Birria Tacos with Consomme

Birria tacos have taken over for good reason. Slow-braised beef in a deep, complex chile broth, stuffed into a tortilla that’s been dipped in that same broth and crisped on a griddle, then served alongside a cup of consomme for dipping. It is, objectively, one of the greatest things you can eat.

It looks intimidating. It’s not. It takes time — but most of that time is the braise doing its thing while you do yours. The payoff is completely worth it.

The Meat

Traditional birria is made with goat. In the US, beef has become the dominant version — specifically chuck roast and short ribs, which braise beautifully and produce a deeply rich consomme. We’re using beef here. If you can find goat at a Mexican or halal butcher, absolutely use it.

The Chile Base

The soul of birria is the chile broth. We’re building it from guajillo, ancho, and cascabel chiles — toasted, soaked, and blended with tomato, onion, garlic, and warm spices.

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Birria Tacos with Consomme

Serves: 6-8 | Prep: 45 min | Braise: 3-4 hours

For the Birria

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
• 1 lb beef short ribs
• 5 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried cascabel chiles, stemmed and seeded (or 1 extra ancho)
• 4 roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 white onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt to taste

For the Tacos

• Corn tortillas
• Shredded Oaxacan cheese or mozzarella
• Diced white onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Toast chiles in a dry skillet 1-2 minutes. Soak in hot water 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid.

2. Char tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a dry skillet or under the broiler until darkened. Blend with chiles, reserved soaking liquid, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon until completely smooth.

3. Season beef generously with salt. In a Dutch oven, sear beef in batches over high heat until well browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

4. Return beef to pot. Pour chile sauce over everything. Add beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a low simmer, and braise for 3-4 hours until meat is fall-apart tender.

5. Remove beef and shred. Strain the broth and keep warm as your consomme for dipping.

6. Make the tacos. Dip a tortilla in the consomme, place on a hot oiled griddle, add shredded beef and cheese to one half, fold over, and cook until crispy on both sides. Serve with diced onion, cilantro, lime, and a small cup of consomme for dipping.