Authentic Beef Birria Birria De Res

What is Birria?

Birria is a traditional Mexican dish originating from the state of Jalisco that is similar to stew. The meat is braised and slow cooks in a chile sauce for several hours until perfectly tender. It can be eaten as-is (as a stew) or the meat can be shredded and used as a filling in your favorite Mexican dishes. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients for Birria

Birria Meat:

Traditionally, in Mexico, birria is made with lamb or goat meat but here in the U.S. it is most commonly made with beef (also called birria de res). I used a beef chuck roast for this birria recipe and cut it into large chunks for better braising. You can also use stew meat, rump roast, short ribs, flank steak, or even brisket.

Birria Sauce:

The sauce for birria can vary depending on what you are making the birria for. You can make a thicker sauce, almost like a gravy or stew or you can choose to make a consommé by making the sauce on the broth-y side. For this recipe I wanted to aim for something more in the middle. The sauce in this recipe is slightly thicker than a consommé but still thin enough to use as a dipping sauce with birria tacos. You can adjust the broth amounts to your liking.

Key ingredients in birria sauce:

Chiles – Using dried chile peppers is the way to go for this recipe. They are super cheap (I got each pack of dried chiles for around $1) and they have a great, smoky, flavor. You can use fresh chiles or even canned chiles and get similar results but you can’t beat the ease of dried. Popular chiles used in birria include: adobo, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, Tomatoes – You can use fresh Roma tomatoes or you can use canned, fire roasted tomatoes or whole San Marzano tomatoes. If you want a thinner sauce (more like a broth), you can leave the tomatoes out. Onions – Yellow, white, or red onions work great. I opted for a white onion in this recipe because I like the mild flavor. Broth/Liquid – Beef broth, beef stock, or consommé can be used to braise the beef. You can add or take away some of the broth depending on how thick (or thin) you want your sauce. Additional Spices and Seasonings – Seasonings for birria can vary greatly from recipe to recipe. Honestly, use that you like! In this recipe I kept it pretty simple and used garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, and salt and pepper. Then I garnished with fresh lime wedges and cilantro. If you feel so inclined, you can also add thyme, cloves, bay leaves, chili powder, or a whole cinnamon stick.

How To Make Birria

Birria may seem intimidating because it takes a while to cook and the sauce is made from scratch but it is actually really easy to make! It can be broken down into just a few simplified steps:

How to Serve Birria

As mentioned above, there are several different ways you can serve birria. The first way is to serve the birria as a stew (or beefy soup). Just remove the meat from the oven, add vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, then serve in bowls and top with chopped onions, lime, and cilantro.The next way to serve birria is as a filling. To do this you will want to separate the beef from the consommé and shred it. Place it in a bowl with a little of the sauce to keep the beef from drying out. Use the extra sauce/consomme as a dip for birria tacos or quesabirria tacos. Here are a few great ways to use birria meat: These are just a few creative ways to serve Birria. Feel free to experiment and discover your own unique combinations! For more ideas, check out more of our easy Mexican-inspired recipes.

Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Birria

Don’t have a lot of time but still want to make birria? Instant Pot to the rescue! You don’t want to blend the sauce before cooking it in the Instant Pot because you run the risk of getting the burn notice. It’s better to blend the sauce afterwards. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make birria in the Instant Pot:

CrockPot Beef Birria

For Crock Pot (or slow cooker) beef birria, follow steps 1-5 in the Instant Pot instructions above. For step 2, searing is an optional step. If you want to still sear the beef, simply sear it in a large skillet before adding to the CrockPot. Slow on high heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours. After the beef is cooked through and shreds easily, continue with step 7 in the Instant Pot instructions above.