Birria tacos with consommé is a must try recipe. These tacos are full of flavorful shredded beef, gooey melted cheese and dipped in a delicious rich and flavorful beef consommé.
Made with a crispy cheese crusted tortilla these birria tacos are going to be a new favorite recipe.
I have had a few delicious tacos lately, but nothing beats these birria tacos with consommé. It’s like a Mexican style French dip sandwich that is beyond flavorful and delicious.
While my husband and I were in Maui we had the most amazing birria tacos. They were crispy on the outside and stuffed with delicious gooey cheese and a rich flavorful shredded beef inside.
I knew I had to re-create the recipe when we got home and this is it!
To give the traditional tacos a little twist, I made them with a crispy cheese exterior along with gooey cheese interior. The caramelized cheese adds such a delicious flavor and texture to these tacos.
The shredded beef birria is perfectly tender and so full of flavor. Dip the tacos in the leftover cooking juices or serve with extra red sauce.
These tacos will soon become a family favorite. The best part is you can make them in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or on the stovetop and I will give you directions for each method.
What Is Birria:
Birria is a traditional dish from Jalisco, Mexico. It is typically made with goat meat, but it can also be made with beef or mutton.
In Mexico this dish is served for special occasions and holidays. It has become widely popular in the United States as of late and for good reason.
These birria tacos with consommé are out of this world! They are so full of flavor and a great dish to serve for a crowd.
What meat is Birria tacos made of?
As I said earlier birria is traditionally made with goat meat. Since goat meat is hard to find for most people we are making it with a beef chuck roast.
The chuck roast becomes perfectly shreddable as it braises and it tastes very similar to the traditional meat.
The diagram below will show you the cuts of beef and the recommended cooking method.
What is Birria sauce made of?
Birria sauce is a delicious sauce that is made with dried chilis, annatto paste, onion, Roma tomatoes, and spices. This red sauce is then added to the remaining beef cooking liquid to form a delicious dipping sauce for the tacos.
I reserve half the sauce to serve as a salsa on top of the tacos. However this sauce is perfect for making homemade enchiladas or chilaquiles. You can also reserve the extra sauce and freeze it for up to 3 months.
How To Make Birria Sauce:
To make the sauce, soak dried chilies in hot water for about 30 minutes. This is in important step to rehydrate the chilies. You can remove the seeds to make the sauce a little milder if needed.
Once the chilies are soaked and rehydrated blend with beef stock, white onion, Roma tomatoes, annatto paste, and spices. Then add the red salsa to the leftover beef cooking liquid and serve it up with the tacos. It is really that easy.
Birria Ingredients:
Chuck Roast: To make this dish cook quicker you can cut the chuck roast into 2 inch chunks.
If you go this route, cook the beef on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Then add the sauce and cook on manual high pressure for another 30 minutes.
Annatto Paste: Annatto paste is a delicious blend of spices including annatto, Mexican oregano, garlic, cumin, clove, cinnamon, all spice, and salt. You can find annatto paste in the Mexican isle at the supermarket or grab it here.
Roma Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are perfect for making a blended salsa. If you can’t find Roma tomatoes you can also use vine ripen tomatoes.
Guajillo Peppers: A delicious dried chile from Mexico. The guajillo pepper is one of the most popular chilies to use in Mexican cuisine. You can find these in most major grocery stores in the Latin foods lisle.
Pasilla-Ancho Peppers: Pasilla chile peppers are longer and thinner than anchos.
Their flavor is similar to that of an ancho, but hotter, with deep fruit flavors of raisins and prunes. You can find these in most major grocery stores in the Latin foods lisle.
Whole Cumin Seeds: Whole cumin seeds can be found at your local grocery store. They are typically in the spice isle or the Latin foods isle.
White Onion: Used in the red sauce and as a crunchy topping. I prefer white onions for this dish.
Beef Stock: You can use any good quality beef stock.
Corn Tortillas: Use a good quality corn tortilla. I like the thinner corn tortillas for this recipe.
Shredded Chihuahua Cheese or Oaxaca Cheese: Using these types of cheeses make a big difference when making these tacos. You can find pre-shredded Chihuahua cheese at Costco! This cheese makes for the best quesadillas too!
Cilantro: Cilantro is a delicious addition to these tacos. It adds a brightness of flavor and is delicious in the tacos.
