Birria Tacos

Birria tacos, also known as tacos de birria, takes the beef from the birria stew and serves it up in taco form, transforming it into an icon of Mexican street food culture. The beef birria is shredded and placed on tortilla shells with toppings of your choice (usually chopped cilantro and diced onions). Cheese is a popular addition, making them quesabirria tacos. They can be eaten as is in soft shell form using flour tortillas or you can take an additional step that has become wildly popular by taking the assembled beef birra taco, dipping it in the brothy adobo sauce the beef was cooked in, stuffing it with the meat and cheese, and frying the taco until crispy (in this case either flour or corn tortillas can be used). Many people also like to serve the beef birria tacos with some of the adobo cooking liquid for dipping. That cooking sauce will have become thinner and more brothy after beef is cooked in it and is often referred to as the birria consomé). It’s like a Mexican twist on a French dip with tacos instead of sandwiches and the birria de res juices instead of au jus for dipping.

Biting into that crispy, beef-loaded taco dripping with the adobo consommé is an experience like no other, and I’m going to show you how to make some really incredible homemade birria tacos!

• 4 pounds beef chuck, shanks, bottom roast, short ribs, or combination
• salt and pepper

• 6 dried whole guajillo chiles
• 4 dried whole ancho chiles
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 white or yellow onion
• 6 cloves garlic (optional: for best flavor roast the garlic)
• 2 chipotles with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf

• 16 corn or flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded or crumbled cheese (oaxaca, queso fresco, cotija, or Monterey jack)
• diced onion
• chopped cilantro
• fresh lime wedges
• optional accompaniments for serving: Mexican crema or sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pickled jalapenos, etc).