These tacos are EVERYTHING. They are so tasty and well worth the wait for the meat to slow cook. I have tried birria tacos at a ton of restaurants and have been wanting to try making them myself—and the time has come, I did a ton of research and added in a few extra flavors, and they came out amazing! This recipe can be served as tacos or as a soup/stew, its absolutely delicious any way you serve it! You could also make it with pork instead of beef if you want a different meat choice. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 Beef Chuck Roast (cut into 4 large chunks)
1 pack Beef short ribs (bone in, usually about 4-6 in a pack)
32 oz Vegetable or Chicken broth
Water, to top off
1 white onion
1 full garlic bulb
2 large carrots
10-12 Guajillo Chiles
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Mexican Oregano
2 tsp Chili powder
3 tbsp Chicken Bouillon
½ tsp Aleppo pepper/red pepper flakes
canola oil
Small corn tortillas
Queso fresco/ cotija cheese
Cilantro
Lime
Directions:
Get a large stew pot, add in the beef short ribs, and the chuck roast cut into 4 large chunks.
Then cut and peel the two carrots, cut the narrow top off the garlic and take any loose skin off (no need to fully peel), then remove the dry skins from the onion and cut in half, next cut the stems off the Guajillo chiles and remove the seeds, and add everything into the pot.
Next measure out your spices and add them into the pot.
Now add in the vegetable/chicken broth, then top off with water, till everything is just covered in the pot.
Cover the pot, and bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat and cook for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the garlic, garlic should be soft, squish out half of it from the bulb put that in a blender then place the bulb back into the broth, then remove the Guajillo chiles, carrots, and onion and put into the blender, add about a cup of the broth into the blender, then blend until smooth (about 4 minutes).
Then add the blended vegetables back into the pot with the broth and meat, mix to combine everything, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 3 hours (or until the meat is tender).
Stir occasionally
Once the 3 hours is over, remove the meat from the pot onto a cutting board, remove the bones, and then shred the meat (should just fall apart).
Now using a ladle, skim the grease from the top of the broth (it will be red, the broth is more orange), set aside in a bowl for when putting the tacos together.
Next add the meat back into the pot with the broth, allow to simmer in the broth while you prep the cheese and tortillas.
To prep the tortillas, get a cloth towel or napkins, moisten with water, place a layer of moist towel/napkins on a plate, then a handful of corn tortillas, then cover the tortillas with more moist napkins/towel. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes. Then set to the side. (steaming them prevents them from cracking when folding the tacos)
Next crumble the cotija/queso fresco into a bowl and set to the side.
Next you can either bake the tacos or fry them in a pan.
To bake: Preheat the oven to 425, get a baking sheet, line with foil or parchment paper. Then spray the pan with cooking spray, next dip each tortilla in the reserved grease from the broth (both sides) and place on the baking sheet, place some beef and cheese on one half of the tortilla, and fold over–use a toothpick to hold in place. Once done assembling, put the tacos in the oven, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, they should be nice and crispy.
To fry: get a large pan, heat some oil in it, then dip a tortilla (both sides) in the reserved grease from the broth, place on heated pan, top with meat and cheese, fold the taco over an press down with spatula, Continue cooking till taco is crisp (2-3 minutes), then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then remove from pan and re-peat for desired amount of tacos.
Top the tacos with cilantro and serve with a lime wedge and a bowl/side of the broth (consommé), for dipping, and enjoy!
You can also serve as a stew, ladle some consommé (broth) into a bowl, then add in some of the shredded meat, and top with the queso fresco cheese, serve with some corn tortillas or corn chips and enjoy!
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