Crock Pot Birria Tacos are so flavorful with tender, pull apart beef and a smoky, spicy Consume sauce. These Shredded Birria Beef Tacos cook in the slow cooker all day and are ready for dinner. Pair them with crispy fried corn tortillas for the best tacos!
These Slow Cooker Birria Tacos are one of my favorite crockpot recipes to make for the family on busy weeknights. It does require about 20 minutes of prep work in the morning, but it's totally worth it.
Even my youngest loved these and she isn't big on spicy. She loaded a lot of sour cream on her tacos to dull the spice down a bit, but she chowed them down.
These are a really fun way to spice up Taco Tuesday a bit and add something new to the weekly dinner rotation.
For more Crock pot recipes, try this Sirloin Tip Roast in the Crock Pot and Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas.
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What is Birria?
Birria is a Mexican dish, traditionally made with goat or lamb. It is now more often made with beef, like chuck roast or even short ribs.
Birria cooks low and slow in a sauce, called Consume, which is made from Beef broth or stock with lots of peppers, and tomatoes.
The Birria beef is then loaded onto tacos and dipped into the consume sauce, with the tortilla often dunked into the consume mixture.
Personally, I prefer frying the tortillas, loading the tacos, then dipping into the consume to avoid the corn tortilla from falling apart.
Why You'll Love These Tacos 🌮:
- Made in the Crock Pot! This traditional recipe is made a lot simpler when you can cook it in the slow cooker all day.
- Packed with Flavor. These Crock Pot Birria Tacos are loaded with flavors of spicy and smoky from the combination of peppers. Get ready for an experience!
- Tender Beef. The slow cooked chuck roast cooks all day low and slow for a pull apart texture that loads onto tacos so well.
- A Fresh Take on Taco Night. If your taco night always looks the same, spice things up a bit and try something new.
- Healthy. Chuck roast is loaded with protein and iron, plus there are lots of veggies added into the sauce and you can top your tacos with more.
Looking for more flavor packed taco recipes? Try these Baja Shrimp Tacos, Baked Crispy Chicken Tacos and Walking Taco Casserole.
Slow Cooker Birria Ingredients 🌶️:
Not Pictured: Vegetable Oil for Frying Corn Tortillas, which is optional.
Chuck Roast: Beef that comes from the shoulder area. It's pretty lean and tough, but becomes very tender after cooking for 10 hours. This cut of meat is commonly used for pot roasts.
Beef Stock: I recommend using beef stock versus beef broth for its richer flavors and deeper color. The Kitchen Basics brand is so tasty and has a nice amount of salt in it. If you use another brand, you may need to add a bit more salt to the recipe.
Ancho Chilis: Authentic Mexican Peppers are ridiculously hard to find in local stores near me. These ones are the most common and have a mild spice, which I love. They also have really deep flavors. Look for them in the international isle, or by the fresh produce.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Big on smoky heat and blend really well in the sauce. You can find these in a small jar in the international isle usually near the enchilada sauce.
Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes: Enhances the flavor of the consume sauce and adds acidity to help tenderize the meat.
Onion, Garlic, Cilantro: Added to the pepper paste to bring some different flavor profiles. I also like adding fresh onion and cilantro over the tacos before serving for a simple touch to add taste and textures.
Corn Tortillas: Fried in oil and provide the perfect crunch and stable shell for these tacos. Perfect for dipping into the sauce!
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions for this Birria Recipe:
The consume sauce is what holds most of the heat, so if you have little kids, pull most of the sauce out and they should be fine with the heat levels. You can also just add about ¼ jar of the Chipotles in Adobo sauce, which is where most the heat comes from.
Love Spicy? Add in the whole 7 ounce can of Chipotles in Adobo sauce.
Other popular peppers to use in Birria are Guajillo peppers, which have medium heat. I couldn't find them in any of our local grocery stores, but if you find them, you can use a mix between those and the Ancho chiles. They will be a bit spicier than Ancho chiles.
Different meats can be used for birria, like Lamb Shoulder, Boneless Beef Short Ribs and even goat. Cooking times may vary a bit with these other meats, but should be pretty similar if they are between 2-3 lbs.
Pair these Tacos with Tajin Margaritas, a Blue Mojito, or Strawberry Lime Margaritas.
How to Make Crock Pot Birria Tacos (Step by Step Instructions):
Step 1: Remove stems and seeds from dehydrated ancho chiles.
Step 2: Place them in a small bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to soften, then drain the water and juices and transfer only the peppers to a food processor.
Step 3: In the food processor, combine ancho chiles, 3 ounces of chipotles in adobo sauce, diced tomatoes, ½ cup onion, garlic, ½ cup cilantro, and salt. Pulse until smooth.
Step 4: Place a large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat. Add in olive oil and allow to heat up for a few minutes. Place chuck roast into the dutch oven and sear the top and bottom sides for about 3 minutes each.
Step 5: Transfer the roast to the crockpot/ slow cooker. Pour pepper paste over the top of the roast.
Step 6: Add beef stock and tomato sauce to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Turn on high and cook for an another 2 hours. Note: My roast was closer to 3 lbs with these times. If it's 2 lbs, you might be able to reduce the time by an hour or so.)
Step 7: Carefully remove the roast from the crock pot and transfer to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the beef.
Step 8: Return the shredded meat to the sauce.
