Ingredients
2–3 pounds Beef chuck roast, boneless
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 Yellow onions (about 2–3 cups)
4 garlic cloves (4 teaspoons)
2 Dried Ancho chiles
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Ground Smoked Paprika (or Ground Chipotle Pepper)
½ teaspoon Dried thyme (ground or whole)
1 tablespoon Dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
8 ounces Tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
4–5 cups Beef stock or broth
18 Corn Tortillas, 6 inch
20 ounces Oaxaca cheese, shredded (mozzarella is a good substitute)
Instructions
- Dice the onions, rough chop the garlic, and remove/discard the stems from the dried chiles. Shake out the seeds, discard them, and cut the chiles into 2-3 pieces each.
- Preheat a frying pan or skillet on high heat. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil in the hot pan and sear the beef for 2 minutes on each side. On the final side, pour in 1 cup of beef stock to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker and pour the liquid over the beef.
- Add the onions, garlic, cilantro, tomato sauce, chiles, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Pour in the remaining beef stock until the liquid covers the beef. Set the slow cooker to low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Once cooked, remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred it using forks. Discard any string or fat. Set the beef aside.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard. Scoop out the remaining sauce and ingredients (onions, chiles, garlic) into a blender. Add about ½ cup of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Pour the blended sauce back into the slow cooker and stir well. Add ½ cup of the sauce over the shredded beef and gently mix.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Preheat a large frying pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Spray the pan with olive oil. Lightly dip one corn tortilla into the sauce and place it in the pan. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the tortilla and top half with the shredded beef.
- Using a spatula, fold the tortilla over to make a taco and transfer it to a sheet pan. Place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining tacos.
- Serve each taco with a small bowl of the dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
- Vegetarian Version: Replace the beef with jackfruit or mushrooms for a plant-based twist.
- Spicy Kick: Add more chipotle or jalapeño peppers to the sauce if you prefer extra heat.
- Cheese: If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella or Monterey Jack work well as substitutes.
- Storage: Store any leftover Birria beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The consomme can be stored separately and refrigerated as well.
- Reheating: Gently warm the beef and sauce together in a pan over medium heat until heated through. The tortillas are best when freshly cooked, but you can reheat them in a skillet or microwave.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Low Calorie
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
