Make restaurant‑quality slow cooker birria tacos at home with this easy recipe. The beef is fall-apart tender and the broth is so rich and flavorful.

There’s a small Mexican restaurant in my little town that serves the most amazing birria beef tacos. I’ve been on a mission to get a delicious recipe I can make at home, and this slow cooker version rivals any birria taco I’ve ever had at any restaurant. They are SO GOOD.

Three corn tortillas filled with beef and melty cheese topped with cilantro and onions on white platter.

Dried Chiles for Birria Tacos

One of the iconic ingredients in any birria recipe is the dried chiles. Once you get your hands on those, the other ingredients are pantry staples!

Dried Chiles 101:

  • This recipe calls for three varieties of dried chiles. They are usually easily found in the Mexican aisle of most grocery stores. You can also find them on Amazon {aff. link} or other online stores.
  • If substituting other types of dried chiles, just keep in mind that different types of chiles can vary greatly in flavor and spice-level. 
  • Of the three chiles called for in this recipe, ancho chiles are the least spicy with smoky, mild flavor (1,000 – 1,500 scoville heat units).
  • Guajillo chiles are medium spicy (2,500 to 5,000 Scoville heat units).
  • Arbol chiles are the spiciest of the three; they are hotter than a jalapeno but not as hot as a cayenne pepper (15,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units).
  • The peppers listed in the recipe below yield a mild Birria beef with a tiny hint of spice (mild enough for my heat-averse 13-year old but still very flavorful). If you want it spicier, increase the number of Arbol chiles.
Dried ancho chiles, dried arbo chiles, and dried guajillo chiles in plastic cellophane bags.
Top down view of pot with simmered broth of guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles, white onion, and garlic.
Top down view of blender with blended mixture of Mexican chiles, onion, and broth.
Top down view of blender with soft boiled Mexican chiles, cooked onions, and garlic.

How to Make Birria Beef

  1. Simmer the dried chiles with onion, tomatoes and garlic until all the veggies are soft.
  2. Blend the cooked chiles and veggies until smooth – this is the flavorful base for the rich consomé sauce that is a classic staple for birria stew and tacos.
  3. Add the chile mixture to a slow cooker and stir in beef broth, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and allspice.
  4. Add the beef. Cover and cook on low or high until fall-apart tender.
  5. Shred the beef, mix with a bit of the consomé and prepare to make the best quesabirria tacos of your life.
Top down view of black slow cooker insert with dried oregano, bay leaves, chili powder, cumin and blended mixture of Mexican chiles.
White 9X13-inch pan with shredded Mexican birria beef and broth.

Assembling and Cooking Birria Tacos

  1. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat.
  2. Dip a corn tortilla fully in the broth and lay flat in the hot skillet.
  3. Spread beef on half of the tortilla and top with cheese.
  4. Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press down gently with a spatula as it sizzles and cooks on one side.
  5. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and sizzling.
  6. Remove to a plate or platter and repeat with remaining tortillas/tacos.

Corn tortillas are essential for quesabirria tacos. Flour tortillas will disintegrate and fall apart when dipped in the consomé.

To get the tortillas maximally crispy and golden, moderate the heat at a relatively high temp so they cook fast but hot without burning. A cast iron skillet or griddle will give the best crispy tortilla, but a regular skillet like the one I’m using works just fine, too.

White skillet with two corn tortillas soaked in birria broth topped with shredded beef and shredded cheese.
Pressing crispy corn tortilla taco in white skillet with metal spatula.

Serve the sizzling hot birria tacos with all that glorious melty cheese and tender beef dipped in the extra consomé sauce. NEXT LEVEL DELICIOUSNESS RIGHT HERE.

Dipping beef and cheese taco with crispy outer shell in rich birria broth in glass bowl.
Two corn tortillas filled with beef and melty cheese topped with cilantro and onions on white platter.

Birria Disclaimer and Final Thoughts

If you’re interested, you can google a quick history of birria (it’s a traditional Mexican dish that originated in Jalisco, Mexico where it’s often made with lamb or goat meat). There are so many different variations for birria online. Some use tomatoes, some do not. Some call for vinegar, others do not. Many recipes use different varieties and quantities of chiles – not to mention all the different spice combinations and meat options!

