Ya’ll, you have to make these tacos. Birria is a traditional Mexican Stew, but recently, it has become a huge trend on Tic Tok and social media platforms to make it into beef tacos. It is so worth it!
by: Elizabeth
It was much more work and time consuming to get the appropriate textures, tastes, and tenderness than I had anticipated, but the effort was worth it. Although, my personal opinion on this may not matter, but to have this as a stew would be very heavy. You would not want it really during warmer months or for a large portioned dinner because it is rich!
I prefer it as a taco, but also appreciate the greatness around the traditional stew made with Goat meat versus beef. For this recipe, we will be making beef birria tacos. You will not regret the effort and time it will take to make this dish. Many have been using an instant pot to speed-up the process, but I used my slow cooker to really achieve the traditional flavor profiles that make this dish so worth it!
Trend Setting Birria Tacos
Ingredients
- For the Beef:
- – 3 lbs of Beef Chuck Roast
- – 1 tbs Herbed Sea Salt
- – 1 tbs Wicked Cook Pepper
- – 3 tbs EVOO for cooking
- For the Sauce:
- – 32 oz Beef Stock
- – 3 Beef Bouillon Cubes
- – 16 oz Peeled Tomatoes
- – 4-5 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- – 1 White Onion sliced
- – 6 cloves whole garlic
- – 3 tbs Chopped Fresh Oregano
- – 1 tbs Dried Oregano
- – 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- – 2 tbs Chili Powder
- – 2 tbs Onion Powder
- – 2 tbs Garlic Powder
- – 2 tbs Cumin
- – 2 tbs Smoked Paprika
- – Salt & Pepper to taste
- For the Serving:
- – Fresh minced Jalepano
- – Sour Cream
- – Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- – Corn Tortillas
- – Cilantro
- – Chopped Lettuce
- – Rice & Beans
- **Traditionally, dried Ancho peppers are used in the sauce while cooking. I chose to leave this out since I was cooking for those with a less spicy pallet. You can simply add these (about 2-3 depending on size) to your crock pot, and make it much more spicy and a bit more of a smoky flavor.**
Instructions
- If you think you have too much seasoning, think again…this is all about rich and potent flavors! DO not be afraid!
- Get your tools: Cast iron skillet or similar, a regular pan, a crock pot, a magic bullet, and any chopping tools you may need.
- In the crock pot, add your beef stock and bouillon cubes and set the pot on high while you begin to chop all of your veggies and prepare your seasonings. It is important to ensure you have everything in front of you, so you do not forget the many dry seasonings that are necessary for this delicious dish.
- Now, add the roughly chopped onion, whole garlic cloves, peeled tomatoes that I crush in my hand as I put it in, the chipotle adobo peppers, and all of your dry seasoning to the broth in the crock pot. Stir, stir, stir, and let it settle while you cook your meat.
- The beef is large, so I cut it into smaller portions to about 3-4 pieces. Add oil to your pan on medium heat and brown all side of your beef chunks for about 2 minutes each side.
- Add this into your broth and let this cook in the crock pot for about 4 hours before continuing on with this next step.
- After four hours, take a large serving spoon, and spoon out all of the remaining whole pieces, other than the beef. Think the onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.
- Place this in your blender of choice, and blend until you have a smooth paste like consistency. Place this back into the crock pot and let this cook overnight or for four more hours.
- Once you hit at least 8 hours of full cook time, check on your meat. By this point, the dish has made your home smell absolutely AMAZING. The meat should be soft and falling apart with a fork.
- Go ahead and begin tearing apart your beef with a fork in the crock pot with the sauce.
- Now, the fun part of preparing your tacos. Grab a skillet and heat it to medium high with a little bit of oil or spray oil if you have it. With flour or corn tortillas, coat both sides of the tortilla with your sauce, and put them in the pan.
- Cook both sides of your tortilla until a light brown. Then, put your beef meat and some sauce on one side of your taco while remaining in the pan.
- Add your cheese of choice onto the beef and fold the tortilla over in half. Browning both sides of the tortilla and creating gooey delicious tacos.
- You’re ready to enjoy! I take a bit of sauce and dip my tacos in this while I eat because it just makes everything better!
- I served mine with chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream, fresh jalepanos, and I did cook rice and beans to the side. So GOOOOOOD!
Amazingly delicious, and so worth the time and effort. We were able to enjoy this for days, and some of the things I made with the leftovers were: burritos, more tacos, burrito rice bowls, nachos, and that was all from this one dish! Enjoy, Dolls!
Step-By-Step Photo Instructions:
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