Birria Tacos Recipe

Birria Tacos Recipe

Because Steph still has RSI I’ve been making all our dinners while we chat and watch youtube each night and in our house that always means taco nights. While my go-to tacos are al pastor carnitas carne adovada and carne asada Steph asked to mix things up a bit with something a little more Use modern ingredients to prepare the birria tacos. Fresh tortillas, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, shredded lettuce, lime, and jalapeño peppers should be used to prepare these birria tacos.

What are Birria Tacos?

If you haven’t heard of birria tacos yet, they’re all over social media and the internet, traditionally an addictive sweet sour slightly spicy and utterly savory Mexican beef stew that’s slow cooked until the beef is tender and fall-apart juicy and delicious. Someone had the bright idea to turn it into a burrito. Stuff this beef into a taco shell and then dip the whole thing into the stew and cook it. They blew up after that and the rest is history. But unlike many other fad foods, Birria tacos are so good you will be making them every week.

The best birria tacos are dipped in the stew and then fried to crispy glory.

Douse the tortilla in the stew, then fry it like a chip. Once you cook the tortilla in fat, it becomes taco magic.

 

Instant Pot vs Slow cooker vs Stovetop

You can make the stew however you like, but I prefer to cook it in the Instant Pot because its so much faster and keeps the flavor inside the dish. Those delicious smells that fill up your house when you slow cook for hours? Those delicious smells are flavor particles. So, when you slow cook, flavor particles get released into the air, and when you pressure cook, the flavor particles stay in the dish. That is not in your soup, no matter what method you use. But no matter where you put it, this soup will come out delicious.

Birria Ingredients

• The best cut of beef for birria tacos. Let’s make the ultimate birria tacos. Use a good beef shank. This is non-negotiable. You can and should mix up another cut as well for texture and variety. I prefer meat that’s a little on the lean side for tacos so I mixed it up with a cheap roast like cab sirloin but if Steph had her way she would toss in a boneless leg of lamb. Short ribs were recommended, but since she’s not cooking she ended up using a sirloin steak.
• Dried Guajillo Peppers. These sun-dried peppers add authentic Mexican flavor to any stew and are often found with the Mexican pantry items. They are like a mild-medium pepper and don’t add any heat, so you don’t have to worry about any spice. If you add them to a stew, they will blend in just fine. These dried peppers are called pasilla. They should be available at any Mexican or Southwestern grocery store.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo.We keep 3-4 cans around just for tacos al pastor. These come in a little can and they are salty-sweet-spicy delicious. They form the base of many Mexican stews and marinades and you can find them pretty much anywhere; they’re that good.
• Mexican oregano.This version of oregano is almost always cheaper and almost always fresher and better than the spice aisle stuff. If you’re already in the Mexican aisle, be sure to pick up a 99-cent bag.

How to make Birria Stew

Making Birria stew is easy and quick:

1. Soak the peppers.Bring a pot of water to a boil and then remove it from the heat. Let the peppers steep in the water until they become soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the peppers, put them in a large bowl, and mash them with a potato masher.
2. Season the meat.While the peppers are soaking, cut up the roast. After the peppers have soaked for 20 minutes, you can season the beef with salt and pepper.
3. Make the marinade. Throw everything into the blender together except for the cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Remove the peppers from the hot water and let them cool. Hold them by the tip over the sink and cut the tops off with scissors. The seeds will just fall right out. Then drop them into the blender. A blender can be used to make a thick paste.
4. Marinate the beef overnight.Two hours is fine, but two hours is better. Stews simmer longer, releasing even more flavorful flavors and making the meat more tender.
5. Make the stew.Saute the onions. Onions are the base of all flavor, so make sure they are extra delicious – transparent and golden. Take your time. Then add the meats, cover with chicken stock and add the last few spices. That’s it – nothing more.

How to make Birria Tacos

Once you have your stew cooking, the tacos are easy to make: just heat up a hot skillet, add a few spoonfuls of the stew, then shred some cheese on top. For a vegetarian option, skip the cheese.

1. Shred your meats.Fry meat if you like. If you like your meat extra crispy and hot, here’s where you would fry it.
2. Warm up your tortillas.The tortillas become pliable and soft after they are exposed to heat. Warm the tortillas in a microwave or wrap them in damp paper towels and warm them in an oven.
3. Dip and fill.Dip each tortilla in the soup, so the tortilla winds up much farther than it is wide. Then top half of the tortilla with beef, onions, cilantro, and optional cheese.
4. Fold and fry.Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook each taco until it begins to crisp, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with the stew as a dip.

What to serve with Birria Tacos?

You can eat these tacos on their own. For side dish, you could serve them up with homemade tortillas, mexican rice, and a birria tortilla soup. Or my current personal favorite: birria ramen.

 

 

 

 

Birria Tacos Recipe

Step up your next taco night with our ultimate guide to the best homemade tacos ever.

Serves

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 40 mins

Total Time 2 hrs

• 1.5 lb beef shank
• 1 lb cab sirloin or other roast/steak

Marinade

• 3 dried guajillo peppers see notes
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin

Stew

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• Chicken stock to cover sodium free about 1 quart

Tacos

• 4 corn or flour tortillas as needed
• 1 medium onion chopped, optional
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped, optional
• 1 cup shredded white cheese, or Chihuahua cheese
• instant pot or slow cooker
• Bring 6 liters of water to a boil in a large pot. Then, remove the pot from the heat and soak the dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cube your cab sirloin and season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Add marinade ingredients to the blender. When the peppers are done soaking, hold them by the tip over the sink and use scissors to cut the stem off and allow the seeds to fall out. Add to the blender. Blend into a smooth paste. Marinate the meats for at least two hours or up to overnight. overnight.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add onions to sauté. Cook the onions till they are golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
• Add the meats marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the pot. Cover with chicken broth, then set to high pressure for 45 minutes. If using a slow cooker, set it to low heat for 4-6 hours.
• When the instant pot is finished, a natural release will occur. Remove the meat from the pot. Shred the cooked meat and set aside. Discard the bones.
• Warm up tortillas. Remove tortillas from package. Roll tortillas into circles and dust with flour on both sides. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place tortillas in skillet and brush tops with oil. Cook until bottoms are lightly brown, about 1 minute. Flip, press down, and cook until brown, about 1 minute longer. Serve.

If you cannot find the dried guajillo peppers, you can use any dried Mexican/Southwestern peppers you can find such as ancho New Mexico California or pasilla.

Nutrition Facts

Birria Tacos Recipe

Amount Per Serving (3 tacos)

Calories 626 Calories from Fat 157

% Daily Value*

Fat 17.4g27%

Saturated Fat 4.2g26%

Cholesterol 152mg51%

Sodium 1644mg71%

Potassium 788mg23%

Carbohydrates 31.8g11%

Fiber 9.5g40%

Sugar 7.5g8%

Protein 61g122%