Authentic Birria

Birria has always been a popular dish in Mexico, but TikTok and social media officially made it famous. And I am here for it!

It’s one of those classic traditional Mexican recipes like barbacoa and carnitas that everyone loves and can’t get enough of.

I first learned how to make it from my mom who grew up eating the traditional version made from goat, and after testing and tweaking the recipe over 15 times to get it just right, I came up with this beef version!

I love eating it as a stew with a side of freshly made corn tortillas on the side (yum!), but crispy birria tacos with loads of ooey-gooey melted cheese are also incredible.

Whichever way you decide to eat it, I know you’re going to love it!

What Is Birria?

Birria is a traditional Mexican stew from the state of Jalisco made from slow-cooked fall-apart juicy and tender goat, lamb, or beef in a rich and flavorful red chile broth, or consomé.

It’s traditionally cooked for special occasions, holidays, weddings, parties, and even baptisms, but it has become so incredibly popular on social media that it can be found everywhere nowadays!

It’s usually enjoyed as a savory stew served with toppings like cilantro, onions, and freshly squeezed lime juice or served as tacos with lots of melted cheese, aka quesabirria tacos!

Birria Ingredients

• Dried Chiles: You need guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and arbol chiles. You can find them in the international foods aisle of your local grocery store or a specialty Hispanic grocer. If you can’t find them in your area, buying them online is always a great option. If you’ve never worked with dried chiles before, don’t worry. It’s easy, and I walk you through step by step how to use them in the recipe.
• Spices and aromatics: I used a combination of garlic, ground cumin, ground clove, black peppercorns, and bay leaves.
• Mexican oregano: Mexican oregano can be found in most Hispanic grocery stores. It’s very fragrant with grassy citrus notes. If you can’t find it near you, the typical Mediterranean or Italian oregano will do just fine.
• Mexican cinnamon: This cinnamon is also known as Ceylon cinnamon. It’s brittle, can be easily broken into small pieces, and is actually blended into the sauce. It’s readily available in most Hispanic grocery stores. If you can’t find it near you, I recommend using a regular cinnamon stick and removing it before blending or using 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
• Beef: I used chuck roast. It has a good fat-to-meat ratio, gets super tender when braised and slow-cooked, and melts in your mouth.
• Broth: Using beef broth enhances the beef flavor in the consomé, but you can opt for vegetable broth or just water in a pinch.
• Vinegar: Adds a delicious tangy element to the consomé that pairs really well with the red chiles!
• Tomato, garlic, and onion: Staple ingredients that add more depth of flavor.

Types of Meat for Birria

Birria is traditionally made with goat or lamb meat, but the most popular type of meat to use in the United States is beef, or birria de res.

I used beef chuck roast, but you could also use short ribs, beef shanks, oxtail for added flavor, or packaged beef stew meat.

How to Make Birria

Season and sear: Season your meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Then set a Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. You might need to work in two batches depending on how big your pot is. Once all meat is seared, set aside.

Soak the chiles: In a medium pot, add all of the dried chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns, covering everything completely with water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Blend: Once the chiles are softened, transfer everything to a blender and add 1 cup of chile-soaked water. Add in the broth, vinegar, and the remaining spices. Blend until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cook: Strain the blended sauce into the pot with the seared meat (if necessary, depending on the power of your blender), gently stir, and bring to a boil. Bring heat to low, cover, and cook for 3-3 ½ hours, until meat is fall-apart tender.

Shred: Take the meat out to shred, and add shredded meat back to consomé.

Serving Birria

Birria can be served in so many ways. As a stew, in tacos, on nachos, or even in noodles for birria ramen! Whichever way you choose to enjoy it, make sure to serve it with plenty of the consomé for dipping and slurping.

• As a stew: Serve birria as a stew in bowls with lots of diced white onion, chopped cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
• As tacos: Birria tacos (aka quesabirria) are one of the most delicious things you can make. Dip a corn tortilla in the top of the sauce, then lightly fry it in a hot skillet. The top of the sauce will be mostly fat that has risen to the top from the beef, so it will fry beautifully without having to add additional oil. Add in some shredded beef, plenty of Oaxaca (quesillo) or Chihuahua cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted and the taco is crispy. Serve with a side of the sauce and a lot of cilantro, diced onions, and lime juice. 

Is Birria Spicy?

Birria is traditionally somewhere between a medium to hot spice level, which is how I would classify this recipe.

• For a mild spice, don’t use any arbol chiles.
• For a medium spice, I recommend using 3 arbol chiles.
• For a hot spice level, use anywhere from 7 to 10 arbol chiles.

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Methods

To make birria in the Instant Pot, use the ‘Saute’ function to sear the meat, then add in the blended chile sauce. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 60 minutes using the manual setting. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.

To make birria in the slow cooker, brown and sear the meat in a pot or skillet. Add the seared meat and blended chile sauce to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Storing and Reheating

Birria can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, let the birria thaw in the refrigerator overnight if frozen, then heat in the microwave or in a pot over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until heated.