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Hearty Mexican Birria

Featured in: Effortless Comfort Food from Your Slow Cooker

Mexican Birria is a deeply-loved dish made with slow-cooked beef in a flavorful chile sauce packed with spices. The meat turns soft and shreddable after hours in the pot, delivering a rich stew full of flavor that shines as either a soup topped with lime, onions, and cilantro or tacos dipped in its savory broth. This dish features a medley of dried chiles like árbol, ancho, and guajillo paired with warm spices like cinnamon, cumin, and cloves—making it perfect for both everyday meals and special moments.
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Updated on Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:03:11 GMT
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Classic Beef Birria | yummygusto.com

Transport your kitchen to Mexico with this traditional birria recipe - a rich, soul-warming stew featuring tender beef braised in a complex chile sauce. The deep red broth infuses the meat with incredible flavor while creating a versatile base for multiple serving options, from hearty soup bowls to crispy street-style tacos.

The magic of birria lies in its slow-simmered broth, where each ingredient contributes to building layers of flavor. As the meat cooks, it releases its rich juices into the consomé, creating an intensely flavored cooking liquid.

Key Ingredients

  • Chuck roast: The ideal cut for birria, offering excellent marbling and texture
  • Dried guajillo chiles: Provides earthy sweetness and deep red color
  • Mexican canela: True cinnamon bark that adds distinctive warmth
  • Fresh garlic: Essential aromatic base for authentic flavor
  • Beef stock: Creates a rich, full-bodied consomé

Preparation Method

Chile Preparation:
Toast dried chiles until fragrant and slightly pliable. Soak in hot water until completely soft.
Sauce Base:
Simmer onions, tomatoes, and garlic until tender and flavors meld together.
Sauce Finishing:
Blend the softened ingredients with spices and broth until smooth. Strain for silky texture.
Meat Preparation:
Sear seasoned beef pieces to develop rich flavor and color.
Final Cooking:
Combine meat with strained sauce and remaining broth, then simmer until fork-tender.

The essence of exceptional birria comes from using a combination of chiles - guajillo for body, ancho for sweetness, and árbol for heat. This blend creates the signature flavor profile that defines authentic birria.

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Tasty Authentic Birria | yummygusto.com

Serving Suggestions

Serve birria with traditional accompaniments - warm corn tortillas, minced white onion, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. Enhance the meal with chile de arbol salsa and quick-pickled red onions for authentic presentation.

Recipe Variations

Adapt the recipe using short ribs or oxtail for added richness. For a lighter version, substitute chicken thighs. Create a plant-based alternative using mushrooms and jackfruit while maintaining the traditional sauce preparation.

Storage Instructions

Store birria with meat submerged in consomé in airtight containers. Keeps for 5 days refrigerated, with flavors developing further over time. Freeze portions up to 3 months for longer storage.

Creative Uses

Transform leftover birria into fusion dishes by adding ramen noodles and soft eggs to the consomé. Use the meat for Mexican tortas with avocado and pickled jalapeños, or create innovative tacos and quesadillas.

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Close-up Authentic Birria Recipe | yummygusto.com

The true secret to outstanding birria lies in allowing time for the flavors to develop fully. Each batch becomes better as the ingredients meld together, creating a memorable dish that showcases the depth of traditional Mexican cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ How much time is needed to cook birria?
You’ll need about 4 hours total—15 minutes to prep everything and up to 4 hours of slow simmering for perfectly tender meat.
→ What type of beef works best for birria?
Chuck roast is a fantastic choice because it gets super tender after hours of cooking. Aim for 4–5 pounds, cut into big chunks around 4 inches each.
→ Is it possible to tone down the spice level?
Absolutely! You can make it milder by reducing or skipping the árbol chiles. Stick to 3 árbol chiles for moderate heat, or leave them out entirely for a very mild dish.
→ How can I serve birria?
Serve it as a warm stew sprinkled with lime juice, chopped cilantro, and onions, or enjoy it in tacos made with shredded beef and gooey Oaxaca cheese.
→ Can birria be cooked in a slow cooker?
Of course! After browning the meat, combine it with the chile sauce and let it cook in a slow cooker for about 7–8 hours on low or 5 hours on high until tender.

Classic Beef Birria

Discover how to create flavorful Mexican Beef Birria—a slow-cooked dish with tender meat for stews or amazing tacos.

Prep Time
15 Minutes
Cook Time
240 Minutes
Total Time
255 Minutes
By: Sandra

Category: Slow Cooked Meals

Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: Mexican

Yield: 8 Servings

Dietary: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Ingredients

→ Meat and Seasonings

01 4 to 5 pounds chuck roast, chopped into big pieces around 4 inches.
02 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil.
03 ½ tablespoon black pepper.
04 ½ tablespoon kosher salt.

→ Chiles and Aromatics

05 5 ancho chiles, cleaned, tops removed, and seeds taken out (weighing about 2 oz).
06 5 árbol chiles, washed and de-stemmed (weighs about 0.1 oz).
07 12 rinsed guajillo chiles, with the stems and seeds removed (approximately 2.5 oz).
08 Half a medium yellow onion.
09 A couple of large Roma tomatoes.
10 5 peeled garlic cloves.

→ Spices and Liquids

11 3 bay leaves.
12 2 cups of beef stock.
13 ¼ cup of plain white vinegar.
14 1 whole Mexican cinnamon stick, around 4 inches long.
15 ½ teaspoon of ground-up cloves.
16 1 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano.
17 1 teaspoon of cumin powder.
18 ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.

Instructions

Step 01

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the meat generously. Heat up some olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Cook the meat in two batches, browning every side. Once that's done, turn off the heat, put all the browned meat back into the pot, and set it aside.

Step 02

Toss the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles, along with the tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and the peppercorns, into a medium pot. Pour enough water to cover, then crank up the heat till it boils. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let everything cook gently for 10 minutes.

Step 03

Scoop the softened chiles along with the cooked goodies into a big blender. Pour in 1 cup of the water you cooked the chiles in, then add the beef broth, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and ground cloves. Blend everything on high till it's smooth as can be, then push the mixture through a fine strainer to remove solids before adding it to the meat in the pot.

Step 04

Mix the meat and chili sauce together and bring it all to a boil on high heat. Then lower the heat to a simmer, pop on a lid, and let it cook for 3 to 3½ hours until the meat is super tender and falls apart easily.

Step 05

Take the meat out of the pot and shred it using two forks. Toss it back into the sauce (consomé) and dish it up! Serve as a stew topped with chopped onions and a sprinkle of cilantro, or enjoy as tacos inside warm corn tortillas with melted Oaxaca cheese.

Notes

  1. If you don’t have Mexican cinnamon (Ceylon), feel free to swap it for a regular cinnamon stick (take it out before blending) or use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
  2. You can use regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano.
  3. For a medium kick, only use 3 árbol chiles. Want it mild? Leave them out completely.
  4. This also works in an Instant Pot! Pressure cook everything on high for an hour, then let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
  5. For easy slow cooking, let it go for 7-8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.

Tools You'll Need

  • A big pot or Dutch oven.
  • A medium-sized pot.
  • Blender.
  • A fine mesh strainer.
  • Two forks for shredding the meat.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: 640
  • Total Fat: 37 g
  • Total Carbohydrate: 22 g
  • Protein: 59 g