These Birria Tacos with Consommé are made with slow-cooked pull apart beef, a rich adobo sauce and panfried with Oaxaca cheese until perfectly crisp. Each taco is dipped into the most flavorful broth, making them the ultimate Mexican comfort food.
These irresistible Birria Tacos with Consommé are juicy and messy in the best kind of way. With each bite you get tender beef and gooey melted cheese, all wrapped up in a crispy corn tortilla.
If you love this, you will also love my Mango Pico de Gallo and Ahi Tuna Nachos.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Savory Mexican stew- Each taco is filled with tender beef that is simmered in a broth made of dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices. The meat absorbs all of these flavors and makes the most delicious filling.
- Consommé- To me, this really is the best part about these tacos! This flavorful broth in which the meat is stewed in for hours, also serves as a dipping sauce.
- Crispy Tortillas- I dip each tortilla into the infused fat from the Birria and cook it inside a skillet until they are crisp.
- Make ahead- I love recipes that you can make ahead. Make this filling for these tacos a day or two in advance.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef chuck roast- I use boneless chuck roast for this recipe. Choose a piece that is bright red in color and has some visible fat for the most intense flavor.
- Dried chiles- I use both Guajillo and Ancho chiles. You can find them inside the Latin American section at your grocery store.
- Oaxaca cheese- This Mexican style cheese is creamy and melts easily. It makes these tacos extra gooey. You can also substitute Mozzarella.
- Dried spices- For this recipe, I use ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. You can find all of these spices at your local grocery store.
- Apple cider vinegar- Vinegar not only adds acid and cuts some of the richness in this sauce, it also helps tenderize the meat.
- Chipotle in adobo- I use just one inside this recipe, but if you want to add more heat and smokiness, you can add more.
- Tomatoes- I use whole Roma tomatoes.
- Onion- I always use yellow onions in my cooking.
- Beef broth- For the best flavor, I recommend using beef broth. But if you do not have any on hand, chicken stock is good too.
- Garlic- Leave your garlic cloves whole since you are blending everything together.
- Cilantro- I add this for flavor inside my consommé and to add some greenery for garnish.
What are Disneyland Birria Tacos?
I first tried Birria Tacos with Consommé (also known as QuesaBirria) at Disneyland at the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill in Disney's California Adventure. What can I say, it was love at first bite.
Birria is authentically made with goats meat, but beef Birria is more common here in the United States. It's a meaty stew with a rich, beefy broth that is flavored with dried chiles, garlic, onion and aromatic spices such as cinnamon, coriander and oregano.
This stew is cooked for hours at low heat until fork tender. The meat is then shredded and filled inside corn tortillas that have been dipped inside the fat that has settled at the top of the braising liquid, along with some Oaxaca cheese.
Once they're crispy, they are served with the consommé for dipping and accompaniments such as cilantro, diced raw onions and lime wedges.
Step By Step Instructions-Braising Beef
STEP 1: Toast the chiles. Take each chili and cut off the ends with kitchen shears. Remove the seeds. Place them inside a skillet and toast chiles for 2-3 minutes on each side.
STEP 2: Rehydrate chiles. Place toasted chiles inside a large bowl. Pour boiling water on top to completely submerge them. Leave them for 15 minutes.
STEP 3: Brown meat. In a large dutch oven, heat oil until hot. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add beef to the hot oil and brown all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
STEP 4: Sauté vegetables. Remove meat from the pan, leaving the beef drippings. Add onions, garlic and whole tomatoes. Cook until softened.
STEP 5: Add spices. Add cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, salt and chipotle in adobe.
STEP 6: Deglaze pan. Pour in apple cider vinegar. Use a wooden spoon and in a back and forth motion, scrape up all the yummy goodness on the bottom of the pan. Add 3 cups of beef stock.
STEP 7: Blend sauce. In a blender, add softened chiles (discard soaking liquid), followed by tomato-onion mixture. Blend until smooth.
STEP 8: Braise beef. Place browned beef into the pot with sauce. Add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cover and bring to a boil. Place pot into preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.
STEP 9: Shred meat. Remove meat from sauce and shred by using two forks.
Step By Step Instructions-Tacos
STEP 1: Dip tortillas. Take each corn tortilla and gently dip into the leftover braising liquid. Do not dunk the tortillas. Instead, lightly skim it across the top of the liquid where the fat has settled.
STEP 2: Cook tacos. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and place dipped tortilla inside. Add enough cheese to cover the entire tortilla. Place shredded beef on one side of the tortilla.
