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Lunch/Dinners

Beef Birria Tacos

TIME

4 h

DIFFICULTY

Medium

SERVINGS

4

CALORIES

643 kcal

CARBS

48.7 g

PROTEIN

37.3 g

FAT

34.5 g

Z Beef Birria Tacos

About this recipe

Birria is one of Jalisco’s celebrated dishes, traditionally made with goat and often prepared for festive occasions. In Jalisco, it may be served as tender, relatively dry meat for tacos, while other versions come with a rich broth. This home-style adaptation uses slow-braised beef chuck in a red chile adobo, with its consomé served alongside for dipping.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT

Slow-braised beef turns tender and deeply flavored with dried chiles and spices. The tortillas crisp in the chile-tinted fat from the braise. Each serving comes with consomé for dipping and fresh lime, onion, and cilantro.

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks (680 g)
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (about ¾ oz / 20 g)
  • 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded (about ½ oz / 14 g)
  • 4 garlic cloves (about ½ oz / 12 g)
  • 1 medium white onion, divided: half for braising and half finely diced for serving (about 4 oz / 110 g)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (½ fl oz / 15 ml)
  • ½ tsp ground cumin (about 1 g)
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (about 1 g)
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper (about ½ g)
  • ⅛ tsp ground cloves (about ¼ g)
  • 1 small piece Mexican cinnamon, about 1 inch (about 1 g)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt (about 6 g)
  • 3 cups water (24 fl oz / 710 ml)
  • 12 corn tortillas, about 6 inches each (about 12 oz / 336 g total)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (about ½ oz / 15 g)
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges (about 3 oz / 90 g edible portion)

Preparation

  1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few seconds per side, just until fragrant. Do not let them burn. Cover with hot water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain.
  2. Season the beef with the salt. In a Dutch oven, sear it in batches until browned on several sides.
  3. Blend the softened chiles with the garlic, half the onion, vinegar, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and about 1 cup of the measured water until smooth.
  4. Pour the chile adobo over the beef. Add the remaining water and bay leaves. Cover and braise in a 325°F (165°C) oven for about 3 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
  5. Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it. Skim the red-tinted fat from the consomé and reserve a little for frying the tortillas. Remove the bay leaves.
  6. Dip one side of each tortilla lightly in the reserved fat. Fill with shredded beef, fold, and cook on a hot skillet until crisp on both sides.
  7. Serve 3 tacos per person with hot consomé for dipping, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Tips

Keep the chiles moving as they toast; burnt chiles can make the adobo bitter.
Skim only the excess fat and reserve a little to crisp the tortillas.
For a milder consomé, remove the chile seeds before soaking.

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