When it comes to taco night, these Quesabirria Tacos are an amazing recipe! It starts with our birria recipe and then dunks tortillas in the rich broth before frying them filled with cheese and shredded beef! It’s messy and delicious, and it may level up your taco night forever!
Birria has taken the country by storm. This humble Mexican stew, a traditional Mexican dish made with goat meat, has become a common dish all