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Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

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If you want the most flavorful, cheesy, savory tacos, these Slow Cooker Birria Tacos with consomé dipping sauce will be your new favorite.

These cheesy, meaty tacos are made with a delicious beef stewed in chiles and seasonings all day. The tortillas are dunked in the broth then pan fried with the meat and cheese. They are crispy and melty all at once. Dip them in the broth consomé for tons of extra flavor.

(Click here to see my other Taco Recipes.)

About Birria

Birria is meat that is slow-cooked all day in pureed chiles, veggies, and broth until it easily pulls apart and is shredded. Birria often traditionally was served as a stew, but making it into tacos adds so many delicious flavors and textures. Once the meat is cooked, it is removed from the broth and shredded. Then corn tortillas are dunked into the broth, then placed in a sizzling hot pan with oil, topped with melty cheese and lots of the meat. The tortilla is closed over the meat and seared into a delicious pan-fried taco.

The broth is again used when served, as a consomé to dip each taco in in, giving the tacos tons of flavor. The tacos are often served with lime or lemon juice, diced yellow onions, and cilantro.

Birria was first created in Jalisco, Mexico. Birria is a delicious Mexican dish, originally made with goat meat, but it can also made with beef, veal, lamb or pork. Many Birria recipes combine several types of meat, but for simplicity I’ve used only one type of beef chuck roast in this recipe so it can easily become part of your meal rotation.

I first learned about Birria Tacos on TikTok several months ago. I started researching different methods of making them (some boil the chiles, some bake, some fry; some brown the meat, some don’t; some people use 3 kinds of meat, others 1; some cook it in a pot all day, some instant pot – I knew I’d never be able to make a weeknight dinner while tending to a cooking pot for 6 hours, so I tested the slow cooker method). I’ve tested and combined aspects from several recipes here for you, for what I think is the best flavor with the easiest process, and I’m sharing what will make this process simpler for you. It still takes a little time to prep everything, but my recipe takes less time and fewer steps than the traditional methods.

To Summarize the Recipe Steps, You’ll Need To:

  • Sautee Chiles, Onions, Spices, and Garlic in a large pan
  • Puree these ingredients in a blender with beef broth, vinegar, and Chipotles in adobo sauce
  • Blend the ingredients then pour over your roast in a crock pot, with additional beef broth, and some bay leaves
  • Slow cook on high for 6-8 hours
  • Remove meat from slow cooker and shred
  • Dip small corn tortillas in the slow cooker broth and then place in a pan with a little oil. Add cheese and a heap of the meat. Close the taco and pan fry until cooked through and cheese is melty.
  • Top tacos with fresh lime juice, cilantros, and chopped onions. Serve tacos with a cup of the broth for dipping.
  • Enjoy the best tacos of your life!

Unique Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe:

  • Dried Guajillo Chiles. You can find these on Amazon here, and in most grocery stores near the Hispanic foods. There are so many delicious types of chiles and spices in this section. They are about as spicy as jalapenos but I de-seed them before putting them in the recipe, so it’s not spicy, just flavorful.
  • Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. These aren’t super unique but it’s helpful to know what to look for if you’ve never purchased them before. They’ll also be near the Hispanic foods, likely near the canned green chiles and canned refried beans. And you can also get these on Amazon here.

As you can see there aren’t may unique ingredients in this recipe. It’s several steps but it’s mostly basic ingredients.

Here is the Full List of Ingredients You’ll Need for these Tacos:

  • beef chuck roast
  • guajillo chiles
  • olive oil
  • onions
  • garlic
  • cilantro
  • beef broth
  • chicken bullion
  • chili powder
  • oregano
  • cumin
  • ginger
  • cinnamon
  • salt
  • chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • apple cider vinegar
  • sugar
  • bay leaves
  • corn tortillas
  • Monterey jack cheese
  • limes

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

If you want the most flavorful, cheesy, savory tacos, these Slow Cooker Birria Tacos with consomé dipping sauce will be your new favorite.
These cheesy, meaty tacos are made with a delicious beef stewed in chiles and seasonings all day. The tortillas are dunked in the broth then pan fried with meat and cheese. They are crispy and melty all at once. Dip them in the broth consomé for tons of extra flavor.
The recipe has a lot of steps but is very doable. Plan some prep time early in the day to get the meat ready, then let the slow cooker do its work all day. Then plan a little more time to fry up the tacos before you eat!
Servings 10
Author Shannon Lyon

