Description
This birria tacos recipe delivers juicy, crispy, restaurant level tacos at home with tender slow cooked beef and a rich red dipping broth. Perfect for taco night, these flavorful tacos are dipped in broth, filled with shredded meat, and crisped until golden for that signature crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 pounds beef shank
- 1 pound sirloin or lean roast
- 3 dried guajillo peppers
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 whole cloves
- Chicken stock to cover
- 12 to 16 street size corn or flour tortillas
- Chopped onion optional
- Chopped cilantro optional
- Mexican cheese blend optional
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat, and soak dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes.
- Cube the sirloin and season both cuts of beef with salt and pepper.
- Blend vinegar, crushed tomatoes, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle peppers, and softened guajillos until smooth.
- Marinate the meat in the blended sauce for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté and cook chopped onion in oil until soft and golden.
- Add marinated meat, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, and enough chicken stock to cover.
- Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes and allow natural release.
- Remove meat, shred, and discard bones.
- Warm tortillas, dip lightly in the top layer of broth and fat, then fill with shredded meat and optional toppings.
- Fold and cook in a skillet 2 to 3 minutes per side until crispy and golden.
- Serve with broth on the side for dipping.
Notes
For less spice, reduce the chipotle peppers or use only the adobo sauce. Substitute guajillo peppers with ancho, pasilla, California, or New Mexico peppers if needed. Slow cooker option: cook on low for 8 hours. Dutch oven option: simmer 4 to 6 hours. Stew tastes even better the next day.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 110mg