Name: Crockpot Birria Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 600 min
Total time: 630 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs boneless beef chuck roast (cut into 3-inch chunks); 2 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 cups low-sodium beef broth; 1 can crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz); 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (plus 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce); 1 medium white onion (quartered); 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 5 cloves); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 3 tbsp ancho chili powder; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 3 bay leaves; 18 corn tortillas; 3 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese; 1/2 cup diced white onion; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2 limes (cut into wedges)

Crispy red tortillas, tender shredded beef, melty Oaxaca cheese and a cup of consommé for dipping on the side? Sounds like something you’d have to drive across town for, right? Well, these viral crockpot birria tacos could not be easier! After browning the beef and whipping up a chile sauce, the slow cooker does pretty much all of the work for you!

This one can go in the slow cooker on low for 10 hours (I like to let mine go just over 10 hours so it’s nice and fork tender by dinner). This chuck roast just fell apart for me! Also great the next day since you’ll have plenty of meat and broth leftover!

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What Is Birria?

Birria (or more specifically birria de res since most US taco trucks will make it with beef) is a slow cooked Mexican stew originating from Jalisco, Mexico. Traditionally made with goat, the meat is braised with chiles until tender, leaving behind a spiced broth, or consommé. Deeply flavored and dyed a rich red, this cooking liquid is the magic behind birria tacos. After soaking tortillas in the broth and cooking them on a hot surface, they take on the consommé’s flavor as well as slightly chewy, crispy edges.

What You Need

Chuck roast, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, Oaxaca cheese, onion, cilantro, garlic, spices and corn tortillas

Here’s what went into my pot: a boneless chuck roast, a carton of Pacific low-sodium beef broth, a can of crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo, a white onion, minced garlic, and a little bowl of spices (ancho chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves). For the tacos you’ll want corn tortillas, Oaxaca cheese, more onion, cilantro and limes. Chuck roast is the cut to use here. It has plenty of fat and connective tissue, which is exactly what turns it so tender after a long day in the crockpot.

Many birria recipes call for dried guajillo and ancho chiles, toasted and rehydrated. I love those flavors too, but ancho chili powder was plenty for this recipe. It has a similar sweet, earthy, almost raisin-y flavor. And chipotle chile in adobo brings some welcome heat and smokiness. Use low-sodium beef broth if you can find it. Because the broth cooks down for hours, and the adobo is already pretty salty, you don’t want to end up with a super-salty consommé.

If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese at your local grocery store (it’s usually located near the other Mexican-style cheeses), try Monterey Jack or low moisture mozzarella. But if you can find Oaxaca cheese, grab it! When you pull the taco apart, watch how that cheese stretches just like mozzarella would when melted. That’s half the fun of eating a birria taco.

How To Make The Birria In The Crockpot

Cut the chuck roast into 3-inch chunks, then salt and pepper generously. (You’ll get more browned surface area on individual chunks than on a whole roast, and it’ll all fit better in the crockpot.)

Chuck roast chunks seasoned with salt and pepper in a skillet

Sear the beef. Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef in batches, not crowding the pan, and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. (About 10 minutes total. Don’t skip this step! It adds so much flavor to the consommé.)

Browned chunks of chuck roast in a stainless skillet

The beef doesn’t need to be cooked through, since it will be cooking in the sauce all day long! Add the browned beef to the Crock-Pot as you remove it from the skillet.

Seared chuck roast chunks in a black slow cooker

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and adobo (to taste), onion, garlic, vinegar and spices to the blender and puree until very smooth (sauce should be brick red and thick).

Blended red birria chile sauce in a blender cup

Low and slow cooking is essential when working with chuck roast because of the amount of connective tissue. The longer it cooks the better as the connective tissue breaks down and falls apart into the broth. Once the chuck roast is placed in the slow cooker, add the sauce mixture over the top of the beef and add the bay leaves. Cook covered on low for 8 to 10 hours (I probably went just over 10 hours).

