How to Make Beef Quesa Birria Tacos
May 1, 2023
If you’re a fan of traditional Mexican cuisine, you may have heard of birria tacos. They’re a beloved dish made with tender, slow-cooked meat, traditionally goat or lamb, and served with a side of rich and flavorful broth for dipping. But have you tried the latest twist on this classic dish, the beef quesa birria taco?
The beef quesa birria taco takes the classic birria taco and adds a cheesy, crispy twist. Instead of simply serving the tender beef in a taco, it’s placed in a crispy, grilled tortilla with a generous helping of melted cheese. The result is a satisfying crunch with every bite, while still allowing the rich and flavorful beef to shine.
To make beef quesa birria tacos, you’ll need the same ingredients as traditional birria tacos: beef chuck roast, dried chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, cloves, bay leaves, and oregano. However, you’ll also need some additional ingredients for the cheese quesadilla portion, such as shredded cheese and tortillas. Once you have all your ingredients ready, you can begin preparing the beef and cheese.
How to Make Beef Birria Quesa Tacos
2 pounds short rib
3 pounds boneless shank or chuck roast or any other meat of your choice
FOR THE MARINADE:
4 Chile ancho
10 Chile guajillo
1/2 of a small white onion
2 garlic cloves — peeled
a small piece of cinnamon stick (preferably Mexican)
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
8 cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt
3/4 cup of water
Wash the dry chilies well and remove the stems and as much of the seeds as possible.
Heat a dry skillet and start toasting the chilies. Don’t pile them up. Work in batches and turn them frequently until they have a bit of char and you can smell them. Transfer them to your blender. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the water and salt) to the skillet. Char the onion and garlic and transfer to a blender. Toast all the spiced for a few minutes, until they are very fragrant, and transfer them to the blender. Be careful not to burn anything.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the blender and the salt. Blend until you have a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, go ahead and add the remaining 1/4 cup of water.
Pour it over the beef, making sure to coat it well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you want to use it the same day marinate it for at least 4 hours.
COOK THE MEAT:
1 small potato — cubed
1 carrot — peeled and sliced
1/2 – 14.5 can garbanzo beans (drained)
Add enough water to a large pot with a steamer so that the basket does not touch it. Add the potato, carrot and garbanzo beans.
Place the steamer basket into the pot and arrange all the beef inside. Make sure the water is not weeping into the basket.
Place a damp dish towel on top of the pot and cover it. Wrap the hanging towel around the lid. This will keep the steam in the pot.
Start cooking the meat on medium until the liquid starts heating up. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook the meat for 4 and 1/2 hours.
Lift the basket every hour to make sure the liquid is not drying up. If you are working on low heat you should not have a problem. If for any reason the broth dries up, add beef broth.
Once the beef is cooked, remove it from the basket and cool it down until you can shred it. Taste for salt and adjust. Mix well.
Cool down the broth until you can skim off the excess fat into a bowl.
FOR THE TACOS:
Corn tortillas
Shredded Jack or pulled Oaxaca cheese
Chopped white onion
Chopped cilantro
Lime
Heat a skillet until hot.
Dunk each tortilla in the reserved fat. Place it on the skillet. Let it cook for a minute and flip it. Place cheese and meat on half of the tortillas. Fold it like a quesadilla and cook it on one side. Flip a couple of times until the tortilla is browned and the cheese is melted.
Serve some consommé in a cup. Add some onion and cilantro to the broth. Squeeze some lime juice into the broth.
Open the tortilla and add some onion and cilantro in the middle. Squeeze some lime and fold.
Enjoy the quesa birria by dunking into the consommé. Make sure to drink the consommé. It is delicious!