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    Beef Birria Recipe

    September 3, 2024

    Though birria is traditionally made with goat, we’ve become partial to this beef birria recipe. Full of chiles and spices, it’s a stewy braise that always satisfies.

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    beef barrio in a bowl topped with cilantro and chopped onions next to corn tortillas and bowls of extra onion and cilantro

    Chile-Loaded and Versatile, Our Beef Birria Is One for the Books

    We first encountered birria when we tried it in the infamously amazing tacos served at Teddy’s Red Tacos in Venice, CA. It was love at first bite, and we’ve been working hard to create a version of birria that’s easy enough to make at home, but still bursting with the beefy, chile-y, spicy goodness that stole our hearts. And sure enough, we eventually figured it out. This recipe hits the spot! If you’re not familiar with it, birria is a traditional dish from the Mexican state of Jalisco, though it can be found throughout Mexico these days, not to mention in homes and restaurants all over the U.S., too! Rich with chilies and cozy, warm spices like cinnamon and ginger, birria is most authentically made with goat meat, but beef birria—”birria de res”—has become popular of late. We just adore this hearty, fragrant, chile-heavy stew-like braise, and we know you will, too. Serve it with carne asada and crock pot chicken taco meat to make the most unforgettable taco night.

    Beef Birria Ingredients laid out on a counter Chuck roast, chiles, cilantro, onion, spices and corn tortillas

    Meet Your Main Beef Birria Ingredients

    Beef birria is a wonderful recipe to make on a weekend day, when you have time to just let the beef braise slowly—good old low-and-slow—and fill your home with its deeply spiced, wonderfully heady aromas. Though you will need to set aside some time, you won’t need to make any special grocery runs for the ingredients. The main components of this recipe are just:

    • Dried chiles. We love a combination of three easy-to-find dried chiles! Ancho chiles (which are dried poblanos), guajillo chiles (a tangy, sweet chile that’s really delicious), chiles de árbol (a thin, classic Mexican chile that’s 6 times as hot as a jalapeño!).

    • Dried herbs and spices: cinnamon, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, ginger

    • Beef! Beef birria recipes really vary a lot in terms of what cut of beef they call for. We favor chuck roast, which is ideal for a low-and-slow braise like this. Plus, it’s not usually too expensive.

    • Onion

    • Fresh garlic

    • Beef stock

    • Fire-roasted tomatoes

    • Vinegar

    dried chiles in a skillet
    dried chiles in a sauce pan covered in water
    Beef Birria Sauce in a blender ready to be blended
    Beef Birria sauce blended in a blender

    How to Make Beef Birria

    If you’ve ever made a braised beef dish, this whole process will be mostly familiar. Here’s how to make beef birria:

    1. Prepare the dried chiles. Seed, toast, and soak the chiles. It sounds like a whole thing, but it only takes about 20 minutes. Detailed how-to is in the recipe at the bottom of the page.

    2. Brown the beef. Cook it in batches if need be, and make sure you get a nice browning on all sides. Set it aside, or just go ahead and put it right into your Dutch oven.

    3. Make the birria sauce / broth base! There should be some fat and oil left in the pan from searing the beef—that’s a good thing! Use it to cook the onion wedges a bit, then add garlic, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and ginger. After a minute or two, pour in the beef stock and vinegar.

    4. Time to blend! Pour the onion, broth and spice mixture into a blender, and add the seeded, soaked and drained chiles. Blend! Voila! You’ve made the world's best braising liquid.

    5. Pour your chile sauce over all of the beef into a Dutch oven, and cook for about 3 to 3.5 hours, until the meat is falling apart.

    brown chuck roast beef in a skillet
    onion, garlic, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and ginger in a skillet for beef birria recipe
    Beef Birria recipe ingredients in a pot
    beef covered in beef barrio sauce in a pot

    How To Serve Beef Birria

    There’s so much you can do with beef birria! Here are some ideas to get you started:

    • Serve it as a hearty, rich stew in bowls, garnished with chopped onion and cilantro with warm tortillas on the side.

    • As a filling for quesadillas.

    • Or try our birria tacos!

    beef birria shredded in a bowl on a counter
    beef barria in a bowl topped with cilantro and chopped onions next to corn tortillas and bowls of extra onion and cilantro

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Beefy Braises

    beef birria in a bowl topped with chopped onion and cilantro with a spoon

    We Want to See Your Stuff!

