Quesabirria Recipe

Toast and rehydrate chiles

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles 10–20 seconds per side until fragrant but not burned. Remove and place in a bowl. Pour boiling water over chiles to cover and let soak 20 minutes until softened. Reserve 1 cup of the soaking liquid.

Roast aromatics

While chiles soak, char the tomato and white onion on a skillet or under a broiler until blackened in spots about 8–10 minutes, turning as needed. Peel the garlic lightly (no need to char).

Blend chile sauce

Drain chiles (reserve soaking liquid) and place in a blender with roasted tomato, half the charred onion (reserve the other half for topping), garlic, apple cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 cup of the reserved soaking liquid. Blend to a smooth purée, adding up to 1/2 cup additional soaking liquid to reach a thick sauce consistency.

Cut beef into 2–3 large chunks. Pat dry and season lightly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and a little black pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown beef on all sides, working in batches if needed, about 6–8 minutes per batch. Remove browned beef and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the blended chile sauce to the pot and cook, stirring, 2–3 minutes to remove raw flavor. Add the reserved soaking liquid and 4 cups beef broth, bay leaves, and the browned beef pieces. Bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until beef is very tender and shreds easily, about 2.5–3 hours on stove. Alternatively, cook in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 2.5–3 hours, or use a pressure cooker/Instant Pot on high pressure 60–70 minutes with natural release.

When beef is tender, remove meat to a tray. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing solids to extract flavor. Skim fat from top if desired and reserve 3 cups of consomé for dipping and moistening quesabirria. Shred the beef finely with two forks and mix with a few tablespoons of reserved consomé to keep juicy.

Warm a griddle or large skillet over medium heat and brush lightly with vegetable oil or lard. Keep a small saucepan with reserved consomé warm on low for dipping.

Work in batches: dip one corn tortilla briefly into the warm consomé (about 1 second each side) to lightly color and moisten it; shake off excess. Place tortilla on the griddle, sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons shredded cheese to cover half the tortilla, add about 2–3 tablespoons shredded birria meat on top of the cheese, then a little chopped onion and cilantro (optional). Top the filled half with another tortilla, or fold the single tortilla over (double tortillas help keep masa from tearing).

Cook 2–3 minutes until bottom is crisp and golden and cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip and cook the other side 2–3 minutes until cheese is fully melted and both sides are crisp. Press edges gently with a spatula to seal. Add a little oil to the pan as needed between batches so tortillas crisp without burning.

Transfer cooked quesabirria to a cutting board and cut in half if folded. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and meat. Keep finished tortillas in a low oven (200°F / 95°C) to stay warm.

Serve quesabirria hot with small bowls of warm consomé for dipping, lime wedges, and additional chopped onion and cilantro on the side. Season with extra salt or squeeze lime to taste.