Quesabirria Tacos

These melt-in-your-mouth crispy Quesabirria tacos will be your family's new favorite taco recipe! Paired with birria sauce for dipping, you'll crave more!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword quesabirria, quesabirria tacos, quesabirria tacos recipe, quesabirrias

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 3 5

Total Time 3 55

Servings to 15 tacos

Calories 258kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

Dutch Oven
Blender or food processor
Kitchen sheers
Medium pot
Large skillet
Tongs

Ingredients

3 lbs Boneless chuck roast cut into large chunks
2 Tablespoon Olive oil
3 Dried guajillo chiles
2 Dried ancho chiles
2 Roma tomatoes quartered
1 medium Onion halved
3 cloves Garlic
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
½ teaspoon Cumin seeds or ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Dried thyme
1 teaspoon Salt + more to taste
½ teaspoon Black peppercorns
2 cups Beef broth

Instructions

Quesabirria Stew

Place your largest pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add in the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering and the pan is nice and hot, season the beef with salt and pepper, then add it to the pot to sear on all sides.
3 lbs Boneless chuck roast, 1 medium Onion, 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
Add in the half of the onions, cooking for two more minutes, then remove the dutch oven from the heat.
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.
3 Dried guajillo chiles, 2 Dried ancho chiles
In a medium pot, combine the chiles, tomatoes, the other half of the onions, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
2 Roma tomatoes, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 Cinnamon stick, 1 Bay leaf, 1 medium Onion
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.
Add all of the remaining seasonings to the sauce pot, including oregano, cumin seeds, thyme, salt, and peppercorns. Stir, and let simmer another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few more minutes.
1 teaspoon Dried oregano, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon Dried thyme, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black peppercorns
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.
Add 2 cups of the sauce to the blender, plus 1 cup of beef broth. Blend on high until smooth, adding salt to taste.
2 cups Beef broth
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. Let the broth come to a simmer before lowering the heat and covering, letting it simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
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.

Quesabirria Tacos

Heat a large skilled 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. Place the dipped tortilla fat-side-down on the skillet, then top with shredded beef and cheese, plus onions and cilantro if desired.
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.
Serve warm with lime slices 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!

Video

Notes

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 compliment 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 can be frozen in airtight containers and reheated on the stove for easy birria 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 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!

Nutrition