Birria is a traditional Mexican stew, often made with beef, goat, or lamb, cooked slowly with various spices and seasonings. It’s typically served with corn tortillas and enjoyed as a flavorful, comforting meal. Queso Birria Tacos are a delicious Mexican dish that combines two popular favorites: birria and tacos.

Queso Birria Tacos take this classic dish to another level by incorporating cheese. The tacos are typically made by dipping corn tortillas in the flavorful broth from the birria and then grilling them until they become slightly crispy. The tortillas are then filled with tender, shredded meat from the birria, along with melted cheese, such as Oaxaca cheese or Monterey Jack.

The final step involves dipping the entire taco into the remaining birria broth, allowing it to soak up even more flavor. The result is a delicious, savory, and cheesy taco that is often served with a side of the rich birria broth for dipping or drizzling.

Now, I’ve made a LOT of Mexican and Mexican inspired recipes, however hearing about Birria, gave me some serious FOMO. Not anymore, I came, I saw, I conquered and I will be making this over and over again.

Traditionally Birria was made with goat, or lamb that is slow-cooked with various spices, such as dried chilies, garlic, cumin, oregano, and other seasonings, but in the US where it grew in popularity, Beef is preferred. The meat is cooked until it becomes tender and flavorful, resulting in a rich and savory dish.

Queso Birria Tacos

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Ingredients
  

Meat

  • 800 gms Beef Short Rib
  • 1200 gms TriTip
  • Salt

Birria Chilli paste

  • 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black Peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon whole Cloves
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 inches Cinnamon
  • 10 Guajillo Chilles – 60 gms
  • 4 Ancho Chillies – 60 gms
  • 8 Chile de Arbol – 8 – 10 gms
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 5 Cloves Garlic
  • 3 Tomatoes 200 gms
  • 4 cups or 1 litre of Water
  • 2 tsps of Mexican Oregano
  • 2 tbsps coarse Salt
  • 5 tbsps Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Oil
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 more tbsps coarse Salt

Tacos

  • Corn Tortillas
  • 1/4 cup Monterey Jack & Cheddar blend cheese to each taco
  • Chopped Cilantro Chilli and Onion
  • Consomme
  • Reserved gravy
  • Chopped Cilantro Chilli and Onion

Instructions
 

  • Add Salt to the meat and allow it to chill In the fridge
  • Remove the stems and seeds from the chillies
  • Toast the whole spices, remove cool and process
  • Add the chillies and reserve
  • Add the onion and garlic and leave it aside
  • In the Instant pot add the tomatoes, toasted chillies and the water, cover and cool for 3 mins
  • Once done, allow to cool and add to a food processor with half of the liquid roughly 2 cups
  • Make sure this is cooled before processing
  • Add the onion, garlic, salt, oregano, vinegar and grind to a smooth paste
  • Add another cup of the cooking liquid and blend till smooth
  • Heat some oil and sear the meat till it’s golden on all sides.
  • Set the Instant pot to saute mode and heat the oil
  • Add the chilli paste and cook for a few minutes
  • Add the seared meat
  • Add water to the processor and add it in
  • Add more salt
  • Set this to pressure cook for 1 hr
  • Remove the meat chunks, cool and shred
  • To make the tacos, take a corn tortilla and dip in in the consumme aka the gravy left behind after you pressure cooked the meat
  • There should be oil at the top of this, dip the taco in the oil
  • Lay this down on a hot greased pan
  • Flip the taco over, add cheese all over, add the meat on one side, add some onion, coriander and chilli and flip over
  • Cook the taco on both sides till blistered and crispy
  • Add onion, coriander and chilli to the consumme and serve for dipping the taco into!