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Authentic Birria Recipe for Tacos or Stew

Authentic birria delivers a deep red consomé with tender, fall-apart shredded beef. Cook spiced chile sauce into a rich broth, then serve for tacos by dipping tortillas or as stew in a steaming bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and broth
  • 4 lb beef chuck roast
  • 8 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 0.5 salt and pepper to taste
Chiles and aromatics
  • 6 dried guajillo chiles
  • 4 dried ancho chiles
  • 2 dried chipotle chiles
  • 1 onion halved
  • 1 head garlic crushed
Spice and liquids
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Serving toppings
  • 8 corn tortillas for tacos, diced (or cut) and dipped
  • 1 diced onion for serving
  • 0.25 cilantro for serving
  • 0.25 lime wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Toast and rehydrate the chiles
  1. Toast the dried guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles, and dried chipotle chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, turning as needed so they don’t burn.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain them well.
Blend the chile sauce and strain
  1. Blend the drained chiles with the halved onion, crushed garlic, cumin, oregano, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
  2. Strain the blended chile sauce through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to extract liquid and leaving solids behind.
Build the birria consomé
  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, just until shimmering.
  2. Add the strained chile sauce and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells rich.
  3. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
  4. Add the beef chuck roast chunks and return the pot to a boil, making sure the meat is mostly submerged in the broth.
  5. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 90-120 minutes, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep the consomé at a gentle simmer.
Serve as tacos or stew
  1. For tacos, shred the tender meat, dip corn tortillas in the consomé, fill with the shredded meat, and serve with diced onion and cilantro.
  2. For stew, ladle the meat and consomé into bowls and serve with lime wedges.

Notes

For the deepest red consomé, don’t skip straining the chile mixture—its texture turns silky and consistent. Refrigerate birria in a covered container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove or microwave until steaming. Freezing works well up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and reduce added salt at the end.