Birria Tacos & Consomé
I have to admit, I felt somewhat late to the party on the Birria Tacos craze that’s been all over social media. And I love Mexican food…we go out to eat it all the time and I make it at least once a week. How did I miss this? It wasn’t until I heard Tyler Florence talking about it on his “Wolf it Down” podcast that I knew these amazing little tacos filled with love existed! I watched them take the shredded beef and melty cheese tacos, topped with chopped white onion, cilantro and lime and dip them into the braising liquid, known as consomé to take what looked like the most incredible bite ever and I knew I needed to try these right away.
I did some research on how they Birria Tacos are typically prepared and then some of my own knowledge of Mexican cooking and I started to write my own recipe. I am not claiming to be the expert by any means, but I am claiming that however close to authentic this recipe is or isn’t, these tacos are delicious! Birria Tacos are typically made with goat but can also be made with beef. I chose to combine beef chuck and short ribs because I love the combo of fat and flavor these two meats have when mixed together. There is an amazing depth of flavor that happens after the meat braises in all of the ingredients and the house smelled amazing. Our whole family loved them, and my husband actually claimed he would never eat tacos any other way ever again.
For an extra burst of flavor, I made a roasted tomato salsa and added a few scoops into everyone’s consomé bowl for dipping, along with some chopped onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Frying the tacos in some of the fat skimmed from the braising consomé gives them a beautiful golden color. They are crunchy, filled with melt in your mouth tender beef, melty cheese and dipped in the consomé…. wow. Tyler did not lead me wrong on this one. I’m so glad I tried it. It is a recipe that takes some time, but if you plan ahead on a weekend, I promise, it’s worth the work!
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Total Time
4 hours
Course
Main
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
Dried Chiles – (5) guajillo, (3) ancho, (2) chile de arbol
Rub: ¼ tsp. ground cloves, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, ½ Tbsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. black pepper
2-3 lbs. beef chuck
2 lbs. short ribs
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 yellow onions, diced ( ½ diced onion reserved for garnish)
5 garlic cloves, sliced
32 oz. beef stock
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
28 oz. can San Marzano Tomatoes
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
8 oz. crumbled cotija cheese (or Monterey jack)
2-3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
12 corn or flour tortillas
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3 limes, cut in wedges for garnish
Optional Fire Roasted Salsa:
Broil 5 quartered tomatoes, 1 quartered onion and 1 jalapeño halved on a baking sheet, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, until charred, a few mins. on each side. Add to a blender with 2 cloves garlic, cilantro, ½ lime juiced, salt and pepper.
Instructions
1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, reduce to low and soak dried chiles for 30 mins. When cool, de-stem and de-seed the peppers, set aside.
2. Season the chuck roast and short ribs on all sides with the rub: ground cloves, ground coriander, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, salt and pepper.
3. In a large dutch oven, add a few Tbsp. of EVOO over medium high heat, sear the chuck roast on all sides and remove. Then sear the short ribs on all sides and remove.
4. In the same dutch oven, sauté onion on medium low heat until translucent, about 8 mins. Add minced garlic and sauté one more minute.
5. Add the rehydrated chiles to a blender, add the sautéed onions and garlic, stock, chipotle in adobo, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and add back to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon.
6. Add chuck roast and short ribs back to the dutch oven, add salt and pepper, a bay leaf and a cinnamon stick.
7. Cover and cook for 3 hours until the meat is tender. While the meat is cooking, skim the top every once in a while, and reserve the fat for frying later. Remove the meat and when cool, shred. Add the shredded meat back to the consomé.
8. Place the reserved skimmed fat in a flat bowl, dip the tortillas in it, flipping both sides to coat. Place tortillas on a cutting board, fill with some of the shredded beef and a sprinkle of cheese.
9. Bring another skillet to medium heat and add 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil to 350F. Fold the tacos in half and fry over medium heat, a few mins each side until the tortilla shells are crispy and the cheese is melty.
10. Remove, top with chopped onion, cilantro and lime.
11. Use the remaining braising liquid (consomé) as a dip, add some of the onion and cilantro to it and serve it along with the tacos. Dip and eat!
12. Optional: make a fire roasted salsa by placing quartered tomatoes, onions and jalapeño on a baking sheet and broil for a few mins per side until charred. Blend with salt, pepper, ½ lime juiced and cilantro. Add a few Tbsp. of the salsa to the consomé for extra flavor!