If you've never tried birria tacos before, I highly recommend giving this recipe a shot. It's a mix of classic shredded beef tacos served with a flavorful dipping sauce. The best comparison I can think of is a roast beef sandwich with French dip—you love both, but sometimes you crave one over the other. This Mexican dish delivers that same satisfying experience.
One thing to note: these tacos are messy, so this is definitely not a first date meal! If you're planning to break out that bottle of Del Rio Claret for a special night, make sure you've got plenty of napkins on hand. I made these for the girls at the tasting room, and Courtney said, "Wow, these are like real restaurant quality!" — I’ll take that as a recipe win. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
- 6 dried guajillo chile peppers, seeded
- 4 dried chile de arbol peppers, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground thyme
- 1 pinch dried marjoram
- 1 pinch dried oregano
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1 pinch salt
Meat:
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 cups reserved sauce from beef birria recipe
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup diced carrots
- ¼ cup diced celery
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½ cup diced cabbage
Tacos:
- 18 corn tortillas
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup shredded queso asadero (white Mexican cheese)
INSTRUCTIONS
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Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
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Start the sauce: Take each of the chilies and roll them between your hands to remove the seeds. You can also leave it to have it a bit spicier.
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Add guajillo, arbol, and ancho chile peppers to the boiling water; boil for 5 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and allow peppers to soak until cool. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
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Start the birria meat: Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. While the beef is searing, continue the sauce.
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Line a heavy cast-iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on top. Grill until tomato skin is burned on all sides and begins to peel, 3 to 5 minutes.
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Place cooled chile peppers into a blender. Add grilled tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, 2 teaspoons black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and salt in a blender. Pour in the reserved 1/4 cup of chile water and blend until smooth.
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Strain chile sauce through a mesh strainer and pour over browned meat in the Dutch oven, turning the roast so it is completely covered with sauce; cover with a lid. Bake in the preheated oven, basting meat every 45 minutes with sauce, until birria begins to fall apart, 3 to 4 hours.
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Remove the lid and bake, uncovered, until birria is crispy on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with 2 layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes. Remove meat to a cutting board and strain off any fat from the sauce. Shred meat with two forks, then return the meat to the pot and stir with the sauce to combine. Reserving 2 cups of the sauce to make the dipping sauce.
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Make the Dipping sauce: Stir beef birria sauce, chicken broth, carrots, celery, and cabbage together in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, occasionally brushing the caramelized bits (fond) off the side with the hot liquid, until vegetables are nice and tender 10 to 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until sauce is completely mixed in to a smooth sauce. Reduce the heat to low and keep hot while you prepare the tacos.
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To make the tacos: Heat some reserved beef fat (and dipping sauce to add a bit more flavor, not too much or the tortilla won’t get crisp) in a large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add two tortillas and flip with a spatula until generously coated in fat. Toast briefly until golden brown on both sides.
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Add the birria and top of ½ of the tortilla and about 1 tablespoon of the dipping sauce, shredded Mexican cheese, chopped onion, and cilantro. Fold tortillas in ½ and griddle, flipping until both sides are crispy and cheese is melted.
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Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping. You can prepare this dish in a slow cooker as well, but you will be sacrificing a little bit of flavor. Prepare the birria the same way, but place in a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven and cook on High for 4 to 6 hours or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
