Quesabirria
Quesabirria Tacos are cheesy, beefy, crispy, and made to dunk in the most flavorful broth—trust me, you’ll crave these nonstop. Recipe is adapted from House Of Yumm.
Servings: 6 servings
Cost: $26.79
Equipment
- Dutch oven or any 7–8 quart pot with a lid
- Electric griddle or skillet, for crisping tacos
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast cut to 4 large chunks
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion peeled and cut in half
- 1 whole garlic bulb slice off top; don’t peel
- 1 large carrot cut in half and then half again
- 5 dried bay leaves
- 8 dried guajillo chiles stems cut off and seeds removed
- 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican preferred
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons chili powder plus more as needed
- 8 cups water
- 14 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese
- Toppings as desired see note 3
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper (I use 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper). Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef pieces spaced apart. Sear on all sides, 2–4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. The beef should release easily when it’s ready to flip.
- Add onion, garlic bulb, carrot, bay leaves, guajillo chiles, chicken bouillon, oregano, cumin, coriander, and chili powder to the pot. Pour in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the softened chiles, onion, garlic (squeeze out the cloves and discard papery coating), and carrots. Blend with ½ cup of broth until smooth (about 2 minutes). Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 3 hours, stirring every 45 minutes, until the beef is fall-apart tender. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or chili powder as needed. If you want to make stew instead of tacos, see note 2.
- Skim the red grease off the top of the broth and transfer to a small bowl. This is used to fry the tortillas.
- Remove the beef from the broth, shred with two forks, and finely chop.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the reserved grease and place it on the hot surface. Once it starts to bubble, flip it. Add chopped beef and shredded cheese on top. Fold the tortilla in half and press down with a spatula. Cook until golden and crisp on one side, about 2–3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side. Add more grease if needed while frying. Let cool slightly before serving.
- Top tacos with cilantro, lime, and onion if desired. Serve with a small bowl of broth for dipping.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Toppings such as chopped white onion, fresh cilantro, lime, sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, hot sauce, or Mexican crema/sour cream.
Note 2: Birria Stew Option—Add chunks of beef to a bowl, ladle broth over top, and finish with diced onion, cilantro, and lime juice.
Storage: To make ahead, cook and shred the meat, then store it separately from the broth. I like using mason jars—the fat rises to the top and can be saved for frying tacos later. Store meat and broth separately in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat both, then assemble and fry the quesabirria tacos fresh.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 706kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.05g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 6mg