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    Beef Birria Recipe

    Updated May 23, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Though birria is traditionally made with goat meat, this easy, slow-cooked beef birria recipe is a LOT easier to make at home. Full of Mexican chiles and spices, it’s a stewy braise that satisfies.

    a bowl of homemade shredded beef birria topped with chopped onion and cilantro next to tortillas for serving

    Our Beef Birria Chile-Loaded and Versatile

    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 birria recipe 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! 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.. 

    Similar to Barbacoa Beef, it’s rich with chilies and cozy, warm spices like cinnamon and ginger, birria is a stew-y braised meat dish that’s most authentically made with goat meat, but beef birria (or ”birria de res”) has become popular, too. It’s a lot easier to find beef than goat meat here in the U.S. so that’s why our birria recipe uses beef. Serve the birria in our cheesy Birria Tacos 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: 

    • 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 because it’s nicely marbled, and falls apart after a long time in the oven. Plus, it’s not usually too expensive.
    • 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 six times as hot as a jalapeño!). Look for dried chiles in the same area where you’d find other Mexican ingredients, like canned chipotles and Tajin. 
    • Dried herbs and spices: Cinnamon, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, ginger 
    • Onions & garlic
    • Beef stock
    • Fire-roasted tomatoes
    • Vinegar
    seeded, dried chiles being toasted in a dry skillet to use for beef birria
    seeded, dried chiles that were toasted in a dry skillet now soaking in water to soften
    pieces of chuck roast seasoned with salt and pepper being browned in a dutch oven
    onion, garlic and spices cooking in a dutch oven

    How to Make Birria

    If you’ve ever made a braised beef dish, like regular Pot Roast or Mississippi Pot Roast, 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 the beef 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 AKA broth base! There should be some fat and oil left in the pan from searing the beef, and 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: Add the seeded, soaked and drained chiles. Blend with an immersion blender! If you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work, it’ll just be a little more work to transfer the braising liquid to the blender and back again. 
    5. Pour your chile sauce over all of the beef into a Dutch oven, and cook for about 4 hours, until the meat is falling apart.
    ingredients for birria sauce cooking in a dutch oven including onion, garlic and spices
    a blender filled with birria sauce ingredients, including dried red chilies, onion, spices, beef broth and white vinegar
    a blender full of smooth, rich, velvety birria sauce ready to go on beef
    Browned chuck roast in a large pot, generously covered with rich, red birria sauce, ready to be slow-cooked

    How To Serve 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 making Birria Tacos. 
    a bowl of homemade shredded beef birria on the counter
    a bowl of homemade shredded beef birria topped with chopped onion and cilantro next to tortillas for serving

    More Rich & Beefy Braises

    a bowl of homemade shredded beef birria topped with chopped onion and cilantro next to tortillas for serving

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    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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    Beef Birria Recipe

    Updated May 23, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

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

    Though birria is traditionally made with goat meat, this easy, slow-cooked beef birria recipe is a LOT easier to make at home. Full of Mexican chiles and spices, it’s a stewy braise that satisfies.

    Ingredients

    • 2 dried ancho chiles
    • 2 dried guajillo chiles
    • 3 dried chiles de árbol
    • 1 (3 pound) chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch pieces
    • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 medium white onion, quartered
    • 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 fire roasted diced tomatoes

    For Serving

    • Chopped white onion
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Corn or flour 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.

      Beef Birria 2

    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.

      Beef Birria Recipe 3

    3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third position. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with the salt and pepper.

      Beef Birria Recipe 4

    4. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is smoking, work in batches, adding the beef, and cooking, until browned on all sides, about 15-18 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

      Beef Birria Recipe 4

    5. Add the onion 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 and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute more.

      Beef Birria Recipe 5

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

      ingredients for birria sauce cooking in a dutch oven including onion, garlic and spices

    7. Drain the softened chilis (discarding the soaking water). Add the chilis and the canned tomatoes to the sauce. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth, directly in the pan. (Alternatively, transfer the ingredients to a blender, let cool briefly, blend until nearly smooth, and then return the sauce to the pan.) 

      a blender full of smooth, rich, velvety birria sauce ready to go on beef

    8. Return the beef (along with any collected juices) to the Dutch oven, nestling it into the sauce. Cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook in the oven, until the beef is tender and can be pulled apart easily with a fork, about 2½ hours. 

      Beef Birria Recipe 9

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

      a bowl of homemade shredded beef birria on the counter

    10. Serve with the remaining sauce/broth in bowls garnished with chopped onion and cilantro. Alternatively top the tortillas with the beef, use as a filling for quesadillas, or try our Birria Tacos. 

      Beef Birria in a bowl topped with chopped onions and cilantro surrounded by tortillas and bowls of extra cilantro and onions

    Notes

    1. While toasting the chilis turn on your kitchen fan and open a window as it can create a very spicy aroma in the air. 
    2. If you don't have a Dutch oven, use a large skillet to brown the beef and onions and sauce. After blending the sauce, transfer the contents to a large baking dish, add the beef, covered tightly with aluminum foil and cook according to instructions. Check on the sauce halfway through and add 1 more cup of stock if it seems to be evaporating too quickly. 

    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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    • Hanna

      Is this very spicy? I know obviously it contains chilis and I like some spice, however was wondering if it would be too spicy for young kids. Thank you

      It's not super spicy but feel free to use less chiles if you are worried about the spice level. hope you enjoy!

    • 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.

    • A.

      This has been a favorite recipe of ours for a while. I triple this recipe and freeze portions. Then pop the portions, along with a little water and bay leaves in the slow cooker when I am ready to make it. I added some cilantro stems once because I needed to use them. Wonderful! I needed to use a jalapeño once so I sliced into the body of it, kept it whole, tossed on top of the chuck. Again, wonderful. Those are the only 2 times I have strayed from the recipe, both being within the same flavor profile. Thanks again for another keeper!

      Thanks Rebecca, glad you loved it!

    • Clare

      My husband loves Mexican food and I think this is his new favorite recipe. It came together easily and directions were great. Good thing Costco sells chuck roasts in pairs. We will definitely be making this one again and soon.

      YAY! So glad you both loved it Clare!

    • Devaki

      Sooo flavorful and delicious! The whole family loved it. Not too spicy. I could not find Guajillo peppers, so I had to use 4 ancho. I'll try this again once I find the guajillo. Thank you for the great recipe!

      Thanks Devaki, glad you all loved it!

    • Danna

      Was perfect! For rave reviews from my guests. I prefer without cinnamon (personal preference). Making again next week.

      Thanks Danna, we are so glad you and your guests loved it!

    • 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!