How to Make Birria (beef stew) & Quesa Birria Tacos with Consommé (Step by Step Photos)

Looking for a birria recipe for stew or quesabirria tacos that rival your favorite Mexican restaurant? This birria recipe is for you! Made with beef, it’s easy to make, rich, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion.

The recipe takes you step by step using the stove top and oven, but also shares how you can easier create the beef birria de res (stew) in a slow cooker and Instant Pot.

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What is the birria?

Birria (pronounced bee-REE-uh), also known as birria de res, is a traditional Mexican dish, originally from Jalisco. Beef, goat meat, and sometimes both are the most common kinds of meat used to make birria tacos and stew. The meat is slow-cooked with an adobo sauce made with pureed chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and clove.

Birria is usually served as a stew accompanied by corn tortillas, used as a sauce for cooking other foods, or the meat is shredded and used in quesabirria tacos. It can also be served over rice or in flour tortillas as a burrito filling.

Birrias are typically made a large pot or in large batches so they are shared with family and friends. The recipe does take some time to prepare, but it’s worth it!

What Kind of Meat is Used to Make Birria Tacos?

This birria tacos recipe uses beef as the main protein. I like to use stewing meat like chuck roast that is cooked until it is fall-apart tender. Birria can also be made with goat or lamb.

I prefer to use a beef Chuck roast because it is a less expensive cut of meat that when slow-cooked becomes very tender. When making birria quesadillas, queso birria tacos, and birria burritos, this roast also has the best flavor in my opinion.

Alternatives to using a chuck roast include short ribs, pork shoulder, or even a leg of lamb that has been cut into small pieces.

My Birria Recipe Uses Beef Soup Bones

In addition to using beef chuck roast, I also add a few beef soup bones to make my adobo. The soup bones add more flavor to the birria and make it a heartier bone broth/consomme for cooking your meat in and serving alongside your birria tacos.

If you don’t have beef soup bones, you can omit them entirely. The birria will still be flavorful, but not as hearty.

It All Begins with a Good Adobo

Making a delicious birria requires that you dedicate time to making the adobo (seasoning). The adobo is a key component and it is what gives it its distinct flavor and red color.

The traditional adobo consists of dried ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, pasilla chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and clove. These ingredients are blended together to make a smooth paste that is used to season the beef.

The traditional method to make adobo is with a wooden mortar and pestle. However, I find it faster to use my high-speed blender after the chiles have been boiled and use the cooking liquid to make the sauce.

If you cannot find dried ancho, guajillo, and pasilla chiles, you can use any combination of dried chiles that you can find. Below, my recipe uses just the guajillo chiles that are super easy to find and it is just as delicious as if you use all three!

Birria Adobo Ingredients

• 12 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 3 inches long)
• 2 teaspoon black peppercorns (whole)
• 1 tablespoon chicken broth concentrate ( I use this one) or enough boullion to make 3 cup of broth

Ingredients Needed for Homemade Beef Birria de Res (Stew)

• 4-5 pound chuck roast
• 1/3 pound beef bones for stock, optional
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Additional Ingredients Needed for Quesabirria Tacos (serves 8)

• 24 corn tortillas
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 12 ounces quesadilla cheese or other melting cheese like queso asadero, Monterrey Jack, etc.
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• Hot sauce, optional
• Lime, optional

How to Make Homemade Birria de Res (Stew)

1 – Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2 – Remove stems and seeds from dried guajillo chiles.

3 – Place destemmed dried chiles on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes to toast the chiles.

4 – Remove toasted chiles from the oven and add them, along with the garlic, cloves, and cinnamon stick to a large Dutch oven or large cooking pot.

5 – Add just enough water to the pot to cover the chiles. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

6 – Strain the chiles, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon stick out of the pot and add to a high-speed blender. Add 2-3 cups of cooking liquid to the blender and puree the mixture until smooth. Be sure to reserve the cooking liquid.

7 – Add the adobo mixture back into the cooking pot or Dutch oven with the remaining cooking liquid and add the chicken broth concentrate. Whisk together until well combined.

8 – While the chiles are cooking, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Add beef soup bones (if using) and brown bones on all sides. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding. Set aside when done.

9 – In the same skillet, add the remaining olive oil and brown the chuck roast on all sides. You may need to cut the roast into smaller pieces to make it more manageable.

10 – Add the browned beef bones (if using) and chuck roast to the cooking liquid in the Dutch oven followed by the garlic, onion, bay leaves, and salt. Add additional water, if needed, to just cover the roast.

11 – Bring the Dutch oven/cooking pot to a simmer and then remove from the heat.

Cover with a lid and place the pot in the oven to cook at 350 degrees F for 3 hours. Beef will be fork tender when done.

Remove the cooking pot from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Making Homemade Birria in a Slow Cooker

If you don’t want to use your oven, you can also cook birria in a slow cooker.

To do this, follow all the steps above until you get to the part where it says to cover and place in the oven. Instead, place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Making Homemade Birria in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

If you want to use a pressure cooker, such as an Instant Pot, you can cook birria in about 1 hour.

To do this, follow all the steps above until you get to the part where it says to cover and place in the oven. Instead, add the lid to your pressure cooker and set it to cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then use the quick-release valve to release any remaining pressure.

How to Serve Birria Beef De Res

If you are serving this as a stew, remove the cooking pot from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Stim the grease off the top and reserve it for when you make the birria tacos or discard.

Serve the meat and broth with diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges along with your favorite hot sauce. Warm corn tortillas go great with this too. Enjoy!

How to Make Tacos Birria

There are only a few extra steps needed to turn your stew into delicious, Instagram-famous Quesabirria Tacos.

1 – Start by removing the cooked birria meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and shred with two forks. Place in a bowl and add 1/3 cup of the adobo cooking liquid into the meat to keep it super moist. Reserve the rest of the cooking liquid for later.

2 – Skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard.

3 – Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot.

4 – Dip each corn tortilla into the adobo cooking liquid so each side of the tortilla is wet.

5 – Place wet tortilla into the hot skillet and allow it to firm up just a little and the flip it over. Top one half of tortilla with shredded beef and cheese. Fold over the tortilla to form your taco.

6 – Fry taco until its as crispy as you like it.

6 – Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining tortillas.

How to Serve QuesaBirria Tacos

Serve your beef birria tacos with a bowl of consomme, the adobo cooking liquid, topped with diced onion and cilantro. This is perfect for dipping your tacos in to soak up more flavor. Add lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

This birria recipe beef tacos with consomme are a delicious and easy way to enjoy a classic Mexican dish. The beef is cooked in a flavorful broth, and the consomme adds a rich and savory flavor. These tacos are perfect for any occasion, and they’re sure to please everyone at the table. Thanks for trying this birria recipe , and we hope you enjoy it!

Want to try more taco recipes? Try these:

Carne Asada Tacos – Grilled flank steak tacos served with fresh salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos – Juicy, grilled shrimp tacos perfect for backyard entertaining.

Walking Tacos In a Bag- A fun and easy twist on tacos, perfect for feeding a crowd!