Quesabirria Tacos (Birria de Res with Consomé)
Beef chuck braised in a guajillo chile broth, shredded, tucked into fat-dipped corn tortillas with melted cheese, griddled crisp and dunked in a cup of the red consomé.
Birria is a chile-stewed meat dish from Jalisco. Octavio Peña, writing for Serious Eats, says early versions date to the 1600s in Jalisco and were made with goat, coated in dried chiles and spices and simmered for hours, then served in tortillas with onion, cilantro and the broth; as birria spread, beef, pork and other meats appeared, and his own Jalisco family switched to beef in the US because it was easier to find.
The cheesy, griddled taco is newer. Wikipedia's quesabirria article, citing Eater SF, says the dish was created in Tijuana, that food writer Bill Esparza saw birria in tacos at a Tijuana truck called Tacos Aarón around 2009, and that Tijuana taqueros brought quesabirria to Los Angeles around 2016, where Instagram and TikTok made it a cult food; by 2023 the Del Taco chain sold quesabirria tacos.
Why it works the kitchen science
The fat is the flavor
Leaving the chuck untrimmed gives a layer of chile-red fat to skim, and dipping the tortillas in it is what crisps and colors the tacos (ATK).
Blend and strain
Puréeing the braising liquid with the softened chiles and onion, then straining, turns it into a smooth, full-bodied consomé for dipping.
Step by step
- Step 1
Put all the birria ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, lower to medium-low and simmer about 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender (far past 145°F).
- Step 2
Turn off the heat and let the beef rest in the broth 30 minutes. Skim the red fat from the surface into a shallow dish and save it for the tacos.
- Step 3
Lift the beef into a bowl and shred it finely with tongs or a potato masher.
- Step 4
Blend the broth until smooth, about 3 minutes with an immersion blender (or in batches, the jar no more than half full, about 20 seconds each). Strain into a saucepan and discard the solids. Stir 1 1/4 cups of broth into the beef, season and cover; keep the rest of the consomé warm over low heat.
- Step 5
Heat the 1 tsp oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium until shimmering. Dip one side of 3 tortillas in the red fat and lay them fat side down, slightly overlapping. Top each with 1/4 cup mozzarella and spread a scant 1/4 cup beef over half. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the cheese melts.
- Step 6
Sprinkle on red onion and cilantro, fold each tortilla over and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until crisp. Repeat with the rest (no more oil needed), holding finished tacos in a 200°F oven.
- Step 7
Ladle 1/2 cup warm consomé into each of 4 small bowls, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with the tacos for dunking.
Quesabirria Tacos (Birria de Res with Consomé)
Serves 4 (3 tacos and a cup of consomé each) · 12 tacos plus about 4 cups consomé · 3 hr 50 min total
Birria
- 2 lb boneless beef chuck roast, untrimmed, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 oz dried guajillo chiles (about 3), stemmed and seeded
- 1/2 onion
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1 3/4 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
Tacos
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 12 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
- 12 oz block mozzarella, shredded (3 cups)
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for the consomé
Method
- Put all the birria ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, lower to medium-low and simmer about 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender (far past 145°F).
- Turn off the heat and let the beef rest in the broth 30 minutes. Skim the red fat from the surface into a shallow dish and save it for the tacos.
- Lift the beef into a bowl and shred it finely with tongs or a potato masher.
- Blend the broth until smooth, about 3 minutes with an immersion blender (or in batches, the jar no more than half full, about 20 seconds each). Strain into a saucepan and discard the solids. Stir 1 1/4 cups of broth into the beef, season and cover; keep the rest of the consomé warm over low heat.
- Heat the 1 tsp oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium until shimmering. Dip one side of 3 tortillas in the red fat and lay them fat side down, slightly overlapping. Top each with 1/4 cup mozzarella and spread a scant 1/4 cup beef over half. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the cheese melts.
- Sprinkle on red onion and cilantro, fold each tortilla over and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until crisp. Repeat with the rest (no more oil needed), holding finished tacos in a 200°F oven.
- Ladle 1/2 cup warm consomé into each of 4 small bowls, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with the tacos for dunking.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Country), "Quesabirria Tacos" by Bryan Roof (2022), scaled to 4/7 (from 3 1/2 lb beef to 2 lb, still 12 tacos). ATK's version was inspired by the beef birria tacos at Rollies Mexican Patio in Tucson, Arizona. The scaled spice amounts are ours, rounded. History from Serious Eats and Wikipedia (links in Story). America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- ATK says the tacos can also be cooked on a griddle over medium heat, and extra meat and broth keep up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Don't trim the beef; you need the fat for step 5.
- Peña's Serious Eats birria adds tomatoes, tomatillos, achiote and gochujang to the broth if you want a deeper stew to eat with a spoon.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Real birria is goat. Disputed: Serious Eats (Peña) and ATK say birria was traditionally goat in Jalisco; Peña argues beef, pork and other versions are "no less authentic" and his family uses beef.
- "Birria" means something of little value. Folklore for now: Peña says the name reflects how little Mexicans thought of goat meat; we did not find a dictionary source.
- Birria dates to the 1600s. Folklore for now: stated by Peña without a cited source.
- Quesabirria was born in Tijuana. Documented as the standard account (Wikipedia, citing Eater SF and The New York Times).
- Cheese. Documented: Wikipedia names mozzarella or Chihuahua cheese; ATK uses mozzarella.
- Dunk in consomé. Documented as how it is served (Wikipedia; ATK).
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