Quesabirria Recipe (Crispy Cheesy Birria Tacos with Consommé)
Easy quesabirria recipe: slow-braised chile beef, melty Oaxaca cheese and crispy tortillas dipped in rich birria consommé.
This quesabirria recipe gives you the crispy, cheesy, dip-everything taco that took over street corners in Tijuana before it took over the internet. Beef is braised low and slow in a dark red chile sauce until it falls apart, then tucked into tortillas with melting cheese and fried in the fat from the top of the stew. Every bite goes straight into a cup of hot consommé.
The name is simple: queso (cheese) plus birria. Birria itself comes from Jalisco, where it was traditionally made with goat and cooked in pits or clay pots for celebrations. The word is often explained as old slang for something worthless or messy, a joke about turning tough meat into a feast. Beef birria, called birria de res, became the classic in Tijuana, and taqueros there started adding cheese to the tacos. That cheesy version is what we now call quesabirria.
The flavour comes from dried chiles. Guajillo brings a bright, fruity red colour, ancho adds a raisin-like sweetness, and a couple of chiles de árbol bring the heat. Toasting the chiles for a few seconds wakes up their oils, and soaking them makes them easy to blend. Vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and Mexican oregano round out the adobo. Long braising turns the collagen in chuck and short rib into gelatine, which is why the consommé tastes so rich and coats your lips.
Swaps are easy. Use all chuck if you cannot find short rib, or try lamb shoulder or goat for a more traditional Jalisco taste. Oaxaca cheese melts in long strings, but low-moisture mozzarella or Monterey Jack also work. If you prefer less heat, leave out the árbol chiles. A slow cooker works too: cook on low for 8 hours. In a pressure cooker, 60 minutes at high pressure does the job.
Serve the tacos hot with a cup of consommé topped with chopped onion and cilantro, plus lime wedges and a little salsa roja on the side. Leftover birria is excellent in ramen, quesadillas or on top of rice.
Watch how it is made on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/shorts/O9KIQJQ5RNE
Watch how it is made
Ingredients
- 1200 g beef chuck, cut into large chunks
- 500 g bone-in beef short ribsSubstitute: Use more chuck, or lamb or goat for a Jalisco-style birria
- 8 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removedSubstitute: Pasilla chiles
- 3 dried chiles de árbolSubstitute: Leave out for a mild birria
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion, halved (plus extra, finely chopped, to serve)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick (Mexican canela if possible)
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oreganoSubstitute: Regular dried oregano
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1500 ml beef stock or water
- 16 corn tortillas
- 400 g Oaxaca cheese, shreddedSubstitute: Low-moisture mozzarella or Monterey Jack
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Method
- Toast and soak the chiles. Heat a dry pan over medium heat and toast the guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles for 10 to 20 seconds per side until fragrant, without burning. Cover with boiling water and soak until soft.
- Char the vegetables. In the same pan, blister the tomatoes, onion halves and garlic until spotted black in places, about 8 minutes.
- Blend the adobo. Drain the chiles and blend them with the charred vegetables, vinegar, cumin, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, 2 tsp salt and 250 ml of the stock until very smooth. Strain through a sieve for a silky sauce.
- Marinate the beef. Season the beef and short ribs with salt, coat them in the adobo and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the best flavour.
- Braise low and slow. Put the beef and all the adobo into a heavy pot with the remaining stock, the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat until the meat falls apart, about 3 to 3.5 hours.
- Shred the meat and finish the consommé. Lift out the beef, discard the bones, and shred with two forks. Skim the red fat from the top of the broth into a bowl and keep it. Taste the consommé and adjust the salt.
- Dip and fill the tortillas. Heat a griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Dip each tortilla in the reserved red fat, lay it on the griddle, add a handful of cheese and some shredded beef, then fold it in half.
- Fry until crisp. Cook the tacos for 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing gently, until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese has melted.
- Serve with consommé. Ladle hot consommé into small cups and top with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve the tacos straight away with lime wedges for squeezing and dipping.
Do not skip straining the adobo, because chile skins make the consommé gritty. Toast the chiles only until they smell good: burnt chiles turn the whole pot bitter. Birria tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead, chill it, then lift off the hardened fat and use it to fry the tortillas. Freeze leftover consommé in portions for a quick soup or ramen base.
Frequently asked questions
What is quesabirria?
Quesabirria is a birria taco with melted cheese. Corn tortillas are dipped in the red fat from beef birria, filled with cheese and shredded meat, fried until crisp and served with the consommé for dipping.
What is the difference between birria and quesabirria?
Birria is the slow-cooked chile stew itself, served in a bowl or in plain tacos. Quesabirria adds cheese and is fried crisp on a griddle, usually with the broth on the side.
What cut of beef is best for birria?
Chuck roast is the best main cut because it becomes tender and juicy. Adding bone-in short ribs or oxtail gives the consommé more body and flavour.
What cheese is used for quesabirria tacos?
Oaxaca cheese is traditional because it melts into long strings. Low-moisture mozzarella, Monterey Jack or a mix of both are good substitutes.
Can I make birria in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes. Cook it on low in a slow cooker for about 8 hours, or for 60 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot followed by a natural release.
Is quesabirria spicy?
It is more rich and smoky than very hot. Guajillo and ancho chiles are mild, and the heat comes from the chiles de árbol, which you can reduce or leave out.
