Quesabirria Tacos

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You’re going to love my Quesabirria tacos! They’re a Mexican street food sensation, and once you try them, you’ll understand why. These tacos blend succulent slow-cooked beef, gooey cheese, and warm tortillas. My recipe will help you recreate this popular recipe at home for an unforgettable taste experience!

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• Quesabirria Tacos
• Quesabirrias Ingredients
• Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Ingredients
• How to Make Birria for Tacos
• How to Make Quesabirria Tacos
• Quesabirria Recipe Tips
• What is quesabirria?
• Quesabirria FAQs
• How Many Tacos per Person
• Also try…
• Taco Recipes
• What to Serve with Quesabirria Tacos
• Pin it for later!
• Recipe
• Reviews

Quesabirria Tacos

Quesabirria, a classic Mexican dish that combines stewed meat, chiles, tacos, and cheese, is all the craze right now, and for good reason! They’re earthy, spicy, tender, and filled with melty cheese, with an irresistible crunch. Not to mention, the dipping sauce is so full of flavor, that you’ll be sipping the leftovers out of the bowl!

You may be intimidated by the number of steps compared to a classic taco, but don’t worry. This is the easiest and best birria recipe out there! And, if you’ve ever tried Quesabirria Jalisco tacos, you know how good and worth it every step is.

Plus, it’s ultra-customizable! You can use any meat you wish- from pork to beef, to chicken birria, or your favorite cut of lamb! For an extra authentic experience, traditional birria is made with goat meat, and it’s delicious.

Quesabirrias Ingredients

• Boneless Chuck Roast
• Olive oil
• Guajillo chiles
• Ancho chiles
• Tomato
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cinnamon stick
• Bay leaf
• Oregano
• Cumin seed
• Thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Beef broth

Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Ingredients

• Corn tortillas
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Oaxaca cheese or other melty cheese
• Lime

• Meat: Don’t feel limited by what meat you use! While I love using chuck roast because it’s affordable and easy to shred, you can use pretty much any meat you have for this recipe. My other favorites include beef shank, short ribs, sirloin roast, or swapping the beef for pork roast or chicken breasts.
• Chiles: Don’t miss out on these! Dried Mexican peppers can typically be found in the international aisle of your local grocery store, by Mexican food. If you have a produce market nearby, even better! If you can’t find these exact peppers, try New Mexico, Pasilla, or California peppers.
• Cheese: If you can find Oaxaca, I can’t recommend it enough! It has a unique saltiness that sets it apart from other white-melting cheeses. If you can’t find it, however, mozzarella is the next best thing.

How to Make Birria for Tacos

1. Place your largest pot or a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add in the olive oil. When the oil shimmers and the pan is nice and hot, season the birria beef with salt and pepper, then add it to the pot to sear on all sides.
2. Add in the onions, cook for two more minutes, then remove the dutch oven from the heat.
3. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile peppers. To amp up the spiciness, you can skip removing the seeds.
4. In a medium pot, combine the chiles, tomatoes, the other half of the onions, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf.
5. Add 4-5 cups of water, or enough to completely cover all of the ingredients. Place it on the stove over medium-high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, bring the heat down to low, and let it simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
6. Add all of the remaining seasonings to the sauce pot, including oregano, cumin seeds, thyme, salt, and peppercorns.
7. Stir, and let simmer for another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few more minutes.
8. Pour the sauce and vegetable mixture into a large mesh strainer over a bowl. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf from the strained solids and discard them, then add the solids to a blender.
9. Add 2 cups of the sauce to the blender, plus 1 cup of beef broth. Blend on high until smooth, adding salt to taste.
10. Return the pot with beef and onions to the stove on medium heat, then pour the blended vegetable sauce over the beef. If more liquid is needed, add beef broth until the beef is completely covered.
11. Let the broth come to a simmer before lowering the heat and covering it, letting it simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
    

How to Make Quesabirria Tacos

1. Once the beef has cooked completely and is tender and soft, remove the birria from the heat. Using tongs, take the beef out of the sauce and place it on a cutting board, using a fork to shred it.
2. Heat a large skillet or a griddle to medium heat. Again with tongs, dip a corn tortilla into the top of the stew to get it coated in the floating fat.
3. Place the dipped tortilla fat-side-down on the skillet, then top with shredded beef and cheese, plus onions and cilantro if desired.
4. Fold the tortilla over, then fry for about a minute per side, until crispy. Remove from the heat and keep warm while you repeat this process for each taco.
5. Serve warm with a squeeze of lime juice and a dish of birria stew. To eat, dip each taco in the broth, and enjoy! The dipping sauce is absolutely key and makes these tacos truly incredible!

If you love this recipe, I guarantee you will also love my chilaquiles recipe!

Quesabirria Recipe Tips

• The seasonings and broth are what make this dish so incredible, so feel free to change up what meat you use! Try this recipe with pork for an ultra-budget-friendly dish, or try it out with chicken for Chicken Birria Tacos!
• Looking to spice it up even more? Kick up the heat level for the bravest of your family members by adding Chiles de Árbol. They’re super sharp and spicy, and perfectly complement the earthy birria sauce!
• You’re going to be making a LOT of food with this recipe, so use the biggest pot you have! Leftover birria meat can be frozen in an airtight container and reheated on the stove or preheated oven any time!
• To save time, prep the stew base ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then all you need to do is sear and stew the beef!
• Quesabirria meat is loaded with flavor, so be sure to use a mild melty cheese! If you can find it, I can’t recommend Oaxaca enough. It’s a beautiful Mexican cheese braided into a rope with just enough salty kick.
• Remember, don’t skimp out on using that quesabirria sauce! Make sure to dip the tortillas in the fat before frying them, and dip the completed tacos in the sauce. You won’t believe how flavorful they are!
• If you love Quesabirria, you’ll also love my Ropa Vieja Recipe!

What is quesabirria?

Quesabirria is a tasty type of taco that originated in Tijuana, Mexico, and has become very popular in the United States. It is a fusion of Mexican birria (a spicy, savory stew made with beef, goat, or lamb) and a quesadilla.

The preparation typically involves stewing meat with a combination of spices and chilies until it becomes a mouthwatering tender and flavorful piece of meat. The meat is then shredded and placed in a tortilla along with cheese and other taco toppings. Typically the quesabirria taco is then dipped in the juice the birria was cooked in. They are absolutely amazing!

Quesabirria FAQs

How Many Tacos per Person

It would be terrible to not have enough for everyone, especially with a recipe like this where it’s too good to pass up seconds! Just remember: guests tends to overfill tacos made for themselves, so assume 2 tacos per person.

Number of Guests	Amount of Birria	Amount of Tacos
4-8	50% more (2.5-3 lbs. roast)	8-16
8-12	Double recipe (4-4.5 lbs. roast)	16-24
12-15	150% more (4.5-5 lbs. roast)	24-30
15-20	Triple recipe (6-6.5 lbs. roast)	30-40

Taco Recipes

• Tilapia Tacos
• Carne Picada Tacos
• Ground Pork Tacos
• Taco Soup
• Try my Steak Fajitas + Steak Fajita Marinade!

What to Serve with Quesabirria Tacos

• Mexican Street Corn
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Pickled Onions
• Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

See my guide on How to Warm Tortillas!

Recipe