Meat Cooking Methods
To make the birria you can use a variety of cooking methods to reach the same result. Here are some of the options you can choose while making this recipe.
Instant Pot Birria Tacos:
The Instant Pot is probably the easiest and most forgiving method to make this recipe. Follow these simple directions to make birria in the Instant Pot. Full recipe is in the recipe card below.
Directions:
- Place the meat into the Instant Pot and seal the lid. Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Make the birria sauce by soaking the chilis in hot water for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
- Then add roma tomatoes, onion, annatto paste, beef stock and cumin seeds to the blender along with the rehydrated chilies.
- Prepare the toppings.
- When the meat is done in the pressure cooker manually release the pressure and add 1/2 the sauce.
- Seal the instant pot again and cook on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the pot and shred the meat with two forks.
- Assemble the tacos as directed in the recipe below.
Slow Cooker Birria Tacos:
You can also make these in the slow cooker. Just add the meat to the slow cooker with the sauce and cook on low for 8 hours.
Stovetop Birria:
You can also make the birria meat on the stovetop by braising the chuck roast in a large Dutch oven. Follow these simple directions to make birria on the stovetop.
Directions:
- Make the birria sauce by soaking the chilis in hot water for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
- Then add roma tomatoes, onion, annatto paste, beef stock and cumin seeds to the blender along with the rehydrated chilies.
- Preheat a large pot (preferably a Dutch Oven) over high heat.
- Place the meat into the pot a sear in some oil on all sides until the meat is golden brown.
- Add the sauce to the meat along with 1 cup beef broth.
- Then cover the pot with a lid and cook on low for 4 hours or until the meat is shreddable.
- Remove the meat from the pot and shred the meat with two forks.
- Prepare the toppings.
- Assemble the tacos as directed in the recipe below.
What To Serve With Birria Tacos:
You can serve birria tacos with a delicious salsa Verde, some limes or some Mexican pickled carrots. But the most traditional way to serve these tacos is with the consomme style dipping sauce.
It’s easy to make and utilized the leftover cooking juices which is always super flavorful.
Birria tacos are great to serve on their own. However if you are making these for a crowd I love serving them with some of these other dishes.
Easy Grilled Mexican Street Corn
Birria Tacos With Consommé Recipe:
Birria Tacos With Consomme Dipping Sauce
These birria tacos with consomme dipping sauce are so delicious! They are extra special with a crispy cheese exterior.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 4 dried guajillo peppers, seeds removed
- 2 dried pasilla-ancho peppers, seeds removed
- 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 white onion, cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoons annatto paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
For The Tacos:
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 12 corn tortillas
- 4 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese (you can get at Costco) or Oxaca cheese
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast into the Instant Pot (you won't need any liquid).
- Seal the lid and move the valve to the sealing position. Turn on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. (If meat is diced in 2 inch pieces you can cut the cooking time down to 20 minutes).
- Soak the dried peppers (remove the stems) in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the toppings by dicing the white onion. Set aside.
- Roughly chop the cilantro for another topping. Set aside.
- To make the red sauce remove the tops of the tomatoes and slice in half. Place in the blender along with 1/2 a white onion (quartered).
- Add the annatto paste, beef stock, and cumin to the blender.
- Add the soaked chilies to the blender and blend for 45 seconds.
- Add 2 teaspoons salt and blend for 10 seconds.
- When the instant pot is done, carefully release the pressure by moving the valve to venting.
- Add 1/2 of the sauce to the instant pot. (You can save the remaining sauce to use as a salsa topping if desired). Seal the lid again by moving to valve to the sealing position.
- Set on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Shred the cooked meat with 2 forks. (You can remove the meat to a cutting board if it is easier).
- To assemble the tacos preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Dip the tortillas into the cooking liquid and place in the skillet. Top with shredded cheese.
- Cook the tortillas until the cheese is slightly melted.
- Then flip the tortillas over to caramelize the cheese (this will be the crispy cheesy exterior). Cook for about 45 seconds or until golden brown.
- Top the other side of the tortilla with more shredded cheese and flip to cook and caramelize the other side of cheese. Cook for 30 seconds and then remove the tortillas to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Assemble by filling each tortilla with shredded beef.
- Then top with diced onion and cilantro and optional left over salsa.
- Ladle the liquid from the Instant Pot into small bowls and serve the tacos with the cooking liquid as dipping sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 514Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 810mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 40g
