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Two crispy birria tacos filled with juicy, shredded beef and topped with fresh cilantro and diced onions, served with a bowl of rich consommé and lime wedges on a dark rustic plate.

Birria Tacos Recipe

Authentic birria tacos recipe made with slow-braised beef, a rich chile consommé, and crispy, cheesy tortillas perfected over a decade of testing and family tradition.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Jalisco, Mexican
Keyword: Best meat for birria tacos, Birria tacos cheese, birria tacos near brea, ca, Birria tacos near me, Birria tacos recipe easy, Birria tacos Seasoning, Ground beef birria tacos, Healthy birria tacos
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Marination Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 16 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12 tacos
Calories: 310kcal
Cost: $25

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven (For braising meat evenly)
  • 1 Cast iron comal (For crisping tacos)
  • 1 Fine mesh strainer (For consommé and chile puree)
  • 1 Large blender (To blend chiles and vegetables)
  • 1 Ladle (For serving consommé)
  • 1 Tongs (For turning meat and tortillas)

Ingredients

Meat & Base

  • 2 lb Chuck roast - Cut into large chunks
  • 1 lb Short ribs - With bone for extra flavor
  • 0.5 lb Beef cheek - Optional but traditional
  • 1 White onion - Quartered
  • 2 Roma tomatoes - Halved
  • 5 Garlic cloves - Peeled

Chiles & Spices

  • 5 Guajillo chiles - Dried stemmed and seeded
  • 3 Ancho chiles - Dried stemmed and seeded
  • 2 Chipotle peppers - Dried or canned in adobo
  • 2 Bay leaves - Whole
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano - Crushed
  • 4 Whole cloves - Optional
  • 1 Cinnamon stick - Charred for consommé depth

Taco Assembly

  • 12 Corn tortillas - Warmed
  • 1½ cup Oaxaca cheese - Shredded
  • ½ cup White onion - Finely chopped
  • ½ cup Fresh cilantro - Chopped
  • 4 Lime wedges - For serving

Instructions

  • Season beef chunks with salt and pepper, then refrigerate them overnight.
    Raw beef short ribs and chuck roast on a wooden board, surrounded by fresh Roma tomatoes, white onions, garlic cloves, and coarse salt under warm natural light.
  • Toast dried guajillo, ancho, and chipotle chiles until they become fragrant.
    Top-down view of dried guajillo and ancho chiles soaking in a stainless steel saucepan filled with warm water, ready to be blended into sauce.
  • Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for about 15 minutes until softened.
    Close-up of thick, smooth, vibrant red birria adobo sauce inside a blender, freshly made from soaked chiles and aromatic spices.
  • Sear all sides of the meat in a hot pot until deeply browned.
    A large pot filled with whole onions, roma tomatoes, dried chiles, bay leaves, garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and herbs simmering in a rich broth base for birria.
  • Blend soaked chiles with tomatoes, garlic, onion, and warm spices.
    A rustic ceramic bowl filled with shredded beef birria in rich red consommé, topped with chopped cilantro and served with lime wedges.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 310kcal (16%) | Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) | Protein: 22g (44%) | Fat: 18g (28%) | Saturated Fat: 7g (44%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 60mg (20%) | Sodium: 380mg (17%) | Potassium: 470mg (13%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 2g (2%) | Vitamin A: 620IU (12%) | Vitamin C: 3mg (4%) | Calcium: 160mg (16%) | Iron: 2.5mg (14%)
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