Birria Tacos Recipe
Savory heaven straight from the food truck, Birria Tacos are the most epically amazing taco you'll ever sink your teeth into. Rich, savory, spicy flavor is balanced with melted Oaxaca cheese. Fried until crisp, these are simply heavenly.
Servings: 12
Calories: 372kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- dutch oven
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chuck roast cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 pound boneless beef short ribs but into 2 inch cubes
For the Marinade
- 4 dried guajillo peppers
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 32 onces beef stock
For the Tacos
- 12 4" corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cup Oaxaca cheese grated
- 1/2 cup chopped onion optional
- 1/2 cup Queso Fresco crumbled
- Fresh Cilantro chopped
Instructions
To Make the Stew
- Season the chuck roast and short ribs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from the heat.
- Soak the guajillo and ancho chilis for 10 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the water. Cut off the stem and remove the seeds.
- Put the peppers into the pitcher of a blender. Add one chipotle pepper, all of the adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin and cayenne.
- Blend the marinade until smooth.
- Place the meat in a large container and cover with the marinade. Toss to coat. Cover and marinade for 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 300˚F.
- Heat the olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until softened.
- Transfer the meat and all of the marinade to the pot.
- Stir in the cinnamon sticks, cloves and beef stock.
- Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise the meat for 3 hours.
- Remove the Birria stew from the oven and skim off some of the fat. Reserve the fat to cook the tacos.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the stew meat to a platter and shred with two forks.
- Return the meat to the pot and stir to combine.
To Make the Tacos
- Add one tablespoon of the reserved fat to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.
- Dip the tortillas in the stew and add the tortillas to the heated skillet. (You may have to work one at a time depending on how big your skillet is.)
- Immediately top the tortilla with the shredded Oaxaca cheese. When the cheese has melted, add some of the shredded beef and fold one side of the tortilla over the other. Fry until crisp.
- Using a spatula, transfer the taco to a platter and keep warm.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas. (You will have leftover Birria meat. Save for another dinner.)
- Top the finished Birria Tacos with chopped onion, queso Fresco, or cilantro, if desired.
- Serve with some of the stew broth for dipping!
Video
Notes
The beef can marinate overnight or up to 24 hours.
You can also make the stew up to 24 hours in advance. Scoop the fat off the top of the stew before reheating and shredding.
Leftover beef can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. We like to portion it for easy to make dinners in the future.
Nutrition
Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 575mg | Potassium: 677mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2154IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 3mg