These birria tacos are crunchy, cheesy, and incredibly flavorful! Made with corn tortillas dipped in the top layer of fat from a pot of birria, stuffed with tender grated birria and cheese, and then fried until crispy. This popular dish takes tacos to another level.
Birria tacos are some of the best Mexican tacos you can make! They rank right up there with carnitas, al pastor, chicken tinga, and carne asada, and have become incredibly popular over the past couple of years thanks to TikTok and social media.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and it’s one of my family’s favorites!
What are Birria Tacos?
Birria tacos (sometimes called quesabirria) are a Mexican dish made with corn tortillas dipped in the rich layer of red fat that sits on top of boiled birria, which gives the tacos their distinctive red color. The tortillas are then lightly pan fried and filled with succulent birria and lots of cheese to make the best tacos ever!
They are served with a side of flavorful birria broth (consomé) for dipping and plenty of diced white onion, fresh coriander and lime wedges.
All the flavors and juices of the birria are present in every inch of this taco and make every bite so delicious.
Ingredients for the Birria Taco
- Dried chillies: You need guajillo peppers, chili peppers tooAND chili tree. You can find them in the international foods section of your local grocery store or at any Hispanic grocery store. If you can’t find them in your area, purchasing them online is always a great option. If you’ve never worked with dried chilies before, I’ve got your back. Step by step instructions are in the recipe card below. You can also read this detailed post on birria for more information.
- Spices and bay leaves: I used a combination of garlic, cumin, ground cloves, Mexican oregano, Mexican cinnamon stick (also called Ceylon cinnamon), black peppercorns and 3 bay leaves. If you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano. If you can’t find Mexican cinnamon sticks (they’re the flimsy kind that you can easily snap in half), you can use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Meat: I used a beef roast to make my birria. It has a great fat-to-meat ratio and creates the perfect layer of fat needed for frying tortillas and making birria tacos. Birria is traditionally made with goat or lamb, but it’s not easily available where I live, so I opted for beef. Other options also include ribs, beef shanks and oxtail for added flavor.
- Corn Tortillas: The corn tortillas you can buy at just about any grocery store are perfect! Of course, if you feel like it, you can always make your own homemade corn tortillas.
- Grated cheese: Traditional melting Mexican cheeses like Oaxacan (quesillo), Chihuahua, and Asadero are the best options, but you could also use Monterey Jack or Mozzarella if you can’t find them near you.
- Cilantro, diced white onions and lime wedges: Indispensable condiments that pair perfectly with the rich and fatty birria!
How to prepare Birria tacos
Prepare the birria. Season and brown the meat on both sides. Then immerse the chillies, blend them until a smooth mixture is obtained and filter the sauce into a pan with the browned meat. Bring everything to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 3-3.5 hours until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and shred it with two forks.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make birria meat from scratch are in the recipe card below. If you want to see more detailed step by step photos on how to make the birria and sauce, check out my post on birria.
Immersion both sides of a corn tortilla into the layer of fat that sits on top of the pot of birria. Try to immerse it only in the top layer and not lower in the red broth or consomé.
I find that if you let the birria sit for about 10 minutes, the layer of fat will rise to the surface, making it easier to make birria tacos.
To fry tortilla in large skillet over medium-high heat. She should start boiling immediately. Top half of tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese and shredded birria meat.
Fold Tip in the other half of the tortilla to create a taco and cook for 1 minute on each side until the cheese is completely melted and the tortillas are crispy.
Stuff your tacos with diced white onion and cilantro and serve on a plate with lime wedges and consomé for dip!
Can I make Birria in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?
YES. To make it in the Instant Pot, cook the birria on high pressure for 60 minutes. To prepare it in the slow cooker, cook slowly on low heat for 7-8 hours.
Storage and heating
Birria can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I recommend preparing the tacos before serving so that the tortillas stay crunchy.
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These Birria Tacos are tasty and succulent on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Stuffed with juicy birria and served with consomé.
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Instructions
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Season the meat generously with salt and pepper on all sides and heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
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Working in 2 batches, add the meat and brown on all sides until browned. Remove the pot from the heat, add the browned meat back to the pot and set aside.
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While the meat is browning, add the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a medium saucepan. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
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Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all other ingredients to a large blender.
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Add 1 cup chili-soaked cooking water, beef broth, white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano and cloves. Blend on high for a few minutes until completely smooth. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if your blender isn't big enough.)
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Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pan with the browned meat. Discard any remaining solids.
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Stir the meat and chili sauce together to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
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Transfer the meat to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly dip both sides of a corn tortilla into the layer of fat at the top of the red chile birria (consomé) broth, then place it in the hot skillet to begin frying. Top half of tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese and shredded birria beef. Fold the other half of the tortilla to create a taco and cook for 1 minute on each side until the cheese is completely melted and the taco is crispy and golden. Repeat to make more tacos.
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Pour some of the birria consomé into a baking dish or bowl. Top each taco with fresh cilantro and white onion and serve on a plate with lime wedges and consomé as dip.
Notes
- Grated cheese: Traditional Mexican cheeses like Oaxacan (quesillo), Chihuahua, and Asadero are the best options, but you could also use Monterey Jack or Mozzarella if you can't find them near you.
- Mexican cinnamon: This cinnamon is also known as Ceylon cinnamon. It is fragile, can be easily broken into small pieces and is mixed into the sauce. It is readily available in most Hispanic grocery stores. If you can't find it near you, I recommend using a normal cinnamon stick and removing it before blending it or using 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Mexican oregano: If you don't have Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano.
- To make it in the Instant Pot: Use the 'Saute' function to brown the meat, then add the blended chilli sauce. Close the lid and cook on maximum pressure for 60 minutes using the manual setting. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
- To prepare birria in the slow cooker: Brown and brown the meat in a pot or pan. Add the seared beef and blended chili sauce to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
Nutritional information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 839kcal (42%), Carbohydrates: 46G (15%), Protein: 68G (136%), Fat: 45G (69%), Saturated fats: 19G (95%), Polyunsaturated fats: 5G, Monounsaturated fat: 21G, Trans fats: 2G, Cholesterol: 218mg (73%), Sodium: 1003mg (42%), Potassium: 1774mg (51%), Fiber: 12G (48%), Sugar: 13G (14%), Vitamin A: 7623UI (152%), C vitamin: 13mg (16%), Soccer: 264mg (26%), Iron: 9mg (50%)
