This classic Mexican dish is made with a bit more spices and flavor added to take it to the next level.
Tools Needed
- Large Caldero
- High speed blender
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Tongs
- Spatula
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
- Fork or chopper
- bowl
Ingredients for Birria Tacos
Beef chuck– I chose beef chuck because it’s a lot cheaper when feeding so many people, but you can also use goat meat which is a better choice for most people but it’s also a little harder to find.
Ribs– Ribs are very fatty which makes it super tender, they are also quite expensive so you will use about half the amount of ribs that you do choke roast. Don’t skip this if you want extra flavor and tenderness throughout your birria meat.
Guajillo and pasilla pods– The seeds are removed to dramatically cut down on the heat.
Chile de arbol- Adds a nice smokey flavor and a tad bit of heat, even after removing the seeds.
Spices- A variety of spices are used to flavor the adobo sauce.
Oaxaca Cheese– This is the main choice for a lot of people when it comes to birria tacos and for good reason. I have tried so many different types of cheese and this is by far my favorite. It is not too stringy and not too soft it is perfect for this recipe.
Corn tortillas– homemade is best but if you want a quick and convenient swap then you can also use pre-made store bought Corn tortillas. I prefer white corn tortillas.
White Onion– White onions are a lot milder than the other onions With the exception of the red ones. White onions are mainly used to make salsa and to eat raw because of their mild taste, they are perfect for adding to your there birria tacos.
Fresh cilantro– Make sure you’re cilantro is bright green, and very fragrant.
Oil– Mainly any oil will work but a neutral oil is best such as canola or vegetable.
- Carrot (optional)– I took this little tip from views on the road and let me tell you, boy does it make a difference!
How To Make Birria Tacos
Brine– start by dry brining your chuck roast. Generously salt each side and let sit for atleast an hour.
Sauté– lightly sauté a whole white Onion and two Roma tomatoes and add to a large Caldero (at least 8 quarts) along with your brined chuck, ribs, 4 bay leaves. Chop the top of the head of garlic and add to the pot.
Add- Add enough water to cover all of the top of the pot. Then add your garlic powder, onion powder, adobo, chicken bouillon, and coconut aminos to the water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about an hour and a half.
Clean– Clean your guajillo pods, Pasillas pods, and Chile dè arbol chili’s very well and remove the seeds. If you want your tacos to be a bit spicy you can opt to leave a little bit of seeds in, but they are very hot. CAUTION! Be careful not to touch your eyes or mouth when cleaning and Be aware that the chilies are very hot and if you are not used to it, it might cause you to cough, so be careful.
Add– Add guajillo and pasilla pods, along with the chile dè arbol to a pot of water and bring to a boil.
Toast– Toast your sesame seeds until lightly toasted and golden in color and add to a high-speed blender along with the boiled pods and chiles.
Lightly toast– Lightly toast your Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, thyme, whole cumin, remainder bay leaves and cinnamon stick (broken up) in a pan until fragrant and add to the blender with the other ingredients.
Add Water- Add Some of the water from the pot with your meat into the blender and remove the head of garlic and onion from the pot. ( You can also add half of the boiled onion if you want to add a bit more flavor but is is not needed). WARNING! Be VERY careful When blending hot liquids To make sure that too much pressure is not added in the blender and the blender explodes, you can even add a bit of ice Is to cool it down or wait a little bit until cooler.
Blend– Blend all of the ingredients that you added to the blender along with the vinegar and knob of ginger to the blender and blend until smooth. Add to your simmering pot of meat and let simmer for another hour and a half to 2 hours. You can add your carrots at this point or weight halfway through and then add them.
Taste– Towards the end of the cooking process taste to make sure it is season to your liking, Add salt if necessary or any other seasonings you feel is needed.
Chop– Remove your meat from the pot and chop or shred and then add back into the pot into a bowl with some of the consumè
Assemble– Assemble your tacos by adding a bit of oil to a skillet and dip your tortillas in the consumè, sauté on one side and then flip. Spread your cheese all over the tortilla and add your shredded/chopped meat to half of the tortilla. Add your chopped onion and cilantro on top of the meat and then fold the tortilla over to finish cooking on both sides.
Plate– Plate your tacos, then take a small bowl and add some consumè from the pot into the bowl and garnish with Chopped onion and cilantro. Enjoy!
Tips
- Dry brining your chuck roast makes it more flavorful To make it cook faster and to add even more flavor you can sauté your roast.
- Season your water. This is the best way to add more flavor to your birria in my opinion.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve traditionally with a bit of consume on the side, just add from the pot to a bowl and add a little Chopped onion and cilantro on top
- Serve with a little lime for a bit more zest.
The BEST Home-made Birria Tacos!
