Authentic Beef Birria Tacos : A Taste of Mexico at Home!
Authentic consommé-soaked corn tacos stuffed with tender shredded sirloin and oozing with oaxaca cheese. I can’t teleport you to Jalisco, Mexico but I promise that these tacos are the next best thing!
This quesabirria recipe is one of my favorite things to make not only because its so easy but also because its so versatile! We have the leftover beef in nachos, burritos, burrito bowls – you name it!
- Choose a lean cut of beef with some fat marbling. When braising, it’s better to pick a lean cut with some connective tissue and fat marbling. During braising the connective tissue breaks down to make the meat tender and juicy and the fat marbling helps to carry flavor
- Don’t boil the chiles. You’ll notice that the recipe calls for hot water but instead we prepare the water separately then pour over the chiles. If chiles are exposed to extremely hot water for too long their flavor becomes bitter and this translates to our consommé. If you do end up with a bitter consommé though an easy fix to add a little sugar (of your choice) to fix the taste!
- Don’t skimp on marinating time! Birria is alllll about the flavor. I recommend marinating the beef overnight for deeper flavors. Trust me, the extra wait will be worth it in the end!
- Dip your tortillas in the consommé before making your tacos. The star of these tacos is our birria consommé so dipping the tortillas helps all the flavor we developed carry through! Be careful to only briefly dip the tortillas though because if we completely soak them they’ll fall apart.
- Get creative! Load up your tacos with any extra toppings you like. We like to add refried beans & avocado to ours in addition to the cilantro & oaxaca cheese called for in this recipe.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
- 1 non-stick pan
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sirloin beef
Marinade
- 2 large guajillo chiles
- 6 medium ancho chiles
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 medium bulb of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 3 large bay leaves
Birria
- 1 1/2 cups dark beer
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 medium spanish onion, sliced
- 2 cups beef (or vegetable) broth
Miscillaneous
- yellow corn tortillas
- canola oil for searing beef
- oaxaca (or monterey jack) cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- refried beans (optional)
- avocado (optional)
Instructions
- Stem and seed guajillo and ancho chiles and add to saucepan along with paprika & bay leaves. Add just enough hot water to cover chiles and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until soft.
- In a non-stick pan add minced garlic, black pepper, cumin, ground ginger, oregano, thyme & allspice then toast on medium heat until fragrant. Set aside.
- Make marinade by adding toasted herbs, lime juice & simmered chiles to blender and blend until smooth.
- Season sirloin generously with salt and pepper and sear on medium-high heat in dutch oven until browned on all sides.
- Transfer sirloin from heat to bowl and slather with marinade. Cover and let sit refrigerated for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
- Once done marinating, transfer sirloin along with any marinade to dutch oven. Add beef broth, beer, garlic & onions and cover, allowing to braise for at least 3 hours or until beef is tender and falls apart.
- Once beef is ready transfer to separate bowl. Shred, add chopped cilantro and mix.
- Dip tortilla in consommé then on a non-stick pan over medium heat, lightly toast the tortilla on one side then flip.
- Sprinkle oaxaca cheese on top of tortilla and then add shredded beef (and any other fillings you want) on half of the tortilla. Fold over the other half of the tortilla then remove from heat once lightly toasted
- Serve with lime wedges and consommé for dipping and enjoy!
Don’t be shy!Tag me on IG at @thestushkitchen & show off your cooking skills! I can’t wait to see what you cook up!
These tacos are a huge hit in my family. They can be made with or without meat and, still give a top tier authentic taste!!!