Crockpot Beef Birria Tacos
Chuck roast cooked on LOW in a guajillo-ancho sauce, then folded into crisp corn tortillas with Oaxaca cheese and served with warm beef consommé.
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Blender
- 12-inch skillet or griddle
- Fine-mesh sieve (optional)
- Food thermometer
Ingredients
Beef and chile sauce
- 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast fully thawed; cut into large 2- to 3-inch chunks
- 5 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- hot water enough to cover the chiles; discard after soaking
- 1 medium white onion peeled and quartered
- 5 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1 whole clove
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth divided: 1 cup to blend, 2 cups to cook
Tacos
- 16 small corn tortillas about 5 to 6 inches
- 10 oz Oaxaca cheese shredded or pulled into thin strands
- up to 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil only if too little chile-tinted fat separates
Optional garnishes
- ½ cup white onion finely diced; optional
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped; optional
- 2 limes cut into wedges; optional
Instructions
Slow cooker birria and quesabirria
- Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo and ancho chiles. Cover with hot water and soak for 15–20 minutes until pliable. Quarter the onion and peel the garlic on a clean board. On a separate board, cut the fully thawed chuck into large chunks. Drain and discard the soaking water.
- Blend the softened chiles, quartered onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, whole clove, vinegar, salt, and 1 cup of the cool beef broth until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if there are visible bits of chile skin or clove.
- Put the beef in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour over the chile sauce and add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours, keeping the lid closed, until the beef shreds easily with forks. If it resists, continue on LOW and check again in 30–60 minutes. Check that the stew reaches at least 165°F with a food thermometer.
- Transfer the beef to a board and shred it. Stir in just enough cooking liquid to keep it moist. Let the remaining liquid settle for a few minutes, skim the red surface fat into a small dish, and keep the remaining consommé hot. Taste the broth and adjust its salt.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat a tortilla with the reserved red fat and lay it in the skillet. Add one-sixteenth of the shredded Oaxaca cheese and beef to one half, fold, and cook for about 2–3 minutes per side until browned and crisp and the cheese has melted. Work in batches. If too little fat separates, lightly brush the tortilla with red cooking liquid and add a thin film of neutral oil to the skillet; do not soak the tortilla.
- Serve two hot tacos per portion with warm consommé for dipping. Add diced onion, cilantro, and lime if using; serve the tacos as soon as they leave the skillet.
Notes
The timing allows about 45 minutes to shred the beef and finish 16 tacos in batches on one skillet after approximately 8 hours on LOW. Appliance and chunk size affect tenderness; cook until the beef shreds easily. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate at 40°F or colder within 2 hours, use within 3–4 days, and reheat to 165°F on the stovetop. If making the beef ahead, the chile-tinted fat may firm on top of the chilled broth, making it easier to reserve for fresh tortillas.
Nutrition figures are calculated per serving from USDA FoodData Central values for 8 servings (2 tacos and an equal share of the consommé). The calculation counts all the beef, cooking liquid, and rendered fat as served; it excludes the optional skillet oil and garnishes. Actual values vary if any fat or broth is left behind, or if the broth, tortillas, cheese, or salt differ from these reference foods.
Nutrition
Calories: 640kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 44gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 1000mgFiber: 5g
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