Authentic Mexican Birria Tacos

Make these mouth-watering Authentic Mexican Birria Tacos filled with tender shredded beef, white onions, Oaxaca cheese, and cilantro - the perfect meal for sharing!

Tacos de birria are a delicacy from Mexico eaten during special occasions and sold as street food. Traditionally birria tacos are made using goat meat. However, most people now use beef instead because it is more affordable and is not as lean as goat meat. According to Eater birria tacos became extremely popular in LA due to a photo of the dish going viral on Instagram, and eventually, birria tacos gained popularity beyond LA. For more information about the history of tacos de birria click here.

This birria recipe has always been a hit with my family and friends. And it does a great job of making you feel like you're in Mexico! This recipe was also featured on the Tamron Hall Show and is one of my most popular recipes.

Serve these tacos with Oven Baked Skin on Fries, Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges or Healthy Mango Salad Recipe.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

• These authentic Mexican Birria Tacos are rich in flavor thanks to the spices and chilies.
• The beef has a soft and tender texture, which makes it hearty.
• You can make the beef filling ahead of time.
• This dish is excellent for sharing.

Authentic Mexican Birria Tacos Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Filling

• Beef Chuck: Fill corn tortillas with beef chuck. This primal cut is from the shoulder, neck, ribs, and upper arm of a cow. It is flavourful and tastes best when cooked over time.
• Corn tortillas: In this recipe, we will dip them in consomé, fry them, and add the shredded beef! These tortillas are made from maize.

Dried Chilies

• Ancho chili: Ripened, and dried poblano peppers. They have a mild smoky flavor. These chilies are wide in shape, hence the name (ancho means wide in Spanish) and they are the most used chilies in Mexico.
• Guajillo chili: This dry form of mirasol chili is the second most used chili in Mexico after ancho chilies. Guajillo chiles have a sweet, fruity, tangy, and smoky flavor.
• Chipotle chili: Smoked, dried, and ripened jalapeno peppers. Used a lot in Mexican and Tex Mex recipes. Chipotles have a spicy, smoky flavour and a slight sweetness.

Spices

• Cloves: These are aromatic flower buds from the clove tree, and they are native to Indonesia. Use cloves to flavor meat, meat sauce, and rice dishes.
• Black pepper: is a flowering vine cultivated for its peppercorn fruit.
• Thyme: Is a herb. Thyme will add an earthy, herby flavor to this dish.
• Marjoram: This is a dried herb that is sweet and mild, with a pine and citrus flavor. It is also part of the mint family.
• Oregano: Is also an herb from the mint family. It has a slightly bitter and pungent flavor with earthy, musty, and minty notes.
• Cumin: Made from the dried seed Cuminum cyminum. It has a rich, hearty, earthy, and warm flavor.
• Ginger: This is a slightly peppery, sweet, and spicy plant.
• Garlic cloves: This plant has a nutty, spicy, and pungent flavor.
• Onion: A vegetable with an aromatic, acidic, salty, spicy, sweet, and sour flavor.
• Cinnamon stick: This is made by cutting the stems of cinnamon trees. It has a sweet, spicy, and woody flavor.
• Bay leaf: An aromatic leaf used to cook stews. Bay leaves have a minty, subtly bitter flavor.

Liquids

• Apple cider vinegar: Has a sour taste and is usually brown in color.
• ½ a can of tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes: The tomatoes help to thicken the sauce and pair perfectly with the dried chilies.
• Water: use water to loosen the consomé.
• Beef or chicken broth: adds a rich, meaty flavor to the consomé.
• Vegetable oil: will be used to pan-fry the beef and corn tortillas.

Tips and Substitutions

• Methods: There are many different ways to make birria tacos. Ultimately, it depends on your time and equipment. If you do not have a Dutch oven, cook the beef and consomé on a stove for 2 hours or until tender. Birria can also be made in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours instead of a Dutch oven.
• Consomé: Consomé is a soup or stew made from dried chilies, beef or chicken stock, tomatoes, and spices. Once the beef has been slow-cooked for 2-3 hours in the consomé, it is then used as a dip for the tacos! If you want a richer consomé, you can fry the onions, garlic, and spices in a pan before adding them to the blender.
• Alternative fillings: The meaty filling can also be made with lamb or chicken; however, the cooking times may differ depending on the type of protein. It can also be filled with The Best Simple Guacamole Recipe.

How to Make Authentic Mexican Birria Tacos

1. Preheat oven at 175C/350F/Gas 4. Start by de-seeding the ancho, guajillo, and chipotle chilies. Then, soak the chilies in 2 cups of boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, chop the beef chuck into medium-sized pieces. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Then, grab a Dutch oven, add a splash of oil, and sear beef pieces on each side for 5-7 minutes or until brown. Option 1: pour 2 cups of water into the beef, salt to taste, bring to a boil and cook beef on a medium heat for 30 minutes. This will create the stock for the consomé. Option 2: Pour 1 cup of pre-made chicken or beef stock into the dutch oven after searing the beef.

3. Now, the chilies should be soft. Add the chilies and pour the water it soaked in into a blender. Next, add apple cider vinegar, tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), onion, garlic cloves, cloves, marjoram, thyme, oregano, cumin, ginger, and black pepper to the blender and blend until smooth.

4. Pour the sauce into the Dutch oven with the beef.

Assemble Birria Tacos

7. Add a few drops of oil to a pan. Then, dip corn tortilla in the consomé, add the tortilla to the pan, and add shredded beef to half of the tortilla.

8. Fold the tortilla, pour a bit more consomé over it, flip the taco, and cook the other side for a few minutes.

9. Finally, remove the taco from the pan and top the taco with diced onions, Oaxaca cheese, and cilantro. Serve and enjoy these delicious authentic Mexican Birria tacos with the consome dipping sauce and this refreshing Easy Pineapple Mocktail.

Recipe FAQs

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