Mexican birria tacos, Jalisco-style, made with braised beef that’s slow-cooked in a fragrant 3-chile sauce with a delicious spice mix. Crispy tacos, and tender, mouth-watering beef team up with melted Mexican cheese in this impressive meal. This recipe takes a little time but it’s so worth it!
Prep Time::20 mins
Cook Time:: 3 hrs 45 mins
Additional Time::10 mins
Total Time:: 4 hrs 15 mins
Servings::18
Yield::18 tacos
Ingredients
Sauce:
6 dried guajillo chile peppers, seeded
4 dried chile de arbol peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
4 medium Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 whole cloves
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch ground thyme
1 pinch dried marjoram
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch salt
Meat:
4 pounds beef chuck roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Tacos:
18 corn tortillas
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup shredded queso asadero (white Mexican cheese) (Optional)
Directions
Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
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Start the sauce: Add guajillo, arbol, and ancho chile peppers to the boiling water; boil for 5 minutes.
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Remove pot from the heat and allow peppers to soak until cool. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
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Meanwhile, sear the meat: Rinse beef and pat dry with paper towels. Cut beef into chunks if desired, and season with salt and pepper.
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Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
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While the beef is searing, continue the sauce: Line a heavy cast-iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on top. Grill until tomato skin is burned on all sides and begins to peel, 3 to 5 minutes.
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Place cooled chile peppers into a blender. Add vinegar, garlic, 2 teaspoons black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and salt in a blender. Pour in the reserved 1/4 cup of chile water and blend until smooth.
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Strain chile sauce through a mesh strainer and pour over browned meat in the Dutch oven, turning the roast so it is completely covered with sauce; cover with a lid.
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Bake in the preheated oven, basting meat every 45 minutes with sauce, until birria begins to fall apart, 3 to 4 hours. Remove the lid and bake, uncovered, until birria is crispy on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with 2 layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes.
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Remove meat to a cutting board and strain off any fat from the sauce. Shred meat with two forks, then return meat to the pot and stir with the sauce to combine.
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Assemble and heat tacos: Fill each tortilla with birria and top with Mexican cheese, chopped onion, and cilantro. Warm tortillas on a griddle, flipping until both sides are crispy and cheese is melted.
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Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Slow Cooker Option:
You can prepare this dish in a slow cooker as well, but you will be sacrificing a little bit of flavor. Prepare the birria the same way, but place in a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven and cook on High for 4 to 6 hours or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.