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Crockpot Mexican Birria

Crockpot Mexican birria with a deep red-mahogany consomé, made by blending toasted dried chiles into a smooth sauce and slow-cooking beef until fall-apart tender. Serve it with crispy griddled tortillas dipped in the consomé and topped with shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and chiles
  • 3 lb beef chuck or short ribs
  • 4 count dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 count dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 1 count chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Spices and seasoning
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
For serving
  • 1 corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • 1 shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Toast and soak the chiles
  1. Toast dried guajillo chiles and dried ancho chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant; remove to a heatproof bowl.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in boiling water for 15 minutes until softened.
Blend the chile sauce
  1. Blend softened chiles with diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and cinnamon until smooth.
Slow-cook the birria
  1. Season beef chuck or short ribs with salt and pepper to taste, then place in the crockpot.
  2. Pour the chile sauce over the beef.
  3. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
Shred, dip, and griddle
  1. Shred the beef in the consomé until evenly fall-apart.
  2. Dip corn tortillas in the consomé, fill with shredded beef and shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella, then griddle until crispy.
Serve
  1. Serve with extra consomé for dipping alongside diced onion, cilantro, and lime.

Notes

For the smoothest consomé, blend until completely silky—scrape the blender down once or twice. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days; freeze the shredded beef and consomé (without tortillas) for up to 3 months. To make it gluten-free, use corn tortillas only and skip any flour-based mixes (no other changes needed).