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Crispy birria tacos with melted cheese beside a cup of red consomé for dipping

Crispy Birria Tacos with Tender Beef and Rich Consomé

Chile braised beef shredded into crisp, cheesy corn tortillas and served with hot consomé for dipping. The oven does most of the work.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and chile sauce
  • 3 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 3 inch chunks (from a certified butcher)
  • 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried chiles de árbol stemmed (optional, for heat)
  • 2 medium Roma tomatoes quartered
  • 1/2 white onion roughly chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick about 2 inches
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups low sodium beef broth
Tacos
  • 12 corn tortillas 6 inch
  • 8 ounces Oaxaca cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup finely diced white onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 limes cut into wedges
  • Red fat skimmed from the consomé for dipping

Equipment

  • 6 to 7 quart Dutch oven with a tight lid
  • Blender
  • Fine-mesh strainer
  • 12 inch cast iron skillet or griddle
  • Ladle and small bowl

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Toss the beef with the salt, then sear in two batches in the oiled Dutch oven over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Leave an inch between chunks.
  2. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 20 to 30 seconds per side, until nutty smelling and slightly darker. Do not let them burn.
  3. Cover the chiles with 2 cups of boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes, until the skins bend without cracking.
  4. Blend the chiles, 1 cup of soaking liquid, tomatoes, sauce onion, garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, pepper, and cloves on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and brick red.
  5. Return the beef to the Dutch oven and strain the sauce over it, pressing with a spoon. Add the broth, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, until the liquid reaches three quarters up the meat.
  6. Simmer on the stove over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cover and braise in the 325°F oven for 3 hours, until a fork twists a chunk apart with almost no resistance. If a chunk pulls back, cook 20 to 30 more minutes.
  7. Move the beef to a bowl and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Ladle the red fat into a small bowl. Shred the beef and stir in 1 cup of consomé until glossy. Salt the remaining consomé a pinch at a time.
  8. Heat the skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Dip a tortilla in the red fat and lay it flat for 30 to 45 seconds, until soft and lightly golden at the edges.
  9. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese over half the tortilla, add 1/3 cup of beef, and fold it closed, pressing gently until the filling holds.
  10. Cook each taco for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until deep golden with cheese bubbling out. Work in batches of 3 or 4.
  11. Ladle hot consomé into small cups, top with onion and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and the tacos for dipping.

Notes

Storage: refrigerate up to 4 days in consomé; freeze beef and consomé together up to 3 months.
Diamond Crystal is lighter than table salt by volume. With Morton kosher or table salt, use 2 teaspoons.
Cut the chuck into 3 inch chunks so it stays moist through the braise.