Birria Tacos with Consommé dipping sauce are filled with delicious tender shredded beef that has been braised low and slow in dried chili peppers, onion, tomatoes, broth, and spices. The amazing flavor makes a PHENOMENAL dipping taco. Serve with cheese and then dip in the rich consomme sauce, and you'll see why it's an internet sensation!
Why You'll Love Beef Birria Tacos
While this traditional method tastes amazing, you may want to try this Crockpot Birria De Res - just dump everything in and walk away! 🙂 Save the juices and plan on making Quesabirria Tacos with the leftover meat! Enjoy!
So Flavorful
Birria tacos with consomme are a massive hit with my family! Hours of braising result in a tender, juicy chuck roast as the flavors of the soup bones, dried peppers, tomatoes, and other seasonings meld together into a rich, savory stew and sauce.
Voila - out comes the tender beef with delectable juices that makes the most amazing dipping sauce. Serve the tacos in softened corn tortillas, or fry the taco in a skillet to make quesabirria. Oh my. Super good!
Perfect Weekend Recipe
Because this recipe is braised in the oven for about 2 to 3 hours, you may want to save it for the weekend. While not complicated by any means, you can't leave your oven for an extended period of time, so if I want it - I treat it as something to look forward to doing on a lazy weekend.
Or...cook it in your slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours instead of the oven. 🙂
Healthy
Beef Birra tacos are a healthy homemade dinner that will be a huge hit with the family. They are completely customizable to fit many dietary needs!
- By using soup bones you create a rich bone broth full of minerals and collagen. By the way, the collagen is what thickens the sauce.
- Make low carb and keto birra by serving as a stew or as tacos with low carb keto-approved tortilla shells. I like to serve mine on chaffles.
- Keto followers can add healthy fat through the toppings on their tacos - sour cream, diced avocado, sliced olives, etc.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by not using cheese or sour cream in your tacos.
Birria Tacos Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make birria tacos with consommé recipe:
See the recipe card for exact quantities. 🙂
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - You could also use avocado oil or any other favorite oil.
- Boneless Beef Chuck Roast - You can use a bone-in roast with this recipe as well.
- Coarse Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Diced Onion - I used a sweet onion as I love the mild sweetness a sweet onion lends to a dish, but you can use a yellow onion, or another favorite.
- Dried Ancho Chiles - A mild to medium spiced dried pepper that's common in birria recipes. It's also quite common in the stores.
- Dried New Mexico Chiles or Dried Guajillo Peppers - To make this recipe more accessible to everyone I chose dried peppers you can find in your local grocery store. Usually, you can find one of these peppers.
- Ground Cumin
- Garlic
- Cinnamon Sticks - One of my favorite things about this recipe is the scent of the cinnamon as it cooks and blends with all the other ingredients. It tastes amazing in the stew! Make sure to remove the sticks before blending.
- Dried Bay Leaves - Make sure to remove the bay leaves before blending.
- Canned Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes - I love the smokiness that these tomatoes give the recipe. You can also use diced tomatoes with green chilies, or regular diced, or stewed tomatoes. I chose canned tomatoes for ease, but you can opt for fresh if you prefer. If you use fresh it is best if you remove the skin first.
- Canned chiles in adobo sauce - I am not a huge spicy lover so I only used 3 ounces of a7 ounce can of chiles in adobo sauce. If you like heat, add the whole can!
- Fresh Lime Juice - Lime juice adds zest, tang, and brightness. You can substitute the juice of a sour orange, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar.
- Beef Stock - Either beef broth or beef stock is fine.
Substitutions and Variations
- Adapt this recipe and cook the roast in your slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours until the roast is tender. This makes it feasible to make any day of the week as the slow cooker is a very hands-off appliance that you can turn on before you walk out the door.
- Corn tortillas are most commonly used but you could certainly use flour tortillas.
- Traditional birria is often made with goat meat or lamb, so feel free to substitute. Beef is much more accessible in many areas, however. You can also use bone-in meat as well.
- Substitute any dried pepper that you have on hand. Each amazing pepper has different flavor profiles and levels of spiciness - so many choices!
- Experiment with different herbs and spices. It's your recipe, there are no rules in your kitchen. 🙂 I frequently use Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, and coriander.
- If serving as a stew, feel free to add vegetables to this dish - potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, etc.
- Add a smoky flavor by adding chipotle powder and/or smoky paprika.
- Make this consomme with solids removed or with the solids. See the recipe Instructions for more information.
How To Make Birria Tacos
For complete instructions, please see the printable recipe card below.
Season and Sear Beef
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Season all sides of the meat with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a 6-quart oven-proof dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan. When the skillet is very hot, sear each side of chuck roast until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Carmelize Onion
- Remove roast and set aside. Add onions and saute until they are caramelized.
Add Remaining Ingredients
- Add the dried chilies and onions to the slow cooker, then place the roast on top. Add remaining birria de res ingredients to the pot.
Braise in Oven
- Cover and bring to a simmer.
- Transfer the covered pot to the oven and braise for 2 to 3 hours or until the beef is very tender.
Shred Meat
- Remove roast from the pot and shred the meat. Set aside and keep warm
Make Birria Consomme
The birria consome can be made two ways - with the solids removed so you are left with only the consomme broth, or my favorite way (and easiest) with the solids blended smooth and left in.
Consomme No Solids
- Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and any hard chili pods.
- Place a sieve over a bowl. Working a little at a time, press the sauce through the strainer with a spoon, separating the liquids from the solids. Remove solids from the strainer and repeat until all solids are removed.
- Taste the consomme and adjust seasoning if necessary. Keep warm and serve on the side for dipping your tacos.