Step 9: (Optional) Place a medium skillet on the stovetop over medium heat with ¼ cup vegetable oil. Allow the oil to really heat up for a few minutes, but not smoking. Slowly add the corn tortilla corner and listen for a sizzle. If it's not sizzling, it's not ready yet. When it's sizzling, cook each side for 25-35 seconds. Fold in half into a taco shape and place on a paper towel lined plate or tortilla warmer. Repeat with all the shells.
Step 10: To serve, use a slotted spoon to spoon the birria from the crockpot to load into the tacos. Top with cilantro, onion and fresh lime juice.
Step 11: Serve the consume (sauce from the crockpot) on the side for dipping the tacos into. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Don't pull the roast from the crockpot until it is fork tender and easily pulled apart. This could take more or less time than listed depending on your crockpot (Also, if you buy a 2 lb roast, it will cook faster than a 3 lb roast)
- Make sure to remove the seeds and stems from the dried peppers before pouring over the boiling water and adding to the pot to avoid too much spice and seeds in the sauce.
- Give the ingredients a lot of good pulses in the food processor to blend the sauce into a puree.
Big on Mexican Flavors? Try this Chicken Chorizo Paella, Blackstone Chicken Fajitas and Mango Habanero Salsa.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! I haven't tested the recipe, but I suggest searing it in a large dutch oven, and following the prep steps, then transfer covered with lid, into the oven at 250 degrees and bake until pull apart tender. It will most likely take less time, and I would check the texture around 4 hours, then continue to check every hour until it's nice and tender.
The traditional answer is corn tortillas. I really like to fry them in a bit of oil to crisp them up. If you like flour tortillas, they would taste amazing with birria too, it's just not as authentic.
The sauce for birria tacos is called consume, and combines the flavors from beef stock with tomatoes. It's spicy and smoky from the combination of peppers and is thin like a soup broth.
Store the meat separate from the consume sauce in two sealed containers in the fridge. When reheating, add the beef with a quite of bit of consume sauce into a pan or pot and heat on medium low heat until warm to avoid the meat from drying out.
Absolutely! Freeze the meat separately from the sauce and vacuum seal. Use within 2 months for the best taste. This meat would taste amazing on quesadillas too, which is one of my weeknight favorites.
More Mexican Recipes You Will Love:
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Recipe
Crock Pot Birria Tacos
- Total Time: 10 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 lb roast with sauce 1x
Description
Crock Pot Birria Tacos are so flavorful with tender, pull apart beef and a smoky, spicy Consume sauce. These Shredded Birria Beef Tacos cook in the slow cooker all day and are ready for dinner. Pair them with crispy fried corn tortillas for the best tacos!
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces (about 6) Dried Ancho Chili Peppers
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 ounces of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (about ½ of a 7 ounce jar)
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 lb chuck roast (pot roast)
- 15 ounce tomato sauce
- 32 ounce Beef Stock (not broth)
- 1 package of Corn Tortillas (Enough meat for 16-20 tacos)
- Optional: ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying shells
- Optional: ½ cup minced cilantro, 1 cup finely diced onion, and lime wedges for topping
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from dehydrated ancho chiles.
- Place the chiles in a small bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to soften, then drain the water and juices and transfer only the peppers to a food processor.
- In the food processor, combine ancho chiles, 3 ounces of chipotles in adobo sauce, diced tomatoes, ½ cup onion, garlic, ½ cup cilantro, and salt. Pulse until smooth.
- Place large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat. Add in olive oil and allow to heat up for a few minutes. Place chuck roast in dutch oven and sear the top and bottom sides for about 3 minutes each.
- Transfer the roast to the crockpot/slow cooker. Pour pepper paste over the top of the roast.
- Add beef stock and tomato sauce to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Turn on high and cook for an another 2 hours. (Note: My roast was closer to 3 lbs with these times. If it's 2 lbs, you might be able to reduce the time by an hour or so.)
- Carefully remove the roast from the crock pot and transfer to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the beef.
- Return the shredded meat to the sauce in the crockpot.
- (Optional) Place a medium skillet on the stovetop over medium heat with ¼ cup vegetable oil. Allow the oil to really heat up for a few minutes, but not smoking. Slowly add the corn tortilla corner and listen for a sizzle. If it's not sizzling, it's not ready yet. When it's sizzling, cook each side for 25-35 seconds. Fold in half into a taco shape and place on a paper towel lined plate or tortilla warmer. Repeat with all the shells.
- To serve, use a slotted spoon to spoon the birria from the crockpot to load into the tacos. Top with cilantro, onion and fresh lime juice.
- Serve the consume (sauce from the crockpot) on the side for dipping the tacos into. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't pull the roast from the crockpot until it is fork tender and easily pulled apart. This could take more or less time than listed depending on your crockpot. (Also, if you buy a 2 lb roast it will cook faster than a 3 lb roast)
- Make sure to remove the seeds and stems from the dried peppers before pouring over the boiling water and adding to the pot to avoid too much spice and seeds in the sauce.
- Give the ingredients a lot of good pulses in the food processor to blend the sauce into a puree.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9-10 hours
- Category: dinner
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Holly
These were delish and even my kids loved them! Thanks for the recipe..will make again soon.
Tara Smithson
Always a success when the kiddos like it. Thanks so much for the review.