Slow Cooker Birria

4.68 from 50 votes

Made from tender cuts of beef and a Mexican-inspired sauce that's full of richness and warming flavor, Slow Cooker Birria is guaranteed to please. Enjoy in its original form as a stew or use to make those infamous birria tacos!

Prep Time40

Cook Time5

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Low Lactose

Keyword: crockpot birria tacos recipe, slow cooker birria tacos

Servings:

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Kristina Tipps

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lbs beef chuck roast *see notes
2 lbs beef short ribs *see notes
6 cups beef broth
8 dried guajillo chiles stems removed and seeded
6 large tomatoes halved
1 large sweet onion halved
6 garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 bay leaves
cheddar cheese shredded, for serving
fresh cilantro leaves for serving
30 corn tortillas optional

Instructions

Crock Pot Method

Option 1: Add all ingredients except for the meat, cilantro and cheese to the slow cooker and set it to high. Cook for 1 hour, then transfer to a blender (discard the bay leaves as these are not digestible). Blend on high speed until smooth, about 60-90 seconds.
Option 2: Add all ingredients except for meat, cheese and cilantro to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a blender (discard the bay leaves) and blend on high speed until smooth.
Put the beef chuck roast and beef short ribs into the slow cooker. Pour the blended birria sauce over the meat. Stir and cover. Set to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Remove bones from the sauce and the meat and discard. Use two forks to shred beef, discarding the fat if desired. Put the shredded meat back into the slow cooker with the sauce and mix well.
Serve plain with extra sauce, shredded cheese, cilantro and diced onions or follow the steps below to make birria tacos.

Stovetop Method

Add all ingredients except for meat, cheese and cilantro to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat. Discard the bay leaves and transfer to a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Add the beef chuck roast and beef ribs to the stock pot. Pour the blended sauce in the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Remove bones from the sauce and the meat and discard. Use two forks to shred beef, discarding the fat if desired. Put the shredded meat back into the pot with the sauce and mix well.
Serve plain with extra sauce, shredded cheese, cilantro and diced onions or follow the steps below to make birria tacos.

Optional Birria Tacos

Pour a good amount of birria sauce into a bowl large enough to fit a small corn tortilla. Then warm 3-4 tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds (you'll need to work in batches).
One by one, dip the tortillas into the sauce and lay them flat on a heated griddle. Layer one side with shredded cheese, shredded meat and cilantro. Let cook for 1 minute over medium heat, then fold over to close the taco. Allow to fry for a few minutes before carefully flipping and frying for a few more minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Notes

Meat: this recipe calls for part beef chuck roast and part beef short ribs. Chuck roast is great for slow cooker stews like this, and it's pretty easy to find. I always suggest using a tender bone-in beef cut like ribs to add lots of flavor to the broth from the bones. But you could use all chuck roast if you'd like.

Nutrition