Homemade Birria Tacos
Ingredients
For the Birria Meat:
- 2 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast
- 1 lb. Short Ribs
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 5-7 Dried Ancho Chiles
- 5-7 Guajillo Chiles
- 3 Chiles de Arbol
- 6 Garlic Cloves crushed and peeled
- 1 Yellow Onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 Roma Tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp. Fresh or Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. EACH: Cumin, Cloves, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, & Salt
- 2-3 Bay Leaves
- 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 cups Beef Broth
To Assemble the Birria Tacos:
- White Onion minced
- Fresh Cilantro chopped
- Corn Tortillas
- Lime Wedges for serving
- Grated or Shredded Mozzarella
Instructions
For the Birria Meat:
- If time allows, let the meat rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, add the olive oil to heat up for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chuck roast and short ribs to sear on all sides for 3-4 minutes, until deeply browned.
- In the meantime, add the dried chiles, Roma tomatoes, garlic, and onion to a large saucepan. Fill with water, the place over medium high heat to bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Drain the water and blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the dutch oven. Stir in the seasonings, oregano, bay leaves, and beef broth.
- Cover with the lid to bake in the oven for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the meat from the dutch oven and let rest 10 minutes before shredding between two forks.
To Assemble the Birria Tacos:
- Dip the corn tortillas in the birria sauce. Place on heated skillet over medium high heat with olive oil to cook about 30-45 seconds on each side.
- Add a generous amount of the meat, grated mozzarella, chopped white onion, and cilantro to half of the tortilla. Fold the remaining half to seal. Finish cooking until desired crispiness. Garnish with cotija cheese and enjoy warm with lime wedges!
To Make the Crispy Taco Version:
- When you go to assemble the tacos, heat up a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle generously with olive oil.
- Working in small batches, add 2-3 corn tortillas to the skillet. Add a generous serving of mozzarella over each tortilla, followed by a serving of the meat (using a slotted spoon so there's not much juice in it) on one side of the tortilla. Fold over the tortilla to enclose. Press down to seal.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until deeply golden and crispy. When ready to serve, open up each tortilla to fill with the finely chopped white onions and fresh cilantro. Enjoy warm with a side of the slow simmered sauce.