Fold the other side over and cook tacos until crisp and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
STEP 3: Serve tacos. Pour Birria consommé into a small bowl for dipping. Add diced white onion and cilantro for flavor. Serve tacos with lime wedges.
Expert Tips for The Best Tacos
Corn tortillas are notorious for breaking apart. To prevent this from happening, wrap them inside a towel and heat inside the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make them more pliable.
Do not dunk the tortillas inside the braising liquid. The fat naturally settles at the top. This is what you dip your tortillas in so that your tacos are crispy and not soggy.
Add cheese all the way to the outer edge of the tortilla. It will ooze into the pan and caramelize inside the oil. It makes these tacos extra delicious!
To keep the tacos warm while you continue to cook, place the finished ones inside a 180 degree oven.
FAQ
Birria is traditionally made with goat, lamb and more often, beef. You can definitely use pork or chicken. Use parts that lends itself to slow cooking, such as chicken thighs or pork shoulder.
Birria is a savory, rich meaty stew. Its broth is infused with with warm spices, dried chiles and a little vinegar for some tang. The meat is fork tender, full of flavor with just the right amount of heat.
These tacos are great to make a head. Braise the beef and shred the meat the day before and refrigerate overnight. Place accompaniments such as grated cheese, cilantro, diced onions and lime wedges inside Ziploc bags or plastic containers so they're ready to go.
Storing and Freezing
Store any leftover Birria tacos with consommé inside a Ziploc bag or airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place tacos inside a 350 degree toaster oven and heat for 10-12 minutes.
Freezing
I do not recommend freezing these tacos, but the Birria filling and any leftover consommé can be frozen inside an airtight container for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place inside the refrigerator overnight.
Other Family-Friendly Recipes To Try
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📖 Recipe
Birria Tacos with Consommé
Ingredients
Birria de Res
- 4 lbs Chuck roast boneless
- ¼ cup Canola oil plus more for frying tacos
- 4 Dried Ancho chile
- 4 Dried Guajillo chiles
- 1 tablespoon Chipotle in adobe sauce
- 1 Yellow onion cut into wedges
- 10 cloves Garlic whole
- 3 Roma tomatoes whole
- 2 teaspoon Mexican oregano ground
- 1 ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
- 6 cups Beef stock
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
For Tacos
- 20 Corn tortillas
- 16 oz Oaxaca or Mozzarella cheese grated
For Serving
- Fresh cilantro
- Yellow onion small dice
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Birria de Res
- Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles. Place inside a hot skillet and toast for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and place inside a large bowl. Pour boiling water over chiles, enough to cover them. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Pat beef dry with a paper towel and season heavily with salt and pepper.
- In a large dutch oven or pot, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add meat to the heated oil and sear each side for 3-4 minutes until browned. Transfer meat to a plate.
- In the same pot, add onions, garlic cloves and tomatoes. Cook until softened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Next, add spices and chipotle in adobe to pot. Stir in apple cider vinegar and 3 cups of beef broth to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Use wooden spoon to scrape up all the caramelized bits.
- Inside a blender, add rehydrated chiles and tomato-onion mixture. Blend on high speed until smooth. Season with salt.
- Pour liquid back into the pot and place meat inside. Add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cover and bring to a boil. Place inside preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.
- Remove the meat from the pot when it's cool enough to handle. Shred beef with two forks.
- Stir remaining 3 cups of beef broth into the braising liquid to thin out. Adjust with salt if needed.
For Tacos
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat. Add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make them more pliable. Take each tortilla and lightly run it across the top of the braising liquid to soak up some of the flavored fat.
- Place tortilla inside heated pan. Spread cheese over tortilla, all the way to the outer edge. Add shredded beef to one side and fold tortilla over.
- Cook until crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. To keep tacos warm, keep them inside a 180 degree oven until you're ready to serve.
For Serving
- Place tacos onto a large platter. Pour consommé into small ramekins or bowls. Serve with diced onions, cilantro and lime wedges.
Angela Tamboura
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at birria for some time now. So many recipes out there, but this will be my forever go to. I don’t like vinegar or cinnamon in hot dishes. I always try the recipe as stated at first, before tweaking to my needs. I added the vinegar and cinnamon and when it was completely done,I was in love! The only thing I did different, I did not add more broth after cooking to thin it out. I was using my meat in tacos and wanted all the yummy flavor. That is the only thing I did different and these were absolutely amazing. Only suggested to anyone reading this, buy an extra package of Oaxaca cheese! I ran out when dinner was over and don’t have any for leftovers but I’ll live. Can’t wait to make this again for more family and friends. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Kristen Espino
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your feedback so much and I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It's one of my favorites!