Description
Beef Birria is a flavorful Mexican dish made with tender beef and a rich, spicy sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 10 guajillo chiles
- 5 ancho chiles
- 3 arbol chiles (optional, reduce or omit for less heat)
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 bay leaves
- Optional for serving: chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from the chiles, rinse briefly.
- Place guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles in a pot, cover with water, and simmer for 15 minutes until softened.
- While chiles simmer, broil tomatoes, onion, and garlic for 4–6 minutes until lightly charred.
- Transfer softened chiles and 1 cup of their soaking liquid to a blender. Peel garlic and add it along with roasted vegetables, beef broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend until completely smooth.
- Place beef chunks in a slow cooker, pour sauce over them, and add bay leaves. Mix gently.
- Cover and cook on low for 8–9 hours or on high for 4–5 hours until beef is very tender.
- Remove bay leaves, shred beef with two forks, then return it to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve hot with the sauce, garnished as desired.
Notes
- Can be made in a Dutch oven by searing beef first, then simmering covered on low heat for 3–3½ hours.
- Marjoram can replace oregano if needed.
- A cinnamon stick can replace ground cinnamon.
- Keeps 4–5 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 514
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 902 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 48 g
- Cholesterol: 156 mg
Keywords: Beef Birria, Mexican Beef Stew, Slow Cooker Birria