacos are made with slow simmered beef birria, corn tortillas and cheese, then dipped in a rich consommé. They are the perfect way to use up leftovers. 

Beef Birria Quesatacos - (Quesabirria Tacos)

corn tortillas

Monterey jack cheese

beef

birria consome,

Heat 2 teaspoons of the birria oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a corn tortilla to the pan and swirl it around to coat it in the oil. Flip it over and do the same thing on the other side. 

Add 1/2 ounce of cheese to one half of the tortilla and let it melt. Top with some of the shredded beef, and then top with another 1/2 ounce of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. 

Flip the taco over and let it cook for two to 3 minutes or until it is crispy on the bottom. Flip it over once more and let it cook for one to two minutes, or until crispy on the other side. 

Set the taco aside on a cooling rack and repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

Serve with leftover birria Consome, for dipping. 

Birria de Res for Birria Tacos is easily made using your pressure cooker or Instant Pot! Perfect for the warmer months, this instant pot birria recipe makes the most flavorful, tender beef for birria tacos in no time without heating up your kitchen! Use the shredded beef to make juicy, drippy, pan-fried birria quesatacos dipped in that savory birria broth.

The Best Instant Pot Birria

neutral, high smoke point oil (grapeseed, vegetable, canola, etc)

lbs boneless chuck roast,

lbs short ribs, English cut

water broth

white onion,

garlic,

guajillo chile peppers,

ancho chile peppers

black peppercorns

cumin seeds

coriander seeds

ceylon cinnamon

Mexican oregano, fresh or dried

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

chipotle peppers

tomatoes

bay leaves

apple cider vinegar

beef broth

Bring the meat to room temperature for about...

Bring the meat to room temperature for about 30 minutes and then sprinkle liberally on all sides with kosher salt.

Turn the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker...

Turn the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker onto Saute and once it says 'HOT', add your high heat oil. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the chuck roast, making sure not to crowd the pot, and sear on all sides until browned. Repeat with the short rib until every piece of meat is well browned. Set meat aside on a plate or in a large bowl for later.

Destem and deseed the dried chilies by gently...

Destem and deseed the dried chilies by gently rolling the pods to loosen up the seeds inside. Cut the stems off and shake the seeds out of the pods.

In a medium fry pan or skillet, dry...

In a medium fry pan or skillet, dry toast the whole spices and chiles: the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and cinnamon stick over medium heat. Place all the spices in an even layer across the pan, then give the pan a nice, gentle shake to ensure the spices get evenly toasted. They're done once they smell super fragrant, about a minute or two.

In the Instant Pot on Saute on the...

In the Instant Pot on Saute on the highest power and when it says 'HOT' add the toasted spices and dried chiles, the large white onion quarters, garlic cloves, and oregano then pour enough cold water in to cover everything. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. This can also be done on the stove top in a large pot over medium heat.

Pour through a mesh strainer and discard the...

Pour through a mesh strainer and discard the most of the liquid (save 1 cup of it!) and discard the cinnamon stick, then transfer all the solids, the smoked paprika, the chopotle peppers with the adobo, the pureed tomatoes, and the reserved cup of liquids to a high powered blender. Blend until nice and smooth.

Add the meat, the blended sauce, the bay...

Add the meat, the blended sauce, the bay leaves, apple cider vinegar, and the beef broth back into the Instant Pot. Lock the lid on for pressure cooking, set the Instant Pot to 'MANUAL' for 60 minutes and let the birria pressure cook.

When time is up, let the Instant Pot...

When time is up, let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the venting knob for a quick release of the rest of the pressure.

Remove the meat from the consomme, shredding all...

Remove the meat from the consomme, shredding all of it with forks and removing the bones and bay leaves.

Use a large spoon to skim some of...

Use a large spoon to skim some of the fat off the top of the consomme and into a shallow dish. This fat is what you'll dip the tortillas into to fry them with.

Pour some of the consomme into a small...

Pour some of the consomme into a small serving bowl and add the chopped cilantro.

Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat. Use...

Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat. Use tongs (or clean fingers) to dip both sides of a tortilla into the fat in your shallow dish. Place it flat into the hot nonstick pan and add a little birria meat and Oaxaca cheese to one side, fold the tortilla, and let cook for about 30 seconds to a minute, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds so the other folded side gets crispy as well.

Move the cooked birria quesataco to a serving...

Move the cooked birria quesataco to a serving plate and repeat until you have enough tacos for serving immediately with consomme, diced onions, limes, and cilantro.

Reserve the rest of the birria meat and...

Reserve the rest of the birria meat and the consomme in airtight containers in the fridge for up to five days, with the fat. This can also be done as a make ahead meal. Simply do Step 4 and Step 5, melting some of the cooled fat in the nonstick pan and cooking the tortillas and meat as written.

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Best Beef Birria and Birria Tacos

Beef Birria Quesatacos - (Quesabirr...

The Best Instant Pot Birria

Top 3 birria quesatacos recipes from across the web

The most viewed birria quesatacos recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Best Beef Birria and Birria Tacos

Beef Birria Quesatacos - (Quesabirr...

The Best Instant Pot Birria

The most viewed birria quesatacos recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine