Quesabirria
Quick answer
- Total time
- 280 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 22
About this dish
The fat that rises on the red braising liquid becomes the frying fat for the tortillas, so trimming all the fat from the beef or pouring off the broth's oil leaves nothing to crisp them with.
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Dipping deeper into the thin broth below soaks the tortillas until they are hard to flip. Swapping the three dried chiles, guajillo, ancho and arbol, for plain chili powder changes the sauce. The rest of the broth gets reheated and served in a bowl for dunking, and low-moisture mozzarella stands in for Oaxaca cheese in the same amount.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Cut beef into 5 cm chunks and season with the salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the meat in two batches for about 12 minutes total.
- 2
In a separate small pot combine all three chiles, the tomato, 100 g onion and 500 ml water.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes to soften the chiles.
- 3
Lift the softened chiles, tomato and onion into a tall heatproof container with just 120 ml of their cooking water.
Discard the remaining water; add broth, vinegar, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and cloves, blend with an immersion blender and strain into the meat pot.
- 4
Add the bay leaf, bring to a simmer, cover and braise gently for 3-3½ hours.
Stir every 30 minutes to keep the meat coated, adding a little extra water if the bottom starts drying.
- 5
When two forks separate the meat easily, lift it out and shred it; discard the bay leaf.
Let the broth settle off heat for 10 minutes, skim its surface fat into a small bowl, then reheat the remaining broth.
- 6
Shred the cheese, chop the remaining 30 g onion and the cilantro, and cut the lime into wedges.
Arrange the twelve tortillas, cheese and meat for three frying batches.
- 7
Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
Lightly coat both sides of each tortilla with the skimmed fat, place in the pan, fill one half with 15 g cheese and one-twelfth of the beef, then fold.
- 8
Cook four tacos at a time for 1-2 minutes per side until the cheese melts and the edges crisp.
Add onion and cilantro and serve three per person with lime and a small bowl of hot broth.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- Birria Tacos
Isabel Orozco-Moore, Isabel Eats · Checked: 2026-09-07
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