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Authentic Birria (Consomé) for Tacos or Stew

Authentic birria delivers deep red consomé with tender, fall-apart shredded beef and a rich spiced broth. Simmered low and slow, it’s ready for tacos with dipped tortillas or a hearty stew bowl with consomé.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and broth
  • 4 lb beef chuck roast
  • 8 cup beef broth
Chiles and aromatics
  • 6 dried guajillo chiles
  • 4 dried ancho chiles
  • 2 dried chipotle chiles
  • 1 onion
  • 1 head garlic
Spices and seasonings
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Serving
  • 1 corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Toast, soak, and blend the chile sauce
  1. Toast the dried guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chipotle chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, watching closely so they don’t burn.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain them thoroughly.
  3. Blend the drained chiles with the halved onion, crushed garlic, cumin, oregano, and apple cider vinegar until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to get a silky sauce.
Simmer the consomé with the beef
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Cook the strained chile sauce in the pot for 5 minutes, stirring until it darkens slightly and smells toasted.
  3. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, then bring to a boil.
  4. Add the beef chuck roast chunks and return the pot to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 90-120 minutes, until the beef is fall-apart tender, skimming if needed.
  6. Season the consomé with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as tacos or stew
  1. For tacos, shred the tender meat and dip corn tortillas in the consomé, then fill with meat.
  2. Top the tacos with diced onion and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
  3. For stew, ladle meat and consomé into bowls and serve with lime wedges. Add diced onion and cilantro if you like.

Notes

Pro tip: Strain the blended chile sauce for a smoother, deeper red consomé and to avoid bitter chile bits. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 4 days; freeze the consomé (with meat) up to 3 months for best flavor. For a gluten-free option, keep tortilla labels certified gluten-free (the rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free).