Birria Tacos Crispy Cheese Beef (Printable Version)

Slow-cooked beef melds with crisped cheese in tortillas, dipped in flavorful consommé for a tasty Mexican tradition.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef Birria and Sauce

01 - 1.8 kg beef chuck roast, cut into 7.5 cm chunks
02 - 10 guajillo chilies, stems removed, deseeded
03 - 5 ancho chilies, stems removed, deseeded
04 - 3 arbol chilies, stems removed, deseeded
05 - 2 Roma tomatoes
06 - 1 white onion, quartered
07 - 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
08 - 480 ml low-sodium beef broth
09 - 30 ml apple cider vinegar
10 - 10 g kosher salt
11 - 5 g ground black pepper
12 - 5 g ground cumin
13 - 2 g dried Mexican oregano
14 - 1 g ground cloves
15 - 1 g ground cinnamon
16 - 0.5 g ground ginger
17 - 3 bay leaves

→ Taco Assembly

18 - 8 corn tortillas or cassava flour tortillas
19 - diced white onion
20 - roughly chopped fresh cilantro
21 - Oaxacan cheese, shredded

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Remove stems and seeds from guajillo, ancho, and arbol chilies. Rinse thoroughly. Place in a medium pot, cover with water, and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until chilies soften.
02 - Arrange Roma tomatoes, quartered onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking tray. Broil for 4–6 minutes until lightly charred.
03 - Transfer softened chilies and 240 ml reserved soaking liquid to a high-powered blender. Peel roasted garlic and add to the blender along with broiled tomatoes, onion, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend for 1–2 minutes until smooth.
04 - Place beef chuck chunks in a slow cooker. Pour blended sauce over the beef and add bay leaves. Combine gently with tongs. Cover and slow cook on low for 8–9 hours or high for 4–5 hours, until meat is fork-tender and shreds easily.
05 - Discard bay leaves. Remove beef from slow cooker and shred using two forks. Return shredded beef to the slow cooker, stir to coat with sauce, and allow to absorb the consommé.
06 - Dip each tortilla into the birria liquid, ensuring it is coated in the surface fat for optimal frying.
07 - Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place dipped tortilla in the skillet. Cook briefly on one side, flip, then sprinkle surface with shredded Oaxacan cheese. Add a portion of birria, diced onion, and chopped cilantro to half the tortilla. Once cheese melts, fold tortilla in half and continue frying for 2–3 minutes per side until crispy.
08 - Serve tacos immediately with a side of hot birria consommé for dipping.

# Additional Notes:

01 - Cassava flour tortillas offer a gluten-free alternative to corn tortillas and remain sturdy for folding and frying.
02 - Oaxacan cheese may be substituted with a shredded Mexican cheese blend if unavailable.
03 - To store leftover birria, let meat reach room temperature before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
04 - Store prepared taco components separately in individual containers for easy assembly throughout the week.
05 - Leftover birria freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

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