Name: The FABs Quesabirria Tacos Recipe
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2–3" pieces; 6 pieces dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 pieces dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1 pieces dried pasilla or morita chile (optional for smokiness), stemmed and seeded; 2 tbs vegetable oil (for toasting chiles and searing beef); 1 piece white onion, quartered; 6 cloves garlic cloves; 1 piece tomato, halved (or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes); 2 tbs apple cider vinegar; 6 cups beef or chicken broth; 2 pieces bay leaves; 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano); 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 2 tsp salt; 8 pieces large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 tbs lime juice; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp vegetable oil; 12 pieces small corn tortillas; 3 cups shredded jack cheese (or Oaxaca/monterey jack blend); 0.5 cups white onion, finely chopped; 0.5 cups fresh cilantro, chopped; 4 pieces lime wedges; 2 tsp vegetable oil or lard (for frying/griddling tortillas)

Sliced Avocado

Half Avocado

Make it a surf and turf! Add shrimp for only $2 • Mexican beef birria, corn tortilla, jack cheese, cilantro and onions. Served with consommé.

Toast chiles: heat a large dry skillet over medium heat. Toast guajillo, ancho and optional pasilla chiles 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burned. Remove stems and seeds (wear gloves).

Rehydrate chiles: place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with 2 cups hot water. Let soak 20 minutes until softened; reserve soaking liquid.

Sear beef: pat beef pieces dry and season lightly with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tbs oil over medium-high. Brown beef on all sides, working in batches if needed, 3–4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.

Char aromatics: in the same skillet or over a gas flame, char the quartered onion, garlic cloves (unpeeled or peeled) and halved tomato until blackened in spots, about 4–6 minutes. Alternatively roast under broiler.

Blend sauce: peel garlic if charred with skins; place softened chiles (drained, reserving soaking liquid), charred onion (about half), charred garlic, charred tomato, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid into a blender. Blend until very smooth, adding more soaking liquid a tablespoon at a time to reach a pourable sauce (about 1/2 to 1 cup total).

Combine and simmer: return seared beef to the Dutch oven. Pour blended chile sauce over beef. Add remaining onion quarters, bay leaves and enough beef/chicken broth to just cover the meat (about 5–6 cups). Add remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer, covered, until beef is very tender and shreddable, 2.5–3 hours (or 1.5–2 hours in a pressure cooker).

Shred meat and reduce consomé: remove beef to a cutting board, shred with two forks, discarding any large fat pieces. Skim fat from top of braising liquid. If you prefer a richer consomé, simmer liquid uncovered over medium heat 10–15 minutes to concentrate flavor. Taste and adjust salt. Reserve 1.5–2 cups of consomé warm for dipping.

Marinate shrimp: toss peeled, deveined shrimp with lime juice, smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil. Let sit 10 minutes while birria finishes.

Cook shrimp: heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat with a thin film of oil. Cook shrimp 1.5–2 minutes per side until opaque and just cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm. Set aside 2 shrimp per taco if adding surf-and-turf.

Prepare shredded beef: if meat is very wet, gently toss shredded beef with 1/4 cup reduced consomé to moisten; reserve remaining shredded beef and consomé separately.

Heat tortillas: warm a griddle or skillet over medium heat and brush lightly with oil or lard (about 1–2 tsp). Warm tortillas briefly on both sides until pliable, 20–30 seconds per side.

Assemble quesabirria tacos: working one tortilla at a time on the hot griddle, sprinkle a thin, even layer (about 2–3 tbs) of shredded jack cheese on one half of the tortilla. Add about 2–3 tbs shredded birria meat on top of the cheese. If using shrimp, place 1–2 cooked shrimp on the meat. Fold the tortilla over to create a half-moon.

Crisp and melt: cook each folded taco 1.5–2 minutes per side (pressing gently with a spatula) until cheese is fully melted and exterior is golden and slightly crisp. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding a little more oil to the griddle as needed.

Serve: transfer tacos to a plate and garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve hot with warm consomé in small bowls for dipping and lime wedges on the side.

Portioning note: plan on about 2–3 tacos per person (depends on appetite).

beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2–3" pieces

dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

dried pasilla or morita chile (optional for smokiness), stemmed and seeded

vegetable oil (for toasting chiles and searing beef)

white onion, quartered

garlic cloves

tomato, halved (or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes)

apple cider vinegar

beef or chicken broth

bay leaves

dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

ground cumin

ground black pepper

salt

large shrimp, peeled and deveined

lime juice

smoked paprika

vegetable oil

small corn tortillas

shredded jack cheese (or Oaxaca/monterey jack blend)

white onion, finely chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

lime wedges

vegetable oil or lard (for frying/griddling tortillas)

Quesabirria Tacos

Make Quesabirria Tacos Recipe in just 3h 30m. Make it a surf and turf! Add shrimp for only $2 • Mexican beef birria, corn tortilla, jack cheese, cilantro and onions. Served with consommé.

Quesabirria Tacos Recipe

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