Crock Pot Birria Tacos

Birria Tacos don't have to be complicated or hard to make. I will show you in this recipe just how easy it really is to make these kinds of tacos.

These tacos have been going viral and there's a good reason why! With a short prep time, savory ingredients, and letting the crock pot do all the work, what's not to love? Let's "dip" in!

How I learned about Birria Tacos:

My brother lives in Dallas which can be a way better trending food scene than my much smaller city of Knoxville, TN. About 7 years ago, he said there is a new kind of taco that is going crazy in Dallas. You guessed it! The Birria Taco. I proceeded to find numerous authentic Mexican styles of Birria Tacos. But those techniques were very involved and lengthy. I wanted to find an easier way to make them that would suit the busy American family.

What are Birria Tacos?

Tender, tender, tender! That's what I think of when I think "Brirria". Essentially, birria tacos consist of meat (originally made with goat meat) that's been slowly cooked in a chili sauce and then placed in a corn tortilla. I do enjoy corn tortillas...but for this recipe I love using flour ones and finishing the tacos on a skillet.

Not everyone uses cheese for these particular tacos either, but who doesn't love cheese?! Lastly and most importantly, it's all about the dip! You can't have a Birria Taco without a dip. So don't forget about the sauce from the Crock Pot, because that's the flavor blast!

What Meat to Use?

I've seen chefs use beef, pork, lamb and goat meat for these tacos. It's simply a preference. If you want to stay traditional, I'd go for goat meat if you can get you hands on some. Short Ribs make a great alternative as well and you can't go wrong with a chuck roast (used here) to soak up all that good flavor! Choose whatever meat you want, just don't skim on the chilis! That's where the magic happens.

Helpful Supplies and Equipment

• Crock Pot
• Medium Stock Pot
• Skillet
• Blender (I love my NutriBullet for meals like this!)

Ingredients for Crock Pot Birria Tacos

Boil and soak your peppers:

• 2 ½ Cups Water
• 3 Guajillo Chilis
• 1 Pasilla Chili
• 1 Ancho Chili
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 3 oz tomato paste

Cut, season, and sear your meat:

• 3 lb Chuck Roast
• 1 ½ tablespoon sea salt
• 2 ½ tablespoon Avocado Oil

Seasoning for crock pot:

• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• ½ cup ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar)
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 large onion diced
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• ¾ tablespoon coriander
• ¾ tablespoon pepper
• 3-4 bay leaves

Toppings:

• Tortillas
• Pepper Jack or plain Monterrey Jack Cheese

Instructions for Crock Pot Birria Tacos

Step 1 - Gather all your ingredients and set them on countertop.

Step 2 - Place your chilis and cinnamon stick in a stock pot and bring to a low boil for about 10-15 minutes and then I let them sit in the pot to cool off. 

Step 3 - Remove chilis from water and remove stems and seeds then place the chilis, cinnamon stick, tomato paste, and water from soaking into a blender and puree the mixture.

Step 4 - Cut your chuck roast into about 3-4-inch cubes and season with sea salt and brown them in a pan with the avocado oil or whatever oil you typically use and once you have a brown crust on the meat place it in the crock pot. 

Step 5 - Pour the chili puree over the meat, then take ½ cup of the beef broth and pour it into the blender and mix to ensure you get all the chilies puree out of the blender because that is lots of flavor. 

Step 6 - Add in the remaining ingredients, beef broth, onion, seasonings, and apple cider vinegar and place the lid on the crock pot and set to high and come back in 6 ½ hours and its done. 

Step 7 - Remove meat chunks from Crock Pot and then with forks or a meat shredder - shred all the meat along with the onions if they didn't cook down all the way and remove the bay leaves. 

Step 8 - Build your tacos - dip your tortillas into the birria sauce mix then straight into the skillet with some pepper jack cheese, and birria meat mix all on one side over medium heat. Fold over the tortilla and then flip after just 90 seconds and sear the other side of the tortilla

Step 9 - Dip into the birria sauce and eat.

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