Birria Quesatacos

Main Dish
Written By Janie E.

Rich and flavorful birria served up on a tortilla with melted cheese!

I don’t quite remember when I learned about birria but the first birriaqueso tacos I had were from a local food truck. They still remain my favorite that I’ve had after we continue to try out as many Mexican restaurants as we can in our area. There are a ton and they have all been so good. I have made a few birria recipes at home and this is definitely one of my favorites. If you don’t have guajillo chiles in a grocery store you, look for a local Hispanic market because they will definitely have them!

What You Need:

For the Birria Meat:

  • 2 1/2 lb. sirloin or other beef roast

  • 3 dried guajillo peppers

  • 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar

  • 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

  • 5 cloves minced garlic

  • 1 tsp. dried oregano

  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp. cumin

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 6 whole cloves

  • 1 quart low sodium chicken broth

For the Tacos:

  • 4-inch corn or flour tortillas

  • 1 medium onion, diced

  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (queso quesadilla, oaxacan, etc.)

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add your guajillo peppers to soak for 15 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, cube beef into large chunks and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  3. In a blender, add chipotles, vinegar, crushed tomato, garlic, oregano, and cumin.

  4. Cut the tops off the soaked guajillos and dump out the seeds as best you can. Add peppers to the blender and blend to combine.

  5. Add meat to a large zipper bag with blended pepper mixture. Marinate for 2 hours up to overnight.

  6. In a pressure cooker set to saute, add a little oil and add chopped onions. Saute until golden and softened.

  7. Add meat, marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon, and cloves into the pressure cooker.

  8. Cover with chicken broth (you don’t have to use it all - just enough to cover).

  9. Set pressure cooker to HIGH and cook for 45 minutes.

  10. After cooking, allow natural release and then remove the meat. Shred and set aside.

  11. Heat up tortillas and dip in the pressure cooker liquids. Add beef, onion, cilantro, cheese and fry over medium heat on a nonstick skillet until cheese has melted and tortilla crisps up.

Recipe from I Am A Food Blog

Janie E.
Next

Chicken Enchilada Pasta