Description
Delicious Crock Pot Birria Tacos feature tender, slow-cooked beef chuck roast simmered in a rich and flavorful blend of toasted dried chiles, spices, and tomatoes. Perfectly shredded and served in warm corn tortillas with fresh garnishes, these tacos are a comforting, authentic Mexican favorite, enhanced by a savory dipping broth made from the cooking juices.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Sauce
- 3 lbs beef chuck roast
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried chipotle peppers
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Serving
- Corn tortillas, for serving
- Chopped onion, for garnish
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Toast the chiles: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the guajillo, ancho, and chipotle peppers for about 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Prepare the chile sauce: Once cooled, remove the stems and seeds from the chiles. Place them into a blender with the chopped onion, minced garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, beef broth, diced tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar. Blend until smooth, adding extra beef broth as needed to reach a smooth consistency.
- Season the beef: Season the beef chuck roast generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Combine in crock pot: Place the beef in the crock pot and pour the blended chile sauce over it, ensuring the meat is fully coated.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender and easily shredded.
- Shred the beef: Remove the beef from the crock pot and shred it finely using two forks.
- Strain the cooking liquid: Strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids; this liquid will be used as a flavorful dipping broth.
- Warm the tortillas: Heat corn tortillas in a skillet over medium heat until warm and pliable.
- Assemble tacos: Fill each tortilla with a generous amount of shredded birria meat, then top with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
- Serve with broth: Offer the reserved cooking liquid alongside the tacos as a dipping broth to enhance flavor.
Notes
- To intensify flavor, consider marinating the beef in the blended sauce for a few hours before slow cooking.
- If you prefer spicier tacos, add more chipotle peppers or include chili powder to the sauce.
- For a crispier taco, briefly fry the assembled tacos in a skillet before serving.
- Leftover birria and broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Use corn tortillas for authentic flavor and to keep the tacos gluten-free.
