Birria Tacos (Tacos de Birria, Quesabirria, or Quesatacos)
These flavorful Mexican Birria Tacos (Tacos de Birria, Quesabirria, or Quesatacos) are the perfect combination of sweet, sour, savory, slightly spicy, and a hint of smoky goodness! With this flavor-packed goat stew, you can serve it up as-is or make the crispiest, cheesiest tacos you’ll ever taste!
2cupsquesadilla cheese(or monterey jack, pepper jack, or other great melting cheese)
queso fresco(optional garnish)
fresh cilantro(optional garnish, chopped)
white onion(optional garnish, chopped)
1-2whole limes(optional garnish)
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Instructions
Season the Meat & Soften the Peppers
Cube the goat meat (or mix of meats) if not already done, place in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
Tear the chiles by hand (or cut open with scissors) and remove the seeds. Start the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook the dried chiles in the oil, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat. (while heating the chiles) Place a small saucepan with water (enough for the chiles) on another burner and bring it to a boil.
Transfer the chiles (save the oil in the stock pot) into the saucepan once the water is boiling and let them cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes or until softened.
Make the Sauce
Bring the stock pot with the oil back to medium-high heat and saute the onion and tomatoes until they begin to darken from a light orange color. Add in the canned chipotle peppers (if not using dried), minced or crushed garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, salt, thyme, oregano, marjoram, ground cumin, and ground ginger.
Reduce the heat to medium (or lower for a simmer) and continue cooking the onion, tomatoes, and seasoning at a simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
To a blender, add the chiles *with water that they were boiled and softened in*, the cooked tomatoes (remove the bay leaves) and onion with seasoning, plus apple cider vinegar, and about 2 cups of beef broth - enough to blend the mixture, without filling your blender to the max line!
Blend until smooth. Your mixture may be pretty thick still, but that's OK! Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. *Use some of your beef broth to get the last bits of sauce out of the blender.
Next - you can either transfer the sauce into the bowl with the seasoned meat and cover it with cling film to marinate overnight. OR you can move on to cooking the birria. I prefer to marinate the meat between 8-12 hours for best results when cooking on the stove top or in the oven (using a Dutch oven). If using an Instant Pot/Pressure cooker or Crock Pot/slow cooker, the marinating step can be skipped.
Stovetop Method
Place the marinated meat into a large stockpot with any remaining beef broth, plus additional water if needed to cover the meat completely. Cook at medium heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for about 2 ½ to 3 hours. Once the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender it is ready to serve as a stew or shred for making tacos.
Dutch Oven Baked
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the marinated meat into a large Dutch oven with any remaining beef broth, plus additional water if needed to cover the meat completely. Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender and easily shredded.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Add the meat and marinade sauce to the inner pot of your pressure cooker, plus any remaining broth and additional water needed to cover the meat completely. Set the manual cook time on high for 45 minutes. Allow the cook time to elapse, then let the pressure vent (NPR) for 5 minutes before doing a quick release to finish venting the remaining steam and pressure.
Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
Place the marinated meat into your crockpot or slow cooker with any remaining beef broth, plus additional water if needed to cover the meat completely. Heat on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is tender and easy to shred.
Serve as a Stew
Serve as a stew (leaving the meat chunks as-is, or remove the chunks and shred the meat then return to the stew). Top with chopped onion, cilantro, a lime wedge or two on the side, and corn tortillas for scooping.
Serve as Birria Tacos (or as Quesatacos)
Serve as tacos with the birria meat filling, topped with chopped onion and cilantro, salsa, and a wedge of lime.
To serve as quesatacos, separate the shredded meat from the sauce. Dip the corn tortillas into the broth then fry in a large skillet, comal, or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fill the tacos with shredded meat and shredded cheese on one side and fold in half. Cook the tacos for 30 seconds to a minute on the first side, then flip and cook an additional 30 seconds to a minute on the second side. Remove from the pan and repeat until all of your tacos are cooked for serving.
Serve the tacos with more of the broth, topped with queso fresco, chopped onion and cilantro, and a wedge of lime on the side.
Notes
Birria is traditionally made with goat, lamb, or mutton. Look for stew meat that is already cut into chunks, or select goat shoulder or lamb ribs for your birria. Additional meats used for making birria are veal, pork, and beef. Cubed chuck roast, oxtails, or short ribs are all excellent choices.