Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck roast, fat trimmed
4 bone-in beef short ribs
8 dried chiles (guajillo, pasilla, or mulato recommended)
5 Roma tomatoes, quartered (about 1.5 pounds)
1 white onion, roughly chopped
1 head garlic (10–12 cloves)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seed
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1 inch Mexican cinnamon stick or 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
15 corn tortillas, white or yellow
2 1/2 cups Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack
1/2 white onion, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes cut into wedges
Instructions
1-Cut the chuck roast into large pieces and season with salt. Rinse the chiles, remove stems and seeds using gloves if desired.
2-In a large stockpot, cook the tomatoes and chopped onion over medium heat for several minutes. Add whole garlic cloves, chiles, and spices except bay leaves, then cook for 5 minutes while stirring.
3-Add vinegar and 4 cups of water, bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
4-Blend the mixture smooth and strain through a fine mesh back into the pot. Add 4 cups water to the blender to clean and add to the pot.
5-Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, bring to boil again, then add short ribs, chuck roast, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours until beef is tender. Remove meat, shred, and discard bones and bay leaves.
6-Heat a griddle or skillet with oil. Dip corn tortillas in birria sauce, place on pan, add shredded meat, cheese, onion, and cilantro. Fold over and fry until crispy on both sides.
7-Serve tacos topped with remaining onion and cilantro alongside warm consommé broth for dipping.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
🌶️ For milder tacos, omit arbol chiles or remove their seeds; use guajillo or pasilla chiles or swap pasilla with mulato.
🥄 Use Mexican cinnamon sticks instead of cassia for more authentic flavor or ground cinnamon as substitute.
❄️ Make birria ahead and store in airtight containers; refrigerate for a few days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking, Frying
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 852mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 72mg
