Description
This Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe offers a comforting and flavorful Mexican dish featuring tender, slow-cooked beef chuck roast simmered in a rich, homemade chili sauce. Perfectly shredded and served in crispy fried corn tortillas with fresh garnishes, these tacos are ideal for a satisfying meal with a balance of smoky, spicy, and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
- 3 dried guajillo chilies
- 2 dried ancho chilies
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 can diced tomatoes (approx. 14.5 oz)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For Serving
- Corn tortillas
- Oil for frying (vegetable or canola oil recommended)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- Diced onion (for garnish)
Instructions
- Soften Chilies: Soak the guajillo and ancho dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes until they are soft and pliable, which makes them easier to blend and enhances their flavor.
- Prepare Chili Sauce: Drain the chilies and blend them together with the quartered onion, garlic cloves, and canned diced tomatoes until you obtain a smooth sauce with no large chunks.
- Assemble in Crock Pot: Place the beef chuck roast chunks into the crock pot. Pour the blended chili sauce over the beef evenly to coat all pieces.
- Add Seasonings: Pour in the beef broth, then add apple cider vinegar, dried oregano, ground cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Gently stir everything to combine the seasonings well with the beef and sauce.
- Slow Cook Beef: Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours. The long slow cooking process allows the beef to become incredibly tender and infused with the deep flavors of the chili sauce.
- Shred Beef: Once the beef is fork-tender and easily shredded, remove the meat and shred it finely. Mix the shredded beef back into the sauce inside the crock pot to absorb additional flavor.
- Fry Tortillas: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the corn tortillas briefly in the hot oil until crispy but still pliable enough to fold without breaking.
- Assemble Tacos: Fill each fried tortilla with a generous amount of shredded beef mixture and fold the tortilla over to enclose the filling.
- Serve with Garnishes: Serve the birria tacos hot, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and diced onions. Offer extra broth on the side for dipping, adding moisture and flavor to each bite.
Notes
- To reduce spice, remove the seeds from the dried chilies before soaking and blending.
- For extra richness, you can add a small amount of beef fat or butter to the sauce while cooking.
- Leftover birria makes excellent fillings for quesadillas or nachos the next day.
- Use fresh corn tortillas for the best texture when frying.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your crock pot model; check for tenderness around 8 hours.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Birria tacos, slow cooker tacos, beef birria, Mexican tacos, crock pot recipes, shredded beef tacos, easy birria
