Description
This Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe offers a deliciously tender and flavorful slow-cooked beef stew infused with smoky chilies and spices, served in crispy corn tortillas with melted Oaxaca cheese, onions, and cilantro. Perfect for a comforting and authentic Mexican meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Sauce
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 dried Guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
- 5 chipotle chilies in adobo (from a can)
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can peeled crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Tacos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 corn tortillas
- 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese
- ½ white onion, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
- Limes for garnish
Instructions
- Season the beef: Season the chuck roast thoroughly with salt and black pepper on all sides to enhance flavor.
- Sear the roast: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear each side of the chuck roast for 2-3 minutes until browned. Add more oil if necessary. Remove the roast and place it in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Prepare the sauce: In a blender, combine Guajillo chilies, chipotle chilies, diced onion, garlic cloves, honey, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, fresh lime juice, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, coriander, and thyme. Blend until smooth.
- Add sauce and cook: Pour the blended sauce over the beef in the slow cooker. Place the bay leaves on top, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours until the beef is tender and shreddable.
- Shred the beef: Remove the bay leaves and take out 1 cup of the birria consommé to a bowl and set aside. Shred the beef using two forks and mix it thoroughly into the remaining sauce in the slow cooker.
- Assemble and cook tacos: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each corn tortilla in the reserved consommé and place 2-3 tortillas flat in the skillet.
- Add toppings and fold: Sprinkle Oaxaca cheese evenly over the tortillas, then add shredded beef, diced onions, and cilantro on one side of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas in half carefully.
- Cook tacos: Cook the folded tacos for 2-3 minutes on each side until the cheese is melted and the tortillas develop a crispy, golden-brown exterior. Press down gently with a spatula to create crisp edges.
- Serve: Strain the remaining birria consommé through a fine-mesh strainer into small bowls for dipping. Serve tacos hot with lime wedges for garnish and enjoy.
Notes
- Ensure your skillet is sufficiently hot before searing the chuck roast for better flavor development.
- To prevent soggy tacos, always fry tortillas after dipping in consommé.
- Let Oaxaca cheese come to room temperature to melt easily and evenly inside the tacos.
- Press down on the tacos while cooking to create a crispier exterior by increasing contact with the pan.
- Use a fine-mesh strainer when straining consommé to remove small particles for a smooth dipping sauce.