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
- Bowl
- small pot (for boiling water for dates)
- 16 0z. mason jar
Ingredients
- 5 lbs 5 lbs chuck pot roast (can also use goat or even oxtail, it will just be more fatty)
- 2 lbs short ribs
- 1 head garlic plus 8 cloves
- 1 white onion
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 2 tsp Onion powder
- 2 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Adobo
- 1- 2 tsp Chicken bouillon
- 1-2 T Coconut aminos
- 1-2 whole carrots (optional)
- 1 T brown sugar (optional)
- Salt to taste
For Adobo Sauce
- 20-22 guajillo Chile pods
- 3 Pasilla Chile pods
- 5 Chile de árbol
- 8 bay (leaves; divided )
- 6-8 whole cloves
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 small whole Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp whole black pepper (peppercorn)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp whole cumin
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
For Assembling Tacos
- 1-2 T Oil (preferably a neutral oil like canola)
- Corn tortillas
- Oaxaca Queso
- 2-3 bunches cilantro (chopped)
- 1 white onion (diced or chopped)
Instructions
- 1- start by dry briningyour chuck roast. Generously salt each side and let sit for atleast an hour.
- 2- lightly sauté a wholewhite Onion and two roma tomatoes and add to a large caldero (atleast 8 quarts)along with your brined chuck, ribs, 4 bay leaves. Chop the top Of thehead of garlic and add to the pot.Step
- 3- Add enough water to cover all of the top of the pot. Then add your garlic powder, onion powder, adobo, chicken bouillon, and coconut aminos to the water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about an hour and a half.
- 4- Clean your guajillo pods, Pasillas pods, and Chile dè arbol chili's very well and remove the seeds. If you want your tacos to be a bit spicy you can opt to leave a little bit of seeds in but they are very hot. CAUTION! Be careful not to touch your eyes or mouth when cleaning and Be aware that the chili's are very hot and if you are not used to it it might cause you to cough, so be careful.
- 5 - Add guajillo and pasilla pods, along with the Chile dè arbol to a pot of water and bring to a boil.
- 6- Toast your sesame seeds until lightly toasted and golden in color and add to a high-speed blender along with the boiled pods and chiles.
- Step 7- Lightly toast your Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, thyme, whole cumin, remainder bay leaves and cinnamon stick (broken up) in a pan until fragrant and add to the blender with the other ingredients.
- Step 8- Add Some of thewater from the pot with your meat into the blender and remove the head ofgarlic and onion from the pot. ( You can also add half of the boiled onion if you want to add a bit more flavor but is is not needed). WARNING! Be VERY careful when blending hot liquids To make sure that too much pressure is not added in the blender and the blender explodes, you can even add a bit of ice to cool it down or wait a little bit until cooler.
- 9- Blend all Of the ingredients that you added to the blender along with the vinegar and knob of ginger to the blender and blend until smooth. Add to your simmering pot of meat and Let simmer for another hour and a half to 2 hours. You can add your carrots at this point or weight halfway through and then add them.
- 10- Towards the endof the cooking process taste to make sure it is season to your liking, Add saltif necessary or any other seasonings you feel is needed.
- 11- Remove your meat from the pot and chop or shred And then add back into the pot into a bowl with some of the consumè.
- 12- Add a bit ofoil to a skillet and dip your tortillas in the consumè sauté on one side and then flip.
- 13- spread your cheese all over the tortilla and add You're threaded me to half of the tortilla. Add your chopped onion and cilantro on top of the meat and then fold the tortilla over to finish cooking on both sides.
- Step 14- Plate your tacos,then take a small bowl and add some consumè from the pot into the bowl andgarnish with Chopped onion and cilantro.Step
- 15- Enjoy!
That’s it! Enjoy your delicious homemade birria tacos
Step by step with pictures
Step 1&2
Start by brining your chuck roast for at least one hour and then searing the meat on both sides in a buttered or oiled pan and add to your pot or caldero.
Step 3 & 4
In the same pan, lightly saute your onion and Roma tomatoes and add them to the pot with the seared chuck roast and fill the pot with water to cover your meat.
Step 5 & 6
Add your beef ribs, onion & garlic powder, adobo, chicken bullion, and coconut aminos to the pot, cover and cook for about an hour and a half. Clean you guajillo & pasilla pods, and chile de arbol (and remove seeds) and add to a pot with water. Bring to a boil/
Step 7 & 8
Lightly toast your sesame seeds, cinnamon and bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, cloves, and cumin.
Step 9 & 10
Add all of your ingredients to a high-speed blender along with the boiled pods and chiles and add some of the stock or water from your meat pot, vinegar and ginger and blend until smooth.
Step 11 & 12
Add your blended adobo sauce to the pot of meat and cook for another one and a half to two hours.
Step 13
Remove your meat from the pot and place on a cutting board and chop or shred.
Step 14
Add to a bowl with some adobo sauce and assemble your tacos by lightly dipping your tortilla in the pot ( the color will spread when pan frying). Put a bit of oil in a pan or on a skillet on medium high heat and when the tortilla starts to sizzle and puff turn over and add your cheese, meat, onion, and cilantro and turn one half over to make a taco. finish cooking on both sides.
Step 15
Plate, then add some consume to a small bowl and garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. Enjoy your delicious birria tacos!
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