Name: Crock Pot Birria Tacos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 kg (2 lbs) beef cheek or chuck cut into large 10cm (4 inch) pieces; 1 tsp salt; 3 dried guajillo peppers; 3 dried ancho chillies; 1 large tomatoes; 1 large onion, cut into about 8 pieces; 4 cloves garlic; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick; 10 black peppercorns; 1 tbsp Mexican oregano; 1 tsp marjoram; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 30ml (1/4 lb) cider vinegar; 1 beef stock cube; 1.5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or light olive oil; Water, beef or chicken stock as needed; Salt and pepper to taste

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In just 20 minutes you can prepare these Crock Pot Birria Tacos and they’re sure to be a flavour explosion.

These Crock Pot Birria Tacos are packed with succulent beef and flavourful juices you can’t resist. The beef, cooked low and slow, soaking up the rich spices and creating an explosion of taste with every bite.

This recipe is an adaptation to the birria de res recipe made even easier in the crock pot or slow cooker. Once you see how easy it is to make these Crock Pot Birria Tacos, they’ll become a family favoruite for sure.

Leave the hard work to the crock pot and enjoy these incredible tacos totally fuss free!

What are Birria Tacos?

At the core of these Crock Pot Birria Tacos is the birria de res, a delicious mexican stew from the state of Jalisco in central Mexico. Birria de res is typically made with beef cooked in aromatic spices. The recipe below shows you just how to make this before preparing the irresistible tacos. The meat is then shredded and served in crispy corn tortillas, often accompanied by a flavorful consommé for dipping.

The birria tacos are made by coating the corn tortilla in the consommé before filling with the succulent meat with cheese then lightly fried on each side to crisp the tortilla, creating a delightful contrast of texture and taste.

Sourcing some of the staple ingredients for this Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe…

Dried chillies and corn tortillas are not always readily available in UK stores and other parts of the world. However, thanks to the convenience of online shopping, obtaining these essential ingredients has never been easier. While it may require a bit of planning ahead, the accessibility of dried chillies and corn tortillas online ensures that you can create delicious Mexican-inspired dishes right in your own kitchen, no matter where you are in the world.

Time saving serving ideas…

What sets birria tacos apart to others is the final step of lightly frying the tortillas on both sides, however this can take time, especially for large groups of people. As this is hassle free recipe, I have listed a time saving suggestion on how best to serve up these delicious tacos straight from the crock pot.

Shredded birria meat: Once you have shredded the beef in step 8 below, set it aside, covered and kept warm.

Consommé: Serve the consommé in individual bowls or cups for dipping your tortillas in at the table.

Crispy tortillas: Instead of assembling the tacos with the meat inside, serve crispy tortillas on the side. You can achieve this by lightly frying on both sides over a medium heat until golden brown.

Taco accompaniments: Prepare any taco accompaniments typically served with birria tacos. This may include grated cheese, diced onion and coriander (cilantro).

Prepare your tacos and dip in the delicious consommé before each mouthful.

Do I need to use corn tortillas for this Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe?

Traditionally birria tacos are served with corn tortillas which are more common in mexican cuisine. However, corn tortillas can be difficult to source in some areas. Here in the UK you can only order corn tortillas online unless you bring some home with me from your travels. Using flour tortillas is also an option if that is all you have available. Both will work for this Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe.

You can however, serve these Crock Pot Birria Tacos totally deconstructed at the table on taco night if you want. Give each guest a side of consommé to dip their loaded tacos before each delicious mouthful.

What is the consommé served with these Crock Pot Birria Tacos?

The consommé is the flavorful broth or cooking liquid from the birria stew. It’s often served alongside the tacos for dipping, enhancing the overall dining experience.

Can I freeze or refrigerate the birria for later use in tacos?

Yes you can refrigerate the birria for at least 3 days. Be sure to cover it tightly. You can also freeze the birria and know that it will still taste good.

To reheat your birria, simply defrost fully (if frozen) and place it in a saucepan over a medium heat and heat it up until hot. You could also place it in your microwave but I prefer the pot method.

Step by step photographs…

prepared ingredients for the crock pot birria tacos

Prepare your ingredients before you start. This will save you time!

Cut the beef into large chunks and rub salt and pepper on all sides.

Sear the beef on all sides in the oil. If your crock pot does not have a sauté option, you can sear on the stove over a high heat. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding your pan.

Remove the beef temporarily and char the vegetables.

Return the beef to the crock pot and add the spices and dried chilies.

Cover with water. Slow cook for 8-10 hours on low.

After 8-10 hours your Mexican stew should look like this.

Remove the beef, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. The beef will shred easily. Use two forks to pull apart the beef.

Now that the whole spices and beef have been removed, blend the remaining ingredients to finish the consommé.

Return the shredded beef to the sauce (optional.

For the tacos…

As this is a hassle free recipe, I have suggested an alternative way to prepare your tacos. If you have the time to prepare them the authentic way then follow this next step.

Dip your tortilla in the consommé ensuring it is fully coated. Fry in a little oil and load with the beef and grated cheese. Fry until crispy on both sides.

Could food get any better than this?

The finished birria de res ready to load in tacos.

Yield: 4

Crock Pot Birria Tacos

These Crock Pot Birria Tacos are super easy to prepare in less than 20 minutes. The contrast of texture and taste is simply irresistible!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lbs) beef cheek or chuck cut into large 10cm (4 inch) pieces
1 tsp salt
3 dried guajillo peppers
3 dried ancho chillies
1 large tomatoes
1 large onion, cut into about 8 pieces
4 cloves garlic
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
10 black peppercorns
1 tbsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1 tbsp ground cumin
30ml (1/4 lb) cider vinegar
1 beef stock cube
1.5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or light olive oil
Water, beef or chicken stock as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Season the meat with the salt and set aside.
Remove the stems from the dried chillies tear them down the centre. Remove the seeds.
OPTIONAL (see notes): Toast the chillies over a medium heat on each side for 3 minutes and then soak in boiling water for 15 minutes. Afterwards, if the water is bitter, discard it. If it is not bitter, use that instead of the fresh water later on.
If your crock pot does not have a saute option you can do this step on the stove on a medium high heat.. Pour the oil into crock pot and saute the meat until lightly charred on the exterior. This will take about 10 minutes. You don’t want to overcrowd your crock pot or pan so do this in batches if necessary.
Remove the meat once charred and toss in the chopped onion, garlic cloves and tomato and roast for about 5 minutes or until charred and fragrant. Return the meat to the crock pot.
Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, ground cumin, marjoram, oregano, vinegar, stock cube and the chillies to the crock pot.
Add enough fresh water to cover the meat then slow cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Remove the meat, cinnamon stick and bay leaf from the sauce and shred the beef.
Using a hand blender, blend the sauce ingredients until really smooth then return the beef to the crock pot. You can refrain from returning the beef to the crock pot if you would prefer to keep the meat and consommé separate for serving.
FOR THE TACOS
In a frying pan, add a little oil and place your tortilla in the center. use a ladle to top each side with a little sauce. Add some of the shredded meat and some grated cheese to one side of the tortilla then fold in half. Fry for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Enjoy!

Notes

This step is optional as I did not do this in this recipe to keep it as simple as possible for the crock pot. You can see this step being done in the Birria de Res recipe here. This step is to make sure the chillies do not give a bitter taste to your finished dish. If you skip this step and it is bitter, adding a touch of sweetness can help counteract bitterness. Try adding a small amount of brown sugar.

If you like this easy Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe you might like to try my other crock pot/slow cooker recipes.

Try this Chicken Korma in the Slow Cooker recipe!

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