Birria Tacos
Slow-braised beef birria tacos dipped in rich consommé — the viral sensation done right.
Prep: 30 min · Cook: 4 hrs · Total: 4 hrs 30 min · Serves: 6 · Difficulty: Medium · Rating: 5/5 (726 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
Birria tradition — Jalisco, Mexico
Birria has deep roots in Jalisco, Mexico — the taco version with cheese and consommé dipping went viral for a reason. It's that good.
Story
I was in Guadalajara in the spring of 2019, in a market stall in Jalisco where a woman was ladling birria out of a pot the size of a washing machine, and the version she served was a stew: goat, in a deep red broth, with chopped onion and lime and a stack of tortillas on the side. Not a taco in sight. That's the original. The cheesy, consommé-dipped quesabirria taco that took over the internet a few years later is a Tijuana and Los Angeles invention, and it's delicious, and it is not what they'd hand you in Jalisco. Both things are true. The technique that makes or breaks it is the consommé and what you do with it. After the beef braises for three and a half to four hours in the chile sauce, you skim the bright orange fat off the top of the strained liquid, and that fat is what you dip the tortillas in before they hit the griddle. People skip this and griddle dry tortillas, and they miss the entire point: the fat fries the tortilla and stains it red and makes the edges crisp. Use chuck, not a lean cut. Birria needs the marbling and the collagen, because a lean roast goes dry and stringy over four hours while chuck turns into something you can shred with a fork. Toast the dried chiles before soaking them; raw rehydrated chiles taste dull and one-note. Griddle the tacos until the cheese leaks out and crisps into a lace on the pan. Serve a cup of the hot consommé alongside for dipping, with onion, cilantro, and lime. Dip the whole taco in. Let it drip. That's the move that broke the internet, and it broke it for a reason. Strain the consommé through a fine mesh after braising so it's clean and glossy rather than gritty with bits of spice and pulp. Let it settle and the fat will rise; spoon that fat off into a separate bowl and that's your tortilla-frying medium. Oaxaca cheese melts into long, stretchy strands that crisp at the edges on the griddle, which is exactly what you want, but a low-moisture mozzarella works if you can't find it. Don't overstuff the tacos. A modest amount of meat and cheese griddles crisp; an overstuffed taco steams and goes limp. Crisp is the entire texture story here.
By Theo
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef chuck roast
- 5 dried guajillo chiles
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups Oaxaca cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Toast dried chiles, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Blend with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1 cup soaking liquid.
- Cut beef chuck into large chunks. Season with salt and sear on all sides in a Dutch oven.
- Pour the chile sauce over the beef. Add enough water to almost cover. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover and braise in a 325°F oven for 3.5-4 hours until beef shreds easily.
- Shred the beef. Strain the braising liquid — this is your consommé.
- Dip corn tortillas in the consommé (with its fat), then griddle with shredded cheese and beef until crispy. Serve with consommé cups for dipping, diced onion, cilantro, and lime.
Chef Tips
- The consommé is the star — don't skip the dipping step. The fat in the consommé is what makes the tortilla crispy when griddled. Use Oaxaca cheese for the best melt, or sub mozzarella.
Cook's Notes
- **Chile substitute:** If guajillo chiles aren't available, New Mexico dried chiles are the closest. Ancho chiles add earthiness and can be used alone if needed.
- **Meat substitute:** Goat or lamb is traditional birria from Jalisco. Beef chuck is the widely available American version. Bone-in cuts add more gelatin to the consommé.
- **Make-ahead:** Braise the birria up to 3 days ahead — it tastes better the next day. Reheat gently before assembling tacos.
- **Storage:** Birria and consommé keep 4 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen. Skim the solidified fat cap off the top of cold consommé before reheating.
- **Tortilla tip:** The key to crispy birria tacos is using the fat-rich consommé (not just the broth) to dip the tortilla before griddling. The fat fries the tortilla from the inside out.
- **Common mistake:** Not searing the beef before braising. The Maillard crust on the meat adds depth to the consommé. Skip it and the broth tastes flat.
- **Doneness cue:** The beef is done when it shreds with two forks with no resistance. At 3.5 hours at 325°F, a 3-pound chuck roast should be well past that threshold.