Quesabirria, tacos de birria, or Birria Tacos — whatever you call them, these tacos are really tasty dish to add to your recipe rotation.

Birria and quesabirria have taken the internet by storm. If you have any social media, you’ve probably seen several videos of this tasty recipe. And if you aren’t familiar with this tasty food, I’ll be sharing an easy way to make birria and quesabirria for the family. The steps and ingredients list may look long and complicated, but don’t let that intimidate you into trying to make this. It really isn’t difficult and once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to make this every month!

What is Birria?

Before I explain what a quesabirria is, let’s talk about the meat filling inside of it. The meat filling for quesabirria is called, Birria. The origin of birria comes from the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It’s a type of meat stew that is traditionally made from goat meat, but is now made primarily with beef due to it being widely available.

The beef or goat is cooked in a flavorful broth of dried chiles, stock, tomatoes, vinegar (no vinegar in this recipe), garlic, herbs, and spices till it becomes soft and tender birria! The birria is then shredded and can be eaten as-is or used as a filling inside corn tortillas to make tacos.

What is a Quesabirria? 

When birria is used to make a pan fried taco with Oaxaca cheese (or another cheese), it becomes a quesabirria. Quesabirrias are typically served with a dipping sauce made with the birria consommé (broth the birria is cooked in) but can be served with other sauces too. The quesabirria can also be garnished with cilantro, onions, and lime.

Now, let’s get to cooking!

How to Make Quesabirria

Birria Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 2″ x 2″ cubes (slightly larger is fine too)
• 8 dried guajillo chilies
• 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 tsp whole coriander
• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (substitue with regular oregano)
• 4-5 whole cloves
• 4 cups beef broth
• 4 cups water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1″ knob of ginger, skin removed
• Salt to taste

Birria Cosummé (dipping sauce)

• Reserved cooking liquid from the Birria
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Quesabirria Ingredients (birria and cheese tacos)

• 12 Corn tortillas, 6.5″ round size
• 10 oz. Oaxaca cheese, grated or shredded
• 3 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped for garnish
• ½ White onion, finely chopped for garnish
• Lime wedges, cut into 8 pieces

Equipment

• Large Pot with cover
• Cutting board/knife
• mortar & pestle
• Measuring spoons/cups
• Blender

Making the Birria for Quesabirria

Prepping birria ingredients

Step 1. Remove the seeds from 8 guajillo chilies.

Step 2. Peel and quarter one onion.

Step 3. Cut the top off a whole garlic bulb. Then, remove some of the loose outer skin.

Step 4. Cut the beef into large pieces, around 2″ x 2″ cubes or slightly larger.

Step 5. Place whole cumin, whole coriander, peppercorns, cloves, and oregano into a mortar and crush with the pestle into a powder (If it isn’t completely ground, don’t worry. This will eventually be blended in a blender).

Cooking the Birria

Step 1. In a large pot, put the beef, guajillo chilies, quarted onion, garlic bulb, the ground spice mix, bay leaves, some salt, beef broth, and water. Cover, leaving it slightly vented, and cook on high heat for about 30 minutes. Skim off any froth or foam that comes to the top of the broth and discard.

Step 2. After 30 minutes of cooking the meat, put the quartered Roma tomatoes and a knob of ginger in a blender. Then remove the cooked guajillo chilies, onion, garlic (after peeling), and about half a cup of the broth. Blend these with the tomatoes until it’s smooth.

Step 3. Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer back into the pot. This will remove any large bits the blender missed and will help create a smooth consummé. Taste the consummé and add more salt if needed. Then cover and continue cooking for 3 hours on medium-low, stirring every 30 minutes.

Assembling the Quesabirria

Step 1. When the meat is done cooking, take it out of the pot to let it cool. While the meat is cooling, finely chop the remaining onion, cut the limes into eight pieces, and rough chop the cilantro (some will be added into the quesabirria and some for garnish). Set aside. Next, shred the Oaxaca cheese. Set aside.

Step 2. Shred the beef with two forks or chop into shreds with a knife.

Step 3. Skim some of the oil that’s floating on top of the broth with a spoon and put it in a shallow plate. Then, dip the tortillas in this oil and place it in a pan on medium heat.

Step 4. Next, add cheese and birria (shredded beef) to each tortilla. Note: Cilantro and onions can also be added inside the quesabirria. After a minute, fold the tortilla in half and cook for another minute on each side or until golden brown. Finally, repeat steps 3-5 for all the tacos.

Tip: If the pan is dry or the tortillas are dry, add more birria oil to the pan if needed to help brown the quesabirrias.

Making the Quesabirra Consommé (Dipping Sauce)

To make the consummé (quesabirria dipping sauce) mixed together a cup of the birria broth, chopped cilantro, and diced onions in a bowl or ramekin. Make one consummé bowl for each serving of quesabirria.

Serving Quesabirria

To serve the quesabirra, garnish with cilantro, chopped onions, and lime wedges. And don’t forget the consommé for dipping!

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerator: Store any leftover birria with the consummé in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pot over medium heat till warmed through or microwave till warmed.

Freezer: If you want to keep it longer, freeze the birria with the broth for up to 2-3 months. To reheat from frozen, place into a large pot and heat on medium heat till warmed through.

Once the birria is warmed, eat the meat as-is or make more quesabirria following the steps above.

I hope you make this quesabirria recipe for your friends and family. They’re sure to fall in love with it!

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