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Crockpot Mexican Birria

Crockpot Mexican birria with slow-cooked, fall-apart beef and a deep red mahogany consomé. Dried chile sauce is blended smooth, simmered in the crockpot, then used for tortilla dipping and crispy griddled birria tacos.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and aromatics
  • 3 lb beef chuck or short ribs
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
Chile sauce
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste
For serving
  • 1 corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • 1 shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Toast and soften chiles
  1. Toast the dried guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant and slightly darker. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in boiling water for 15 minutes until softened. Drain well before blending.
Blend chile sauce
  1. Blend the softened chiles with diced tomatoes, quartered onion, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and cinnamon until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed for a uniform sauce.
Slow-cook birria
  1. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then place it in the Crockpot. Pour the chile sauce over the top.
  2. Cook on Low for 7–8 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender. Keep the lid closed during cooking to maintain temperature.
Shred and crisp tacos
  1. Shred the beef in the consomé and stir to coat. Adjust seasoning with a little more salt and pepper if needed.
  2. Dip tortillas in the consomé, fill with beef and shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella, then griddle until crispy. Serve immediately.
Serve with toppings
  1. Serve with extra consomé for dipping along with diced onion, cilantro, and lime. Build each taco with desired toppings.

Notes

Pro tip: Blend until completely smooth for a silky, deep red consomé. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days; freeze beef and consomé in a sealed container for up to 3 months (tortillas/toppings don’t freeze well—add fresh). For a gluten-free swap, use certified gluten-free corn tortillas and confirm all seasonings are gluten-free.