Recipe Blog - Feature - Birria Tacos

Recipe for Birria Tacos – Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

By: Andrea Alden

I was in a funk. I was aimlessly scrolling through a social feed with all the enthusiasm of a boiled potato. Then. Like a spicy hand from heaven reached down I laid my eyes on this random gif of someone making tacos. They weren’t your typical tacos, however. No, these were cheesy, crunchy, and beefy. The only thing I had to go on was a name. Birria. I knew that I had to make these Birria Tacos as soon as possible. I mean, what better way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo than to make something like this? I set to researching. These tacos aren’t just some ground beef in a shell. The recipe is unique to every family and, how perfect, usually served for a special occasion.

Temps de préparation
60 min
Temps de cuisson
160 min
Personnes
4+
Difficulté
Moyen

Recipe for Birria Tacos – Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

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Ingrédients

Préparation

Photos

Ingrédients

1 lb.

boneless chuck

1 lb.

short rib

1 lb.

oxtail

Salt to taste


Birria:

6

dried guajillo chilies 

3

dried chilies de arbol (spicy, add to preference)

4

dried ancho chilies

6 cups

beef stock

4 large cloves

garlic

2 tbsp.

brown sugar

3 tsp.

powdered cumin

2 tsp.

Mexican oregano

2 tbsp.
 

high heat oil 

1

white onion, diced

2 tbsp.
 

tomato paste

1 to 2

cinnamon sticks

3

bay leaves


To Serve:

Corn tortillas

Oaxaca cheese

Jalapenos, sliced

Pickled red onion

White onion, diced

Cilantro

Lime wedges

Chili oil

Préparation
  1. Cut the beef into similar-sized blocks of meat, then season with salt. Remove the stems and seeds of the dried chilies. Chilies de Arbol are hot, add these to your preference, keeping in mind that a little will go a long way.
  2. Bring a saucepan with 3 cups of beef stock to a simmer. Add the dried chilies and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. 
  3. Preheat the infrared sear station side burner to medium-high. If you do not have a side burner, use the main burners of the barbecue, preheating two burners side by side to high. Preheat two side-by-side burners to low.
  4. Place a Dutch Oven onto the cooking grids over the burners that are set to low.
  5. While the barbecue is preheating, take the rehydrated chilies and place them into a blender with the garlic, brown sugar, cumin and oregano. Add up to 1 cup of the beef stock from the saucepan where you rehydrated the chilies. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add more of the stock until the pepper sauce is smooth.
  6. Sear the beef until deep grill marks appear on each side.  
  7. In the Dutch Oven, add the oil and cook the onion until tender. Add the tomato paste and cook until it is a brick red color. Add the remaining beef stock, then add the paste you made from the rehydrated chilies and finally, add the beef, bay leaves and cinnamon. Set the main burners on the barbecue to a temperature that will allow the meal to braise, around 300°F. Cover and simmer for 1½ to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. This means if you put a fork into the meat it needs very little pressure to shred. 
  8. Remove the Dutch Oven from the barbecue and then take out the beef, discarding any bones. Shred the beef into chunks that are small or medium, leaving as much or as little fat as you want. 
  9. Strain the consommé, season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Allow it to settle so that any fat comes to the top. 
  10. Using heat-resistant gloves, as your cooking grids are likely to still be hot, remove a set of grids and replace them with a cast iron griddle. You can also place this griddle directly onto the cooking grids if you would prefer. Preheat the burners under the griddle to medium-high. 
  11. Oil the griddle with a high temperature, neutral-flavored oil. Carefully dip a tortilla into the fatty consommé and place it onto the hot griddle. Top the tortilla with some shredded cheese and shredded beef. You can also drizzle the beef with a little extra consommé or even chili oil if you want. Fold the tortilla over and flip ensuring that the tortilla becomes crispy on the outside and melty on the inside. 
  12. Serve these birria tacos with the remaining consommé for dipping, top the consommé with diced white onion and cilantro. You can also add chili oil, a squeeze of lime, and even pickled onion with it. 

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo with these Birria Tacos is definitely the way to go. The slow cook makes the beef supremely tender while searing them well before you put them into the Dutch Oven ensures the building of big flavors. Whether you are joining friends and family for a fantastic meal or making these on the weekend for fun, this recipe for Birria Tacos is going to become a fan and family favorite. Share your favorite BBQ recipes for celebrating, we would love to see photos hear your stories on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.

Happy Grilling!

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Ingredients

Gather the ingredients for these tacos

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - salt

Salt the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - sear

Sear every side of the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - peppers

Simmer the peppers in beef stock

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Simmer

Add the remaining beef stock, the pepper puree, the beef, the bay leaves and the cinnamon

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Simmer2

Simmer for 1½ to 3 hours, until the meat shreds with little pressure

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Shred

Shred the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill1

Preheat a griddle to med-high. Dip the tortillas into the consomme, then fry on the griddle

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill2

Fill with beef and cheese, then fold in half

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill3

Grill until crispy on both sides

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Serve1

Serve with consomme topped with cilantro and white onion, add lime, onion or whatever else you like

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Serve2

These tender, beefy tacos are the nice kind of spicy, adjust the heat to your taste

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

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Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Ingredients

Gather the ingredients for these tacos

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - salt

Salt the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - sear

Sear every side of the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - peppers

Simmer the peppers in beef stock

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Simmer

Add the remaining beef stock, the pepper puree, the beef, the bay leaves and the cinnamon

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Simmer2

Simmer for 1½ to 3 hours, until the meat shreds with little pressure

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Shred

Shred the beef

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill1

Preheat a griddle to med-high. Dip the tortillas into the consomme, then fry on the griddle

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill2

Fill with beef and cheese, then fold in half

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Grill3

Grill until crispy on both sides

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Serve1

Serve with consomme topped with cilantro and white onion, add lime, onion or whatever else you like

Recipe Blog - Birria Tacos - Serve2

These tender, beefy tacos are the nice kind of spicy, adjust the heat to your taste