Birria Tacos Recipe
Three beef tacos birria style toasted with our consome broth, fresh cilantro, onion and hot sauce.
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Ingredients
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Birria & Consomé
Tacos & Assembly
Method
Birria & Consomé
- 1
- 2
Char aromatics
While chiles soak, char the quartered tomato and onion and the garlic cloves on a hot cast-iron skillet or under a broiler until they develop blackened spots (about 6–8 minutes), turning as needed. This adds smokiness to the consomé.
- 3
Make chile puree
Drain most of the chile soaking liquid into a measuring cup and reserve. In a blender combine rehydrated chiles (remove any tough stems), charred tomato, charred onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of the reserved chile soaking liquid. Blend until very smooth. If too thick, add more reserved soaking liquid or a little beef broth to reach a pourable sauce consistency.
- 4
Brown the meat
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef pieces lightly with 1 teaspoon salt. Brown beef on all sides in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, to develop color; transfer browned pieces to a plate.
- 5
Combine and braise
Pour the chile puree into the Dutch oven and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, to remove raw flavor. Add the browned beef back in, pour in 6 cups beef broth (or water), add bay leaves and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and braise gently until meat is very tender and shreddable, about 2.5–3 hours (or 1.5–2 hours in a pressure cooker). Check occasionally and add a bit of water if liquid reduces too much.
- 6
Shred meat and finish consomé
When meat is fork-tender, remove beef to a cutting board and shred finely with two forks, discarding any large bits of fat. Skim excess fat from the surface of the braising liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to yield the consomé; reserve a ladleful (about 1–1.5 cups) warm for dipping. Return shredded meat to the Dutch oven or bowl and mix with some of the strained consomé to keep it moist and richly flavored.
Tacos & Assembly
- 7
Prepare tortillas
Warm corn tortillas on a dry skillet or comal until pliable, about 20–30 seconds per side. Keep warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel so they stay soft.
- 8
Assemble tacos
For each taco, lightly dip one tortilla into the warm consomé (briefly, just to color/coat) or spoon a little consomé onto the tortilla on a skillet. Sprinkle a thin layer (about 1–2 tablespoons) of shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla, add about 1/4 cup shredded birria meat on top of the cheese, then fold the tortilla in half to form a taco. Repeat for desired number of tacos (three per serving; this recipe makes approximately 12 tacos).
- 9
Toast tacos
Heat 1 tablespoon oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place assembled tacos seam-side down in the skillet and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side briefly, 1–2 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula so the cheese melts and tortillas get toasted. Work in batches and add more oil as needed.
- 10
Serve
Transfer toasted birria tacos to a plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro and diced onion. Serve immediately with warm consomé in small bowls for dipping, lime wedges, and hot sauce on the side.