Dive into a culinary adventure with these Beef Birria Tacos, where every bite is a burst of harmonious flavors and textures. The star is the incredibly tender chuck roast, slow-cooked to perfection in a deeply aromatic broth of various dried chilies, warm spices, and savory aromatics, resulting in a rich, complex birria. Nestled within a warm tortilla, the succulent beef is complemented by sweet Mexican corn, offering a delightful pop of freshness. A creamy, tangy, and subtly spicy ranch dressing adds a lively kick, while the crisp, pickled jalapeños provide a bright, acidic contrast. Finally, layers of mild, melting Oaxaca cheese envelop the fillings, creating a comforting, gooey embrace that binds all the exquisite elements together.

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Birria Good Tacos

This recipe features tender, slow-cooked beef birria infused with a rich blend of chilies and spices, served in a tortilla with sweet Mexican corn, a zesty spicy ranch, tangy pickled jalapeños, and melted Oaxaca cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Fusion, Mexican, Mexican fusion, Tex-Mex

Keyword Beef, Birria, Cheese, Corn, Pickled Jalapeno, Savory, Taco

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 tacos

Author Chef Cameron

Ingredients

For the Beef Birria:

• 3 lbs Chuck roast cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Black pepper
• 2 Tbsp Salt
• 1 can Mexican beer e.g., Modelo, Pacifico
• 3 tsp Cumin ground
• 3 tsp Coriander ground
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 5 Dried ancho chiles rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• 5 Dried guajillo chiles rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• 5 Dried chile de arbol rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
• ¼ cup Soy sauce
• 1 Onion diced
• 5 cloves Garlic minced
• 3 tsp Dried oregano
• 2 cups Beef stock
• 2 Tbsp Fresh ginger minced
• ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1 14.5 oz can Fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 7 oz can Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use 1-2 peppers and a spoonful of sauce)
• 4 Tomatillos husked and rinsed
• 2 Poblano peppers roasted (for birria sauce)

For the Mexican Corn:

• 2 cups Corn cooked (from frozen, canned, or fresh, drained if applicable)
• 1 Poblano pepper roasted, deseeded, deskinned, and diced (for corn)
• 1 Tbsp Lime juice fresh
• 1 Tbsp Salt adjust to taste, as chili lime seasoning also has salt
• 2 Tbsp Chili lime seasoning e.g., Tajín
• ¼ cup Cotija cheese crumbled
• 4 Tbsp Sour cream

For the Spicy Ranch:

• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• ½ cup Sour cream
• 3 Tbsp Habanero sauce or your preferred hot sauce, adjust to taste
• 2 Tbsp Chili lime seasoning
• 1 1 oz Ranch seasoning packet

For the Taco Assembly:

• 6-8 small corn or flour tortillas
• About 1 ½ cups shredded Oaxaca cheese
• ¼ cup sliced pickled jalapeños or to taste
• Optional garnishes: fresh cilantro lime wedges

Instructions

Prepare the Beef Birria:

• Season the chuck roast generously with 2 Tbsp salt and 2 Tbsp black pepper.
• Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned. Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Carefully add the Mexican beer, 3 tsp ground cumin, 3 tsp ground coriander, 1 cinnamon stick, all dried chiles (ancho, guajillo, de arbol), ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tsp dried oregano, 2 cups beef stock, 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and tomatillos to the pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
• In batches, carefully transfer the simmering liquid and softened chiles/vegetables to a blender. Blend until very smooth.
• Strain the blended sauce back into the Dutch oven using a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on any solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the remaining pulp.
• Return the seared beef to the pot with the strained sauce. Add the 2 roasted poblano peppers (deskinned and deseeded) to the sauce.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover the pot tightly and simmer for 3 hours, or until the beef is incredibly tender and easily shreds with a fork.
• Once cooked, remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks.
• Spoon about ½ cup of the flavorful birria liquid (consomé) over the shredded meat to keep it moist and infuse it further with flavor.

Prepare the Mexican Corn:

• In a medium bowl, combine the 2 cups cooked corn, 1 roasted poblano pepper (deskinned, deseeded, and diced), 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 Tbsp salt (adjust as needed), 2 Tbsp chili lime seasoning, ¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese, and 4 Tbsp sour cream.
• Mix well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Set aside.

Prepare the Spicy Ranch:

• In a small bowl, combine ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 3 Tbsp habanero sauce (adjust to your spice preference), 2 Tbsp chili lime seasoning, and 1 ranch seasoning packet.
• Whisk vigorously until all ingredients are well combined and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Assemble the Tacos:

• Warm the corn or flour tortillas. You can quickly char them over an open flame, heat them in a dry skillet until pliable, or warm them in the microwave.
• For truly melty cheese, lightly grease a large skillet over medium heat.
• Lay a warm tortilla flat. Sprinkle a layer of shredded Oaxaca cheese onto one half of the tortilla.
• Top the cheese with a generous portion of the warmed, shredded beef birria.
• Spoon some of the prepared Mexican corn over the birria.
• Drizzle a desired amount of the spicy ranch dressing over the corn and birria.
• Arrange a few slices of pickled jalapeño on top.
• Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filling to create a taco.

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