Consomme With Solids
- Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and any hard chili pods.
- Blend all of the liquids and softened solids that remain in the pot (like chili peppers and onions) using an immersion handheld blender until it reaches your desired smoothness.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. Keep warm and serve on the side for dipping your tacos.
How To Serve
There are many ways to serve birria tacos with consommé. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Dipping Tacos
To make dipping tacos, serve the shredded beef birria with warm flour or corn tortillas and a side of the consomme sauce. Top the tacos with cheese, diced onion, lime wedges, cilantro, and any other favorite topping.
Quesatacos
Making quesatacos is essentially the same as above, but fried.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil. Dip both sides of the corn tortillas in the sauce and place on a skillet.
Fill one side with shredded beef, grated Oaxaca or Mexican cheese blend, and diced onion. Fry for a couple of minutes, then fold half the shell over the meat. Continue frying both sides until they reach a nice golden brown color, are crispy on the outside, and cheese is melted on the inside. Serve with dipping sauce.
Hint: For full quesataco instructions, see my quesabirria recipe
Top Tips
- You can choose to make a consomme that is all liquid with no solids, or you can leave the solids and blend to your desired smoothness. My favorite with the solids blended into the consomme as it is more flavorful and easier.
- Sometimes you will get dried peppers with tough skins or pods. They will never soften enough to blend so take a look to see if you have any in your stew and remove them. Why you are at it - don't forget to remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves too!
- If you are in a hurry you do not need to sear the beef or caramelize the onions. These steps do add flavor to the recipe - but if you skip it's still all going to taste great!
FAQs
Birria is an amazing Mexican braised stew traditionally made with goat (or lamb) - but is now commonly made with beef (Birria de Res). In the United States, for example, beef is easier to source than goat meat.
Birria originated from the Mexican state of Jalisco but has become popular across the world. It has also become an internet sensation.
Traditional the stew is cooked low and slow until the meat is very tender, From there it is removed from the pot and shredded.
The meat has many uses, from stews to tacos, burritos, and more! Served with the dipping sauce, it is out of this world!
That's easy! Here's how to pronounce Birria 🙂
While each recipe is different, birria meat is commonly made with lamb, goat, or beef that is stewed in dried chile peppers, tomatoes, onions, a variety of seasonings and herbs, garlic, broth, and bones.
Allow the stew to cool and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Yes, birria de res can easily be frozen. Separate the meat from the juices, then shred the meat. Put the meat and the juices into separate freezer-proof containers, and once they are cool, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can prep this entire recipe. Sear the meat in advance, and have all of your ingredients prepped.
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📖 The recipe.
Birria Tacos with Consommé
Ingredients
Birria de Res
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 pounds beef soup bones (this will add the collagen and richness to the consomme)
- 1 large sweet onion
- 3 ancho chiles (dried, de-stemmed and de-seeded)
- 3 New mexico chiles (dried, de-stemmed and de-seeded)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 2 cinnnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves (dried)
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 3 ounces chiles in adobo sauce (use more if you like it spicy!)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 cups beef broth
Tacos
- 12 6 inch corn tortillas
- 1 cup Oaxaca or Mexican Cheese Blend (grated)
- 1 cup onion (diced)
- 3 limes (cut into 12 wedges)
- ½ bunch cilantro (chopped for garnish)
Instructions
Making the Beef (Birria de Res)
- Season all sides of chuck roast with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a 6-quart dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When the pot is very hot sear each side of chuck roast until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove roast and set aside. Add onions and saute until they are caramelized (getting a nice golden color)
- Add the beef soup bones, dried chilies, onions, and then the roast. Add remaining ingredients on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until the roast is very tender.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and any hard chili pepper pods.
- Remove roast from crockpot and shred meat. Set aside and keep warm
Birria Consomé (Two Ways)
- Consomme with solids: blend the liquids that remain in the pot until smooth using an immersion blender.
- Consomme with no solids: place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Working a little at a time, press the sauce through the sieve with a spoon, separating the liquids from the solids. Remove solids from the strainer and repeat the process until all solids are removed.
Making the Tacos
- Preheat an oven to 200°F.
- Preheat olive oil in a 12" skillet to medium-high heat.
- Working two at a time, dip corn tortillas lightly in the consomme sauce and then place in the hot skillet (the tortillas need to sizzle when they hit the pan).
- Top one half of tortilla with a little of the beef, cheese, onion, a pinch of salt, and a gentle squeeze of lime. Fold the tortilla in half over the meat and cheese. Continue cooking until it starts getting brown, then flip and brown the other side. (The tortillas will develop a delicious crusty outside but will still be soft on the inside)
- Lay the tacos on a baking sheet, then place them in the oven at 200°F to keep warm while you are working on the remaining tacos.
To Serve
- Serve the warm tacos with a bowl of consomme and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Dip the tacos into the sauce and eat up!
Video
Kori's Tips
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- SUBSTITUTIONS: Make this consomme with solids removed or with the solids. See the recipe Instructions for more information; Adapt this recipe and cook the roast in your slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours until the roast is tender.
- TOP TIPS: If you are in a hurry you do not need to sear the beef or caramelize the onions. These steps do add flavor to the recipe - but if you skip it's still all going to taste great!
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve as a stew or shred the beef and serve in tacos. Use the sauce to dip your tacos in. See the post instructions for making quesabirria tacos (fried tacos like a quesadilla) - really good!
Nutrition
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Addie
Made these delicious tacos over the weekend for friends and family! They were delicious! I did some as a fried quesabirria and the others in warm tortillas (for those that didn’t want fries) - both were amazing thank you!!
Kori
Thank you thank you! SUPER happy everyone loved these!! 🙂