Quesabirria Platter Recipe

Toast & Rehydrate Chiles

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast dried guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles 10–20 seconds per side until pliable and fragrant but not burned. Remove stems and seeds if you haven't already. Place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with very hot water; soak 20 minutes until softened. Reserve soaking liquid.

Char Aromatics

While chiles soak, char the quartered tomato and onion and whole garlic cloves directly over a gas flame or under a broiler until blackened in spots, about 6–8 minutes. This adds depth to the consomé.

Make Chile Purée

Drain most of the chile soaking liquid into a measuring cup (reserve about 1 cup). In a blender combine softened chiles, charred tomato, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and 1/2 cup of the reserved soaking liquid. Blend until very smooth, adding more reserved soaking liquid a little at a time if needed to create a pourable purée (about 1/2–1 cup). Taste and adjust for bright acidity with another 1 tsp vinegar if needed.

Brown the Meat

Pat the beef pieces dry and season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and the black pepper. In a heavy Dutch oven or large pot heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches until well browned on all sides, 4–6 minutes per batch. Remove browned pieces and set aside.

Braise

Pour the chile purée into the pot and cook 2–3 minutes to deepen flavors. Return all beef to the pot, add bay leaves, remaining 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, and pour in beef stock (enough to just cover the meat — about 5–6 cups). Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and braise gently until meat is very tender and shreddable, 2.5–3 hours. Alternatively, braise in a 300°F (150°C) oven for the same time.

Shred Meat & Finish Consomé

Remove beef to a cutting board. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a large bowl or pot, pressing solids to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible — this is your consomé. Skim fat from the top and reserve a cup of the braising juices and any collected fat for frying tortillas. Shred the beef into bite-sized pieces, taste and adjust meat for salt. Taste consomé and season with salt or a squeeze of lime to balance acidity; keep hot. You should have roughly 3–4 cups of concentrated consomé.

Prepare Tortillas

Warm the corn tortillas wrapped in a damp towel in the microwave for 20–30 seconds to make them pliable. Dip each tortilla briefly (1–2 seconds) into the hot consomé to coat lightly — this gives the tortillas that fiery orange color and tons of flavor. Keep a tray nearby to hold dipped tortillas.

Fill & Cheese

Heat a large heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon beef fat or oil and spread. Place a tortilla on the griddle, sprinkle a generous 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese over half the tortilla, top with about 2–3 tablespoons shredded birria meat (drain excess juice), then fold the tortilla over into a half-moon. Repeat for 4–6 quesabirrias per batch, leaving space between them.

Crisp & Melt

Cook quesabirrias 2–3 minutes per side, pressing lightly with a spatula, until cheese is fully melted inside and the edges that touch the griddle are deeply golden and crisp. Add a little more fat as needed to achieve crisp edges and to encourage the cheese to brown. Transfer finished quesabirrias to a cutting board and keep warm under foil.

Plate the Platter

Arrange 3 quesabirrias per person on a platter. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup hot consomé into small individual bowls for dunking. Garnish the quesabirrias with a sprinkle of chopped onion and cilantro, add lime wedges and pickled red onions on the side.

Serve & Eat

To eat, dip a corner of the quesabirria into the consomé, take a bite of molten cheese and meat, and wipe the inevitable drips with a napkin. Re-dunk as desired. Leftover consomé keeps refrigerated for 3 days and intensifies in flavor.