    If you make this beef birria recipe, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Beef Birria Recipe

    Updated on September 3, 2024

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  3 hrs 15 min
    • Calories:  366
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    Ingredients

    • 2 dried large ancho chiles
    • 2 dried guajillo chiles
    • 2-3 dried chiles de árbol
    • 3 pounds chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch pieces
    • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium white onion, cut into 4 wedges
    • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 3 cups beef stock
    • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
    • 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes

    For Serving

    • raw white onion, chopped
    • cilantro, roughly chopped
    • tortillas, warmed

    Method

    1. Cut open the dried chiles with kitchen scissors or a knife and discard the seeds. Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the chiles, moving them occasionally, for 4 minutes. (See Note)

    2. Cover the chiles with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat off and let the chilis soak until softened, about 15 minutes.

    3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position.

    4. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with the salt and pepper.

    5. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the chuck and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 15-18 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

    6. Add the onion wedges to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and toss until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the cinnamon, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and ginger to the pan, cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

    7. Add the beef stock and vinegar, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Remove the pot from heat and allow ingredients to cool slightly.

    8. Drain the softened chilis (discarding the soaking water) and add them and the tomatoes to the sauce. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth, directly in the pan. (Alternatively, transfer 2 cups of the sauce to the base of a blender, let cool briefly, blend until nearly smooth, and then return the sauce to the pan.)

    9. Return the beef to the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Cover and cook until beef is tender and can be pulled apart easily with a fork, about 2 1/2 hours.

    10. Using 2 forks, shred the beef, discarding any large pieces of fat.

    11. Serve the beef with the remaining broth in bowls garnished with chopped onion and cilantro, in warm tortillas, as a filling for quesadillas, or try our Birria Tacos!


    Note: While toasting the chilis turn on your kitchen fan and open a window as it can be create very spicy aroma.

    Note: If you don't have a Dutch oven, brown the meat and onions in a large skillet and transfer contents to a large baking dish, covered with aluminum foil and according to instructions.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 366
    • Protein 57 g
    • Carbohydrates 9 g
    • Total Fat 13 g
    • Dietary Fiber 3 g
    • Cholesterol 130 mg
    • sodium 963 mg
    • Total Sugars 3 g

    Beef Birria Recipe

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • James

      If using a blender for the 2 cups of sauce, should I also include the onions and peppers?

      Yes! Hope you enjoy James.

    • wes

      what is the serving size on beef birriea recipe. also any ideas to reduce sodium?

      We don't have yield on this recipe but it serves 8. You could use low sodium beef stock and use less salt. Hope you enjoy!

    • Kelly

      Do you think it Will change the flavor if I make the sauce the night before? Like I won’t be cooking all the aerobatics in the beef fat, but I figure that comes out when it’s cooking anyways.

      You could just make all of it the night before and reheat. That way all the flavors still get cooked together.

    • Jessica

      Have you tried putting cilantro in while cooking the meat?

      Hi Jessica, we haven't tried that in this recipe.

    • Nicole

      Superbowl Party. 50 guests. Doing a self serve taco bar. Will this recipe work in a slow cooker using a large brisket?

      It should work fine in a slow cooker. We haven't tried it with brisket. Brisket is much leaner so it won't turn out quite as tender as using the roast.

    • Leigh

      This is such a keeper! So good. We used it on sheet pan nachos and in some breakfast quesadillas. Cant wait to try it as a pizza topping. Will use some thickened broth in place of marinara.

      Thanks Leigh, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Abigail

      Holy Moly this was amazing. Even my 18 month old toddler inhaled it AND tipped her bowl of sauce up to drink it. We skipped the chili de arbol (added an extra each of the others) since we were making it for the toddler and it still turned out perfect. This is officially going on the meal rotation!

      Thanks Abigail, we are so happy the whole family loved it!

    • Christina

      Love it!

      Thanks Christina, so glad you loved it!

    • Shelby

      Such a great recipe - I have made this both in the oven and the crock pot... both turn out great! If doing this in the crock pot, I leave it on low for 8ish hours and the beef is perfectly tender.

      Thanks Shelby, so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Sarah

      Delicious! My partner said easily top 3 for things I’ve cooked. I added smoked paprika and smoked chili flakes, but otherwise followed exactly.

      That's awesome! We are so glad you both love it!