Red birria sauce poured over beef in the slow cooker

A beautiful layer of bright red fat will accumulate at the top when finished. You want this! Use a ladle to remove as much of this as possible and place it in a small bowl for later use. This is what will make your tortillas crisp and beautiful orange in the skillet.

Cooked birria in the crockpot with red fat on top of the consommé

Beef should be very tender at this point, just holding itself together. Using tongs, remove chunks of meat and transfer to a cutting board or plate. Remove bay leaves.

Tender slow cooked birria beef chunks on a white plate

To shred the meat, use two forks. Spoon about a cup of the liquid from the crockpot (consommé) over the meat to keep it juicy. Save the rest of the consommé to use as a dipping sauce for the tacos. Keep the crockpot on warm while you are preparing the tacos.

How To Make The Birria Tacos

Have everything else you’ll need nearby before you start frying the tacos, including diced white onion, chopped cilantro, shredded Oaxaca cheese and a few lime wedges. Once the tacos start coming out of the skillet, things move quickly!

Shredded Oaxaca cheese, chopped cilantro, diced onion and lime wedges on a cutting board

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Briefly dip the tortilla in the consommé (or just the red fat on top) to moisten both sides. Hold it over the pot to let the excess drip off so it doesn’t splatter in the skillet.

Corn tortilla being dipped in birria consommé in the crockpot

Place the tortilla in the skillet; it should sizzle immediately and begin to take on a darker orange hue.

Consommé dipped corn tortilla frying in a cast iron skillet

Sprinkle cheese over one half of the tortilla first, then layer shredded beef, onion and cilantro on top (the cheese melts right against the hot tortilla and helps hold everything together).

Birria beef, onion and cilantro on a tortilla in a cast iron skillet

Fold the tortilla over. Using a spatula to press it down, cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the taco is browned and crisp and the cheese is melted. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas. I can fit two or three tacos at a time in my 12 inch cast iron skillet.

Folded crispy birria taco cooking in a cast iron skillet

Serve the tacos hot with lime wedges and a little cup of warm consommé for dipping. You’ll probably eat the first batch before you’re able to make a second. Trust me when I say that a taco dunked in consommé after being hit with a squeeze of lime is one of life’s great pleasures.

Three birria tacos with a cup of consommé and lime wedges

Tips For The Best Birria Tacos

Flour tortillas get soggy in the fat, so stick with corn tortillas. They’ll hold together better for dipping and will crisp up nicely in the fat. If your corn tortillas are tearing, microwave them with a damp paper towel over them for 20 seconds before dipping.

Adjust seasoning to your taste, it should be nicely salty and flavorful (like a good soup). Taste for salt (lime juice helps too) and add more if needed. For a spicier broth, try adding a second chipotle pepper when you blend or a small pinch of cayenne pepper in the pot.

Substitution: Instead of using ancho chili powder you can use 4 dried guajillo chiles and 2 dried ancho chiles. Remove stems and seeds. Toast in a dry skillet about 30 seconds on each side until fragrant. Add to a small saucepan and simmer with 1 cup of the broth for about 10 minutes until very soft. Add to blender along with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.

What To Do With Leftover Birria

I used the leftover chuck to make birria breakfast burritos with egg, cheese and beef and they were possibly even better than the tacos. But three pounds of chuck makes a lot of birria and I’m always happy to have extra. You can enjoy it the traditional way as a stew, ladle into a bowl, add consommé, garnish with diced onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime and serve with warm tortillas on the side. The leftover consommé makes a great birria ramen broth too!

Bowl of beef birria with onion, cilantro and lime next to corn tortillas

Storing And Reheating

To reheat, warm consommé in a saucepan over the stove. Place shredded beef in a skillet with a splash of the consommé to warm through. Consommé and shredded beef can be stored separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The fat in the consommé will harden when refrigerated. Scoop it off and save it for use when frying the tortillas!

Birria freezes well! Keep the beef and the consommé in separate freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. To enjoy your birria, defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving. Assemble your birria tacos just before eating as reheating cooked tacos results in a less crispy taco.