To say that the variety of recipes are endless and the opinions are strong is an understatement. So take this recipe for what it’s worth! It is simply my offering of a very, very delicious and flavorful birria beef recipe.

I am not claiming to be an expert on authentic Mexican recipes, but I am claiming to love food…in all its different varieties and flavors! After testing this recipe and succeeding on getting it so close to my restaurant favorite, I knew I wanted to share it with you. I hope you love it!

Birria taco with beef and melted cheese split in half on white tray cilantro and white onions.
Three corn tortillas filled with beef and melty cheese topped with cilantro and onions on white platter.

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes
5 star (1 rating)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For the Birria Beef and Broth:

  • 8 dried guajillo chiles
  • 2 dried ancho chiles
  • 1 dried arbol chile (add more for more heat – see note)
  • 3 large Roma tomatoes
  • 1 medium quartered white or yellow onion, peeled and trimmed of root ends
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican oregano but Italian oregano will work, too
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (use half for finely ground)
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 to 5 pound bone-in or boneless chuck roast (see note)

For the Tacos:

  • Yellow or white corn tortillas
  • Shredded cheese, for melting (Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese)
  • Cilantro and chopped white onions, for serving

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, add the dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Add water until ingredients are completely covered. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes until the chiles and onions have softened.
  • Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully remove the tough stems from the chiles. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chiles, onions, tomatoes and garlic and transfer to a blender a high-powered blender (see note if you don't have a high-powered blender).
  • Add 1 1/2 cups of the chile broth from the pot to the blender with the veggies. Add a lid and slightly vent to release steam. Blend until very smooth.
  • Pour the mixture into the insert of an 8-quart slow cooker. Add beef broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and allspice. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaves.
  • Season the beef lightly on all sides with salt and pepper and rub lightly into the meat. Place the beef in the slow cooker, turning to coat in the chile mixture.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
  • Remove the beef from the slow cooker to a dish. Discard the bone and bay leaves. Shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Stir or whisk the consomé (the liquid left in the slow cooker) to recombine and spoon 1 to 2 cups of it over the meat. Keep the remaining sauce warm.
  • To make tacos, heat a skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Dip a corn tortilla fully in the warm consomé and lay flat in the hot skillet. Spread beef on half of the tortilla and top with cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press down gently with a spatula as it sizzles and cooks on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and sizzling. Remove to a plate or platter and repeat with remaining tortillas/tacos.
  • A four pound bone-in roast will make enough beef for about 20 tacos made with 6-inch corn tortillas. Leftover beef and consomé can be frozen in well-sealed bags or containers for 1 to 2 months.

Notes

Dried Chiles: the dried chiles called for in this recipe should be easily found in the Mexican aisle or produce section of most grocery stores. You can also find them on Amazon and other online stores. If substituting other types of dried chiles, just keep in mind that different types of chiles can vary greatly in flavor and spice-level. 
Of the three chiles called for in this recipe, ancho chiles are the least spicy with smoky, mild flavor (1,000 – 1,500 scoville heat units). Guajillo chiles are medium spicy (2,500 to 5,000 Scoville heat units). Arbol chiles are the spiciest of the three; they are hotter than a jalapeno but not as hot as a cayenne pepper (15,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units). The peppers listed in the recipe ingredients above yield a mild Birria beef with a tiny hint of spice (mild enough for my heat-averse 13-year old but still very flavorful). Add additional Arbol chiles for more heat. 
Beef: chuck roast or other well-marbled beef roast works best for this recipe. Super lean beef roasts won’t be as fall-apart tender. I tested this recipe searing the beef before adding to the slow cooker and not searing the beef. I know this won’t be popular, but I honestly couldn’t tell a difference between the two versions, so I don’t add the extra step of searing the beef, but you definitely can choose to do so if you’d like. 
Blender: if you don’t have a high-powered blender that can process the ingredients ultra-smooth, use a regular blender and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer before adding to the slow cooker (discarding any solids left behind in the strainer). 
Author: Mel Gunnell
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Method: Slow Cooker
Serving: 1 serving (about 2 tacos), Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 647mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 2g

Recommended Products

8-Quart Slow Cooker
Cast Iron Skillet
Small Metal Spatula
Kitchen Tongs

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (after scouring the internet and gaining insight from over 20 different recipes and modifying and testing to get the recipe that tastes most like Birria tacos at a small local restaurant in the town where I live)

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