Description
Birria Tacos (Quesabirria) are legendary crispy tacos filled with cheesy, saucy shredded beef and served with rich consommé for dunking. This version uses precise chili weights, a rich adobo paste, and a thick consommé for maximum flavor and crispiness.
Ingredients
- Birria Adobo (Paste):
- 25 g guajillo chilies, dried (~4 pieces, heaped 3/4 cup chopped)
- 45 g ancho chilies, dried (~2–3 pieces, 1 cup chopped)
- 6 g chilies de arbol, dried (~6 pieces, 2 tbsp chopped)
- ½ cup chili soaking water (reserved after simmering)
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 small onion, roughly sliced
- 1 medium tomato, roughly sliced (180g)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- Birria Braising:
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1.3 kg chuck beef, cut into 6 large pieces (or 1.8 kg bone-in short ribs)
- 2 cups beef broth, low sodium
- 10 cloves (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- Beef Seasoning:
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Birria Tacos:
- 20–25 corn tortillas (6″ wide)
- 1 white onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 ½ cups shredded Colby, Monterey Jack, or Oaxaca cheese
- Lime wedges (optional)
- Salsa or hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Chilies: Deseed and chop chilies. Simmer in boiling water for 10 minutes until softened. Reserve ½ cup soaking water and drain chilies.
- Make Adobo Paste: Blend softened chilies with soaking water and other adobo ingredients until mostly smooth.
- Brown the Beef: Heat oil in a large pot. Sear beef pieces in batches until dark brown. Remove and set aside.
- Cook Adobo: In the same pot, cook adobo paste for 2 minutes.
- Slow Cook: Add beef back to pot with all braising ingredients. Simmer gently with lid on for 2.5 hours (or 3–3.5 hrs for short ribs) until beef is tender and shreddable.
- Shred Beef & Skim Fat: Remove beef, shred, and season with ½ tsp salt. Skim red oil (“Birria Oil”) from surface of the broth.
- Soak Beef: Add 1 cup consommé to a pan and simmer. Toss shredded beef in it until most liquid is absorbed. Return beef to holding pan.
- Prepare Consommé: Taste and adjust salt. Keep warm for dipping.
- Crisp Tacos: Heat 1 tsp Birria Oil in pan over medium-low. Wipe tortillas in oil (no flip needed). Stuff with cheese, beef, onion, and cilantro. Fold and pan-fry for 2 minutes each side until crispy.
- Serve: Serve hot with consommé for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- For more flavor, you can also dip the tortillas into the consommé before filling them.
- If you prefer a spicier kick, add more chilies de arbol or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the adobo paste.
- Short ribs add a richer flavor to the braise, but chuck beef works just as well and shreds easily.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
