Birria Tacos Recipe

Toast and rehydrate chiles

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burnt. Remove seeds and stems. Place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let soak 20 minutes until softened, then drain, reserving about 1/2 cup soaking liquid.

Prepare aromatics

In a blender add softened chiles, reserved soaking liquid (start with 1/4 cup), garlic cloves, quartered onion, tomato, apple cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until very smooth, adding a splash of beef broth or water if needed to reach a thick puree.

Sear the beef

Pat beef pieces dry and season lightly with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a heavy Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Sear beef on all sides until deeply browned, 3–4 minutes per side. Remove beef and set aside.

Combine and braise

Lower heat to medium. Add the blended chile puree to the pot and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, to bloom the flavors. Add seared beef back to the pot, pour in 6 cups beef broth (or water), add bay leaves, and bring to a simmer. Scrape up browned bits. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently 2 1/2 to 3 hours until beef is tender and shreds easily. Alternatively, braise in a 325°F (160°C) oven for same time.

Shred and reduce broth

Remove beef pieces to a large bowl and shred with forks. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, pressing gently to extract liquid; discard solids and bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt. Simmer strained broth until slightly reduced and concentrated (20–30 minutes) to yield about 3–4 cups of flavorful consommé. Reserve 1 cup of shredded beef to keep warm for plating; the rest will be used to fill tacos.

Warm and dip tortillas

Heat a large skillet or flat top (griddle) over medium-high. Pour about 1 tablespoon of reserved fat or oil into a shallow bowl and add 1 cup of warm strained birria broth to a separate shallow bowl for dipping the tortillas. Working one tortilla at a time: using tongs, dip a corn tortilla briefly (1–2 seconds) in the broth to moisten and lightly stain with color and flavor. Place dipped tortilla on the hot skillet.

Assemble and crisp

On the tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle a thin layer (about 2 tablespoons) of shredded cheese, add 2–3 tablespoons of shredded birria beef (or more to taste), then a bit more cheese to help seal. Fold the tortilla in half and press gently with a spatula. Cook 1.5–2 minutes per side until cheese is melted and exterior is crisp and slightly blistered. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding oil to skillet as needed.

Finish and garnish

Transfer cooked tacos to a platter and let rest 1 minute. Fill a small bowl or cup with the hot strained birria broth for serving. Top tacos with chopped onion and cilantro and serve with lime wedges and optional hot sauce. Provide a cup of dipping broth on the side for each 3 tacos.

Taste the reserved consommé and adjust seasoning with salt. Keep it hot. If you want extra richness, stir in 1 tablespoon of reserved rendered fat or butter. Ladle about 3/4 to 1 cup of hot consommé into small bowls or cups for dipping alongside each order of three tacos. Optionally add chopped chiles or hot sauce to the consommé for heat.