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Crockpot Mexican Birria

Crockpot Mexican birria with deep red mahogany consomé and fall-apart beef. Dried guajillo and ancho chiles are toasted, soaked, blended smooth, then simmered low for 7–8 hours until tender.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck or short ribs
  • 3 lb beef chuck or short ribs
Dried chiles and aromatics
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 1 count chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
Birria seasonings
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
For serving
  • 1 corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • 1 shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella
Seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Toast and soak the chiles
  1. Toast the dried guajillo chiles and dried ancho chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side, keeping them moving until fragrant and slightly darkened. Soak the toasted chiles in boiling water for 15 minutes until softened.
Blend the chile sauce
  1. Blend the softened chiles with the diced tomatoes, quartered onion, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and cinnamon until smooth. Transfer the blended sauce to the slow cooker-ready container.
Cook the birria
  1. Season the beef chuck or short ribs with salt and pepper to taste, then place it into the slow cooker. Pour the chile sauce over the beef so it’s mostly covered.
  2. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender and easily shreds.
Shred and crisp birria tacos
  1. Shred the beef in the consomé, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper to taste. Dip corn tortillas in the consomé, fill with shredded beef and shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella, and griddle until crispy.
Serve
  1. Serve the tacos with extra consomé for dipping and top with diced onion, cilantro, and lime. Plate immediately so the tortillas stay crisp.

Notes

For smoother sauce, blend until completely smooth before adding to the slow cooker. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze birria (beef and consomé) for up to 3 months. To make it lighter, use low-sodium beef broth and skip adding extra salt at serving.