Ingredients

Meat + Marinade

  • 3-3.5 pound beef chuck roast
  • 10 Guajillo chiles (stems cut out and de-seeded)
  • 2 white onions, diced (one will be used on the marinade, one for topping)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced finely
  • 4 cups beef broth (1 quart)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (can also use white vinegar)
  • 5 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/2 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (3.5 ounces) (most cans are 7 ounces)
  • 4 chicken bullion cubes
  • 5-6 bay leaves

Taco Ingredients

  • oil for frying tacos
  • 1 package corn tortillas (most packages have 30 tortillas – just make sure you have enough for your group)
  • 2-3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 3-4 limes for topping
  • cilantro for topping
  • diced white onion, for topping

Instructions

Preparing the Meat

  • In a large skillet pan over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
  • To skillet pan, add diced onion, de-seeded Guajillo chiles, minced garlic, 2 cups of beef broth, and all dry spices (Chili powder, oregano, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt).
    Toss to coat ingredients and cover. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Chiles should be soft also, but they will get soft well before the onions turn soft, so wait for the onions to be soft to remove from heat.
  • Once onions are soft, remove from heat and pour ingredients into a large blender.
    Additionally to the blender, add 1/2 the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 cups of beef broth.
  • Blend the ingredients until pureed. Set aside.
  • In a large slow cooker, add the beef chuck roast.
    Also add 4 chicken bullion cubes to the roast.
  • Then pour the pureed mixture from the blender over the roast.
  • Top with 5-6 bay leaves and cover.
  • Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Preparing the Tacos

  • Once meat is cooked and shreds easily, remove meat from slow cooker into a large bowl. Shred meat and cover to keep warm. Turn off slow cooker, but leave the broth in it.
  • To the broth, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until mixed together.
  • Next, prepare your taco station. Grate your cheese, chop onions and cilantro and limes for topping. Get out your corn tortillas.
    Move your slow cooker with broth in it next to the stove. You'll need it close to dip the tortillas in before cooking on the stove.
    Also get a clean plate or cookie sheet to place next to the skillet pan, to place completed tacos on, once cooked.
  • Heat a large skillet pan to medium heat. Once pan is hot add 1 tablespoon of oil.
  • Working quickly, dip a corn tortilla into the broth in the slow cooker. Broth should be thick and coat the tortilla.
  • Once coated, place the tortilla into the hot pan with oil. It should sizzle.
  • Quickly add cheese and meat, and then using a spatula, fold the taco over. Heat until bottom is lightly browned then flip over with a spatula. Heat on both sides until slightly seared.
    It's okay if some meat and cheese spill out. They taste delicious when they are seared on the pan!
  • Continue cooking the tacos until you have enough for your meal. Our kids eat about 2 each, adults usually 3-4 each.
  • Ladle spoonfuls of the broth into a side dish bowl for dipping as a consomé.
  • To serve, be sure to squeeze fresh lime juice on each taco. It adds so much bright flavor. It is delicious with the lime juice!
    Top the tacos with chopped white onions and cilantro.
  • Dip each taco into the sauce, add some lime juice, and enjoy!
  • You can save the extra meat and consomé in the refrigerator to make again the next night. Good for 3 days in the fridge.

 Let me know if you get to make these Slow Cooker Birria Tacos – or let me know if you have any questions! And be sure to tag me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram with photos of your meal.

Happy cooking, Shannon

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6 Comments

  1. Melissa O'Donnell says:

    I’ve been wanting to make Birria tacos at home but all the recipes seemed so overwhelming and hard. This was so easy and the flavors were outstanding!!!!! I could drink the sauce it’s so good. And yes to the lime juice on the tacos and in the sauce. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!

  2. When you’re sautéing the Guajillo chillies with the onions, are you just sautéing the hard/dried pods? Or do you soften them first? And how do you deseed them when they are dried?

    1. Yes just add the hard dried pods! As you cover them with broth and as they cook they will soften! To get the seeds out, just cut off the top stem of the chile then turn the chile over the sink and shake the seeds out

  3. Did you mean to say cook on low for 8 hrs? 8 hrs on high seems odd.

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