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Birria is a Mexican stew made with seasoned, braised meat that can be served in a variety of ways. The most popular being birria tacos!
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What is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican dish originating from the state of Jalisco that is similar to stew. The meat is braised and slow cooks in a chile sauce for several hours until perfectly tender. It can be eaten as-is (as a stew) or the meat can be shredded and used as a filling in your favorite Mexican dishes. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients for Birria
Birria Meat:
Traditionally, in Mexico, birria is made with lamb or goat meat but here in the U.S. it is most commonly made with beef (also called birria de res). I used a beef chuck roast for this birria recipe and cut it into large chunks for better braising. You can also use stew meat, rump roast, short ribs, flank steak, or even brisket.
Birria Sauce:
The sauce for birria can vary depending on what you are making the birria for. You can make a thicker sauce, almost like a gravy or stew or you can choose to make a consommé by making the sauce on the broth-y side. For this recipe I wanted to aim for something more in the middle. The sauce in this recipe is slightly thicker than a consommé but still thin enough to use as a dipping sauce with birria tacos. You can adjust the broth amounts to your liking.
Key ingredients in birria sauce:
- Chiles – Using dried chile peppers is the way to go for this recipe. They are super cheap (I got each pack of dried chiles for around $1) and they have a great, smoky, flavor. You can use fresh chiles or even canned chiles and get similar results but you can’t beat the ease of dried. Popular chiles used in birria include: adobo, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles,
- Tomatoes – You can use fresh Roma tomatoes or you can use canned, fire roasted tomatoes or whole San Marzano tomatoes. If you want a thinner sauce (more like a broth), you can leave the tomatoes out.
- Onions – Yellow, white, or red onions work great. I opted for a white onion in this recipe because I like the mild flavor.
- Broth/Liquid – Beef broth, beef stock, or consommé can be used to braise the beef. You can add or take away some of the broth depending on how thick (or thin) you want your sauce.
- Additional Spices and Seasonings – Seasonings for birria can vary greatly from recipe to recipe. Honestly, use that you like! In this recipe I kept it pretty simple and used garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, and salt and pepper. Then I garnished with fresh lime wedges and cilantro. If you feel so inclined, you can also add thyme, cloves, bay leaves, chili powder, or a whole cinnamon stick.
How To Make Birria
Birria may seem intimidating because it takes a while to cook and the sauce is made from scratch but it is actually really easy to make! It can be broken down into just a few simplified steps:
- Toast and soak the chiles
- Brown the beef in a Dutch oven
- Cook the sauce ingredients and then blend until smooth
- Pour sauce over the beef and cook in the oven for several hours
- Serve as a stew or shred and serve as a filling
How to Serve Birria
As mentioned above, there are several different ways you can serve birria. The first way is to serve the birria as a stew (or beefy soup). Just remove the meat from the oven, add vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, then serve in bowls and top with chopped onions, lime, and cilantro.
The next way to serve birria is as a filling. To do this you will want to separate the beef from the consommé and shred it. Place it in a bowl with a little of the sauce to keep the beef from drying out. Use the extra sauce/consomme as a dip for birria tacos or quesabirria tacos. Here are a few great ways to use birria meat:
- Birria Tacos: Serve the tender, shredded beef in warm corn tortillas. Top with chopped onions, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The consommé can be used as a dipping sauce or drizzled over the tacos for extra flavor.
- Birria Quesadillas (Quesabirria): Use the flavorful meat as a filling along with oaxaca cheese for gooey, cheesy quesadillas. Add some sliced jalapeños for a spicy kick and serve with the consommé for dipping.
- Burritos: Wrap the Birria meat in large flour tortillas along with rice, beans, and your favorite toppings. Fold it into a burrito and enjoy a hearty and satisfying meal.
- Tostadas: Layer crispy tostada shells with refried beans, Birria meat, shredded lettuce, and crumbled queso fresco. Drizzle with consommé and your favorite hot sauce for an explosion of flavors.
- Loaded Fries: Pile up crispy French fries with shredded Birria meat, melted cheese, sliced jalapeños, and a dollop of sour cream or guacamole.
- Rice Bowls: Serve the Birria meat over a bed of Mexican rice, black beans, and sautéed bell peppers. Top with avocado slices and a sprinkle of queso fresco.
- Tostilocos: A popular Mexican street food, tostilocos are a fun and tasty way to enjoy Birria. Crushed tortilla chips are topped with meat, cucumber, jicama, peanuts, and hot sauce for a refreshing and crunchy treat.
- Breakfast: Create a scrumptious breakfast by using the Birria meat as a filling for omelets or breakfast burritos. Add some scrambled eggs, cheese, and salsa to start your day with a burst of flavor.
- Enchiladas: Roll the meat in corn tortillas, place them in a baking dish, and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden for a comforting and hearty meal.
- Taquitos: Roll a little bit of birria meat into corn tortillas and roll into tight rolls. Deep fry to make taquitos. Serve with sour cream or guacamole for dipping.
These are just a few creative ways to serve Birria. Feel free to experiment and discover your own unique combinations! For more ideas, check out more of our easy Mexican-inspired recipes.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Birria
Don’t have a lot of time but still want to make birria? Instant Pot to the rescue! You don’t want to blend the sauce before cooking it in the Instant Pot because you run the risk of getting the burn notice. It’s better to blend the sauce afterwards. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make birria in the Instant Pot:
- Soak and prepare the chiles according to the recipe below
- Put Instant Pot on “Saute” setting, add oil and sear beef on all sides.
- Remove chiles from soaking water and place in a mixing bowl. Discard soaking water.
- Add 2 cups broth to the Instant Pot and then 2 cups water to the mixing bowl with the chiles.
- In the mixing bowl, add onionstomatoes, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and pour over the beef in the Instant Pot.
- Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes or until beef shreds easily.
- Remove beef from the Instant Pot and set aside. Place remaining ingredients from the Instant Pot in a blender and blend until smooth. Place the beef back in the Instant Pot (if serving as a filling, shred beef before returning to pot) and pour sauce over the top, stirring to combine. Add more broth for a thinner sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
CrockPot Beef Birria
For Crock Pot (or slow cooker) beef birria, follow steps 1-5 in the Instant Pot instructions above. For step 2, searing is an optional step. If you want to still sear the beef, simply sear it in a large skillet before adding to the CrockPot. Slow on high heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours. After the beef is cooked through and shreds easily, continue with step 7 in the Instant Pot instructions above.
What to Serve with Beef Birria
If you are looking for inspiration or ideas on what to serve as a side dish with your beef birria, here are a few ideas:
Frequently Asked Questions About Birria
Birria is traditionally made from goat meat. However this recipe (birria de res) is made from beef. It can also be made from lamb, mutton, or even chicken.
Birria sauce is made from chiles, tomatoes, onions, broth/stock from the meat, and a blend of seasonings.
Though the meat can be the same for both birria and barbacoa, the traditional cooking methods are different. Birria is braised and cooked in a Dutch oven or heavy pot on a stovetop and barbacoa is wrapped in thick leaves or stalks and cooked in a pit. Because these cooking methods are so different, the meat will come out tasting different.
Beef Birria (Birria de Res)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4-5 pounds chuck roast
- sea salt to taste
For the Sauce
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 3 dried arbol chiles (chiles de arbol)
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 cups water (to soak chiles)
- 1 large white onion
- 3-4 Roma tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 quarts beef broth divided
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Before preparing the meat, you will want to prepare the chiles for the sauce. First, cut the chiles open and remove the stems and seeds. In a small saucepan, toast the chiles over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes to release the chile oils. Stir constantly and remove from heat if they begin to char. They burn easily!
- Add 2 cups of hot water to the pan, turn off the heat, and allow chiles to soak for 15 minutes.
- While chiles are soaking, prepare the meat. Remove beef from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Cut beef into chunks, season with salt, and set aside. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to the Dutch oven and sear until brown on all sides. Avoid overcrowding the meat while browning. You may have to do this in batches to accomplish this. Remove the beef from the Dutch oven and set aside. In the same Dutch oven (do not clean out), prepare the sauce.
For the Sauce:
- Reduce heat to medium heat. Cut the onions and tomatoes into fourths and place in the Dutch oven with the garlic cloves. Cook, stirring often and gently, until onions have browned on all sides and tomatoes are soft.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove chiles from the soaking water and add chiles to the Dutch oven. Discard soaking water. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze the Dutch oven by adding one quart of the beef broth a little at a time while scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Scrape up as much of the browned bits and cooked-on layers as you can into the sauce (that's pure flavor). Reserve the remaining beef broth to thin the sauce later if needed.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook another 5 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool until you can safely scoop all of the sauce contents into a blender. Do not clean out the Dutch oven. You are still going to use it.
- Blend or puree the sauce ingredients until smooth. Set aside
Making the Beef Birria:
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.Place the beef pieces back into the Dutch oven and cover with the sauce. If you want a thinner sauce, add more of the beef broth until you reach your desired thickness.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place in the oven for 3 ½ hours or until beef is completely cooked through and shreds easily.When you remove the birria from the oven, you may notice the some of the oils from the beef has risen to the top. You can skim some of these oils off or you can leave it in for added flavor.
For Stew:
- Garnish birria with fresh cilantro, chopped onions, and/or sliced radishes. Serve in bowls as a soup/stew.
For Filling:
- Remove the meat from the sauce and place on a cutting board. Shred the beef and place in a bowl. Add some of the sauce to the meat to keep it from drying out. Serve with tortillas or use as a filling for enchiladas, burritos, and more!
- Reserve the rest of the sauce to use as a consommé for dipping birria tacos or quesabirria.
Notes
- Don’t rush the process. Allow the meat to cook until it is completely tender. This could take a few extra hours but it is worth it!
- Try making quesabirria or birria tacos with your birria meat!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Thanx so much for helping me.
I was introduced to Birria years ago while living in Guadalajara ,Mexico. It was made with Goat and I loved it. Beef gives it a slightly different texture but the flavor is right on. Make sure you make this!!
Amazing flavor and really only takes time. I used an immersion blender to puree and cooked in the oven. The cooking aromas were heavenly. Will definitely make again. Fair warning. It makes a ton.
Super highly recommended! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again!