Description
This Crock Pot Birria Tacos recipe features tender chuck roast slow-cooked in a rich and flavorful chili and spice sauce, served in crispy corn tortillas with melty Oaxaca cheese, onions, and cilantro. The meat is perfectly seared before slow cooking to develop deep flavor, and the tacos are dipped in the savory birria consommé for an authentic, indulgent Mexican meal that's easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Marinade
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 dried Guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
- 5 chipotle chilies in adobo from a can
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can peeled crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Tacos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 corn tortillas
- 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese
- ½ white onion, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
- Limes for garnish
Instructions
- Season and Sear: Season the chuck roast evenly on all sides with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then sear the chuck roast on each side for 2-3 minutes until a brown crust forms, adding more oil if necessary. Remove and place in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Prepare Sauce: In a blender, add Guajillo chilies, chipotle chilies, diced onion, garlic cloves, honey, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, coriander, and thyme. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Slow Cook: Pour the blended sauce over the seared beef in the slow cooker. Place the bay leaves on top, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8 hours until the meat is tender and shreddable.
- Shred Meat and Reserve Broth: Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and ladle out 1 cup of the birria consommé into a bowl and set aside. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it thoroughly into the remaining sauce in the slow cooker.
- Assemble Tacos: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each corn tortilla quickly into the reserved birria consommé to moisten, then place 2-3 tortillas at a time flat in the skillet. Sprinkle Oaxaca cheese over the entire tortilla, then add shredded beef, diced onion, and cilantro to one half. Fold the tortilla over to form a taco.
- Cook Tacos: Cook the folded tacos for 2-3 minutes on each side until the cheese melts and the tortillas develop a crispy, golden exterior. Press gently with a spatula for a crispier finish.
- Serve: Strain the remaining birria consommé through a fine-mesh strainer into small bowls for dipping. Serve the tacos hot with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- Ensure your skillet is very hot before searing to develop flavorful browned bits on the chuck roast.
- Dip tortillas in the consommé before frying to prevent sogginess and add authentic flavor.
- Let Oaxaca cheese come to room temperature before using to ensure quick and even melting.
- Press the tacos gently with a spatula while cooking to create extra crispy edges.
- Use a fine-mesh strainer when straining the consommé to avoid small chili bits in the dipping sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
