Slow Cooker Birria Tacos {Shredded Beef} | Swanky Recipes (2024)

A: Leftover birria consommé (broth) can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some ideas:

Drink it as a savory soup. The consommé is rich and flavorful, and it’s perfect for sipping on its own.

Use it as a base for other soups and stews. The consommé can be used as a base for other Mexican soups such as pozole, menudo or sopa de fideo.

Use it to make rice or quinoa. Instead of using water to cook your rice or quinoa, use the consommé instead for an extra burst of flavor.

Freeze it for later. If you have a lot of leftover consommé, you can freeze it in an airtight container for later use. Just defrost it when you’re ready to use it again.

Make birria tacos with consommé again! You can use the leftover consommé to dip your tacos or add some extra flavor to the meat when reheating.

A: If your birria is too bitter, it could be due to a few reasons:

Overcooked chilies: If you used dried chilies to make your birria sauce, it’s possible that you overcooked them, which can result in a bitter taste. To avoid this, make sure to soak the chilies in hot water just until they are soft enough to blend, and then blend them into a smooth sauce without overcooking them.

Burnt spices: Over-toasting or burning the spices used in the birria sauce can result in a bitter flavor.

Be sure to toast the spices just enough to bring out their flavors, but not so much that they burn.

Low-quality chilies: The quality of the dried chilies you use can also affect the flavor of your birria. Low-quality chilies may have a bitter taste to begin with, so be sure to use fresh, high-quality chilies for the best flavor.

Too much cinnamon: Some birria recipes call for cinnamon, which can add a warm and spicy flavor. However, using too much cinnamon can result in a bitter taste. If you think this might be the problem, try reducing the amount of cinnamon next time you make the recipe.

To fix the bitterness, you can try adding a little bit of sweetness, such as a small amount of sugar or honey, to balance out the flavor. You can also try adding a bit of acid, such as lime juice, to cut through the bitterness. Start with small amounts until the taste is balanced to your liking.

A: Yes, you can definitely cook beef birria in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Using a pressure cooker can actually speed up the cooking process and still result in tender, flavorful meat. Here’s how you can adapt your slow cooker beef birria taco recipe for the pressure cooker:

Sear the beef on the sauté setting of the pressure cooker or in a separate skillet, as you would in the slow cooker recipe.

Add the birria sauce and beef broth to the pressure cooker, along with any additional spices and seasonings.

Close the pressure cooker lid and set the valve to “sealing.”

Cook on high pressure for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size and cut of the beef. For example, if you’re using beef chuck roast, you may need to cook for 60-70 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure naturally release for about 10-15 minutes, and then manually release any remaining pressure.

Shred the beef and serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings, along with the birria consome (broth) on the side.

A: To store leftovers, follow these steps:
Remove any toppings or condiments from the tacos.
Place the tacos in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap.
Store the container or wrapped tacos in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat the tacos, you can either microwave them for a few seconds or reheat them in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-15 minutes, until they are heated through.

To store leftover birria consommé (broth), follow these steps:

Let the broth cool to room temperature.
Pour the broth into an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag.
Store the container or bag of broth in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the broth, heat it in a pot over medium heat on the stove until it is heated through.
When reheating both the tacos and the broth, make sure to reheat them to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) to ensure they are safe to eat.

• ▢ 4 ancho chile peppers dried, seeds removed
• ▢ 4 guajillo chile peppers dried, seeds removed
• ▢ 2 chiles de arbol optional for spice
• ▢ 7 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 white onion roughly chopped
• ▢ 4 roma tomatoes roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 20 black peppercorn
• ▢ 1 tbsp chili powder
• ▢ 1 tbsp cumin
• ▢ 2 tbsp paprika
• ▢ 3½ lb beef chuck roast
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1½ lemons juiced
• ▢ 16 oz oaxaca cheese see notes for other variations
• ▢ corn tortillas
• ▢ 3 limes juiced

• Cut chile tops off and remove the seeds with a knife or spoon.

• In a food processor, combine chiles, garlic cloves, white onion, roma tomatoes, cinnamon stick, peppercorn, chili powder, cumin, and paprika.

• Blend or pulse until ingredients are nearly smooth and well blended.

• Place beef chuck roast in crock pot.

• Pour in birria sauce mixture.

• Add 1 cup water to the top.

• Add in 2 bay leaves and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil.

• Slow cook on low for 10 hours or until fork tender.

• Shred meat in a bowl using two forks.

• Add 1 cup birria sauce from the slow cooker to the bowl. Save the remaining sauce for later.

• To prepare the tacos, add a corn tortilla to a medium hot skillet.

• Birria tacos have a signature crispy shell. To achieve this, in a nonstick pan, oil the pan, lay down the tortilla, top it with shredded cheese, flip it, let it get nice and golden brown and crunchy. Top the upward facing side with shredded beef, cilantro, onion, and lime juice then fold it in half.

• Pour slow cooker sauce into a bowl and serve tacos with sauce to dip it into.