Crock Pot Birria Tacos with Cheesy Fillings Recipe

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

• 3 pounds chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce Ingredients

• 4 dried Guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 5 chipotle chilies in adobo from a can
• ½ medium white onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup honey
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can peeled crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves

Tacos

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 16 corn tortillas
• 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese
• ½ white onion, diced
• ¼ cup cilantro, minced
• Limes for garnish

Instructions

1. Season chuck roast with salt and black pepper evenly on all sides to enhance flavor.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chuck roast about 2-3 minutes per side until browned, adding more oil if necessary. This creates flavorful browned bits. Transfer the roast to a 6-quart slow cooker.
3. In a blender, combine Guajillo chilies, chipotle chilies, diced onion, garlic cloves, honey, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, coriander, and thyme. Blend until the sauce is smooth and pour over the beef in the slow cooker. Place bay leaves on top.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours until the beef is very tender and easy to shred.
5. Remove bay leaves and set aside 1 cup of the cooking liquid (birria consomé) in a bowl for dipping.
6. Using two forks, shred the beef in the slow cooker and mix it thoroughly with the sauce for full flavor.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each corn tortilla briefly into the reserved birria consomé to absorb flavor, then place 2-3 tortillas flat in the skillet at a time.
8. Sprinkle a generous layer of Oaxaca cheese over each tortilla. Add shredded beef, diced onions, and minced cilantro to one half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half to enclose fillings.
9. Cook folded tacos in the skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted. Press down gently with a spatula for crispier edges.
10. Strain remaining birria consomé through a fine-mesh strainer to remove small particles and serve hot in small bowls for dipping. Serve tacos garnished with fresh lime wedges and enjoy immediately.

Notes

• Ensure your skillet is hot before searing the chuck roast to develop deep flavor and caramelized crust.
• To avoid soggy tacos, fry each tortilla after dipping it in the consomé to maintain crispiness.
• Let Oaxaca cheese come to room temperature before using for quicker, smoother melting on the tacos.
• Press down on the outside of the tacos with a spatula while cooking to create crispy, crunchy edges.
• Use a fine-mesh strainer when straining consomé to catch small solids and keep the dipping sauce smooth.