🌮 Easy Birria Tacos With Homemade Consommé
Servings: 6–8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3–3½ hours
Total time: about 4 hours
Ingredients
For the Birria
- 2½–3 lb (1.1–1.4 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 1 lb (450 g) beef short ribs or beef shank — optional, but adds excellent flavor
- 1½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 4 cups beef broth or water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the Chile Sauce
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2–3 dried árbol chiles, depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano or regular dried oregano
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water or beef broth
For the Tacos
- 12–16 corn tortillas
- 1½–2 cups shredded Oaxaca, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack cheese
- Finely diced white onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Salt, to taste
Step 1: Prepare the dried chiles
Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles.
Don’t worry about removing every seed.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.
Place the dried chiles in the skillet and toast them for approximately 20–30 seconds per side.
You should smell a rich, toasted aroma.
Don’t burn them. Burnt chiles can make the consommé bitter.
Remove the chiles from the skillet.
Step 2: Soften the chiles
Place the toasted chiles in a bowl.
Pour in enough very hot water to cover them.
Let them soak for approximately 15–20 minutes, until they become soft.
Drain them afterward.
Step 3: Make the birria chile sauce
In a blender, add:
- Soaked guajillo chiles
- Soaked ancho chiles
- Árbol chiles
- Tomatoes
- ½ onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water or beef broth
Blend until completely smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little more broth or water.
For an especially smooth consommé, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. This removes pieces of chile skin and seeds.
Step 4: Season and brown the beef
Pat the beef dry with paper towels.
Season generously with salt.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Add the beef in batches.
Sear each piece for approximately 2–3 minutes per side.
You want a deep brown crust.
Don’t overcrowd the pot because the meat will steam instead of brown.
Once browned, remove the beef and set it aside.
Step 5: Combine everything
Lower the heat to medium.
Pour the chile sauce into the same pot.
Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen all those browned bits.
Return the beef to the pot.
Add:
- 4 cups beef broth
- Quartered onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
The liquid should come roughly ¾ of the way up the meat.
Step 6: Cook the birria slowly
Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
Then reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pot and cook for approximately 3–3½ hours.
Check it occasionally and stir gently.
The beef is ready when you can easily pull it apart with a fork.
The key test:
Take a piece of beef and press it with a fork.
If it falls apart easily, it’s done.
If it’s still tough, keep cooking.
Don’t rush this step. Birria becomes tender because the collagen in the beef slowly breaks down during long, gentle cooking.
Step 7: Make the consommé
Once the meat is tender, carefully remove the beef from the pot.
Place it in a large bowl.
Remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and large pieces of onion.
Taste the broth.
Add additional salt if needed.
You now have your birria consommé.
Optional but delicious
Let the consommé sit for a few minutes.
You’ll notice a layer of flavorful red-orange fat rising to the surface.
Don’t throw this away.
This flavorful fat is what you’ll use to coat the tortillas before frying the tacos.
Step 8: Shred the beef
Use two forks to pull the beef apart.
Remove any large pieces of fat, cartilage, or bones.
Don’t shred the meat too finely. Some larger juicy pieces make the tacos better.
Add a little consommé to the shredded beef and mix.
This keeps the meat moist and flavorful.
Step 9: Prepare your taco station
Put everything near your stove:
You need:
- Shredded birria
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded cheese
- Diced onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Consommé
- Lime wedges
- A skillet
This makes taco assembly much easier.
Step 10: Dip the tortillas
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Take a corn tortilla.
Dip one side into the red birria fat floating on top of the consommé.
Coat it lightly.
Don’t completely soak the tortilla or it can become difficult to handle.
Place the tortilla, coated side down, onto the hot skillet.
You should hear a gentle sizzle.
Step 11: Add cheese
Immediately sprinkle cheese over half of the tortilla.
Good choices include:
- Oaxaca cheese
- Monterey Jack
- Mozzarella
- Chihuahua cheese
Let the cheese begin melting.
Step 12: Add the birria
Place a generous amount of shredded beef over the cheese.
Don’t overfill the taco.
Add a small amount of diced onion and cilantro if desired.
Step 13: Fold the taco
Fold the tortilla in half.
Press gently with your spatula.
Cook for approximately 1–2 minutes.
Then flip it.
Cook the other side until:
- Crispy
- Golden
- Slightly browned
- Cheese is completely melted
You can add another tiny amount of birria fat to the pan if necessary.
Step 14: Repeat
Continue making tacos until you’ve used all the meat.
Keep finished tacos on a plate while you cook the rest.
For the crispiest tacos, don’t stack them immediately because trapped steam can soften them.
Step 15: Serve with consommé
Pour hot consommé into small bowls.
Top with:
- Diced white onion
- Fresh cilantro
- A squeeze of lime
Serve the crispy tacos alongside it.
The proper way to eat them:
Take a crispy birria taco.
Dip it into the hot consommé.
Take a bite.
Then squeeze fresh lime over the taco.
🌮 Crispy + cheesy + juicy beef + spicy consommé + fresh lime = perfect birria tacos.
🔥 Tips for the BEST Birria
1. Use beef chuck.
It’s affordable, flavorful, and becomes incredibly tender when cooked slowly.
2. Don’t burn the chiles.
Toast them briefly. Burnt chiles will make the sauce bitter.
3. Brown the beef first.
This adds a much deeper flavor to both the meat and consommé.
4. Cook low and slow.
If the beef isn’t falling apart, it simply needs more time.
5. Don’t waste the red fat.
That flavorful fat is what gives the tortillas their characteristic red color and incredible flavor.
6. Don’t drown the tortillas.
A light coating of birria fat is enough.
7. Make the tacos crispy.
The contrast between crispy tortilla and juicy beef is what makes birria tacos so good.
8. Taste the consommé before serving.
Adjust salt, vinegar, or spice at the end. A tiny splash of lime or vinegar can brighten a rich consommé.
🌶️ If you want it less spicy
Use only 1 árbol chile, or leave it out completely.
🌶️ If you want it spicy
Use 4–6 árbol chiles, or add a little chipotle chile.
🥩 If you don’t have short ribs
No problem. Use 3–3½ lb beef chuck alone.
🍲 Slow cooker option
After browning the beef and making the chile sauce, put everything into a slow cooker.
Cook on LOW for 7–8 hours, until the beef falls apart.
Then shred the meat and use the cooking liquid as your consommé.