Slow Cooker Beef Birria Tacos (Printable)
Tender, slow-cooked beef with fragrant spices served in crispy corn tortillas with flavorful consommé on the side.
# What you'll need:
→ Beef
01 - 3.3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
02 - 1.1 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
→ Chiles & Aromatics
03 - 4 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
04 - 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
05 - 2 dried pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
06 - 1 white onion, quartered
07 - 6 garlic cloves, peeled
08 - 3 Roma tomatoes, halved
→ Spices & Seasonings
09 - 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
10 - 1 tablespoon dried oregano
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
13 - 4 whole cloves
14 - 2 bay leaves
15 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional to taste
→ Liquids
16 - 4 cups beef broth
17 - 2 cups water
18 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
→ For Tacos
19 - 18 small corn tortillas
20 - 1 cup diced white onion
21 - 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
22 - 2 limes, cut into wedges
23 - 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese (optional)
24 - Vegetable oil for frying
# Directions:
01 - Toast the dried guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 15 minutes.
02 - In the same skillet, roast the quartered onion, peeled garlic cloves, and halved Roma tomatoes until charred, approximately 8 minutes.
03 - Drain the soaked chiles and place in a blender with the charred onion, garlic, tomatoes, cumin seeds, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, black peppercorns, whole cloves, and 1 cup of beef broth. Blend until smooth.
04 - Place beef chuck roast chunks and bone-in short ribs into the slow cooker. Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef. Add bay leaves, kosher salt, apple cider vinegar, remaining beef broth, and water. Stir gently to combine ingredients evenly.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is extremely tender and easily shreddable.
06 - Remove beef from the slow cooker, shred using two forks, and discard any bones. Skim fat from the surface of the broth, reserving some for frying tacos. Strain consommé if desired and keep warm.
07 - Heat reserved fat or vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Briefly dip each corn tortilla into the consommé, then place in the skillet. Sprinkle with cheese if using, add shredded beef, and cook until lightly crisped, folding the tortilla in half.
08 - Serve tacos hot, topped with diced white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime wedge. Accompany with a cup of hot consommé for dipping.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting while you go about your day, no babysitting required.
- Every bite delivers deep, smoky, spiced flavor that tastes like it simmered for generations.
- Dipping crispy tacos into that rich consommé is the kind of experience that makes you close your eyes and sigh.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully and somehow taste even better the next day.
02 -
- Do not skip toasting and soaking the chiles, or your sauce will taste flat and lack that signature birria depth.
- Skim the fat before serving the consommé, but save some for frying the tacos since it carries so much flavor.
- Dip the tortillas quickly in the consommé, just a second per side, or they'll get too soggy to crisp up properly.
03 -
- Char the vegetables until they're almost black in spots, that bitterness turns sweet and smoky when blended.
- Strain the consommé through a fine-mesh sieve if you want it restaurant-clear and silky.
- For extra decadence, brush the outside of each taco with a little more consommé fat before the final crisp.