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Crock Pot Birria Tacos
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4.92 from 35 votes

Crock Pot Birria Tacos Recipe

This juicy and flavorful crockpot method makes having Birria tacos at home even easier! Cook the beef birria slow and low all day, then blend the cooking liquid into a rich and delicious consome! Fry up some Quesabirria tacos with shredded cheese, diced onion and fresh cilantro for the ultimate Taco Tuesday!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Course: Dinner
Keyword: beef, crockpot recipes, tacos
Servings: 8

Equipment

  • crockpot
  • blender or immersion blender

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lbs boneless chuck roast
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or neutral oil (plus more for taco frying)
  • coarse ground salt and fresh ground pepper 
  • 4 dried Guajillo chiles
  • 5-6 Chipotle chilis in adobo (from a can)
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 
  • 8 whole cloves garlic, smashed 
  • 32 oz beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 14.5 oz can Fire roasted diced tomatoes 
  • ¼ cup organic Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 cinnamon stick 
  • 3 dry bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger 
  • 1 tsp ground coriander

Tacos/fixings

  • corn or flour tortillas
  • lime wedges
  • fresh cilantro leaves
  • diced white onion
  • shredded Oaxacan cheese (or Italian cheese)

Instructions

  • Cooking the Beef/Consome:
    1. Heat avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat for 4-5 minutes.
    2. Liberally salt and pepper beef, add to hot skillet, and sear on both sides, 5-6 minutes a side.
    3. Add beef to crockpot with remaining ingredients, and stir. Cook on low heat, covered, for 8 hours.
    4. After 8 hours, remove beef to a rimmed baking sheet, and shred with 2 forks.
    5. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick from crock pot and discard.
    6. Using a high powered blender or immersion blender, blend everything until a smooth sauce forms. ***If using a standard blender, allow liquid to cool to warm (don't blend piping hot liquid!), then carefully work in batches in the blender, being careful not to overfill.
    7. Transfer sauce back to crockpot to keep warm.
    8. Add 1 ½ to 2 cups of sauce to shredded beef and toss to coat.
    Tacos:
    1. Dip doubled up tortilla into consome, and lay flat in frying pan with a bit of avocado oil or neutral oil over medium heat.
    2. To one half of the tortilla, add cheese, then meat, and top with diced onions and cilantro leaves.
    3. Fry 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then flip other side to make a half moon.
    4. Add a small ladle of consume to the top of the tortilla.
    5. Flip over, and fry 2-3 minutes more.
    **If not using cheese, 1 tortilla is fine.
    Instant Pot Variation
    To make the Beef Birria in your Instant Pot (pressure cooker), cut the beef into 2” chunks, sear the meat, add the braising liquid ingredients, and cook for 60 minutes at high pressure, with a manual release. Follow same steps as Crockpot recipe for meat/consome after cooking.
    Notes:
    Strain the sauce and use the liquid rather than blending into a sauce for a thinner consistency for the consume/dip. You could also blend half and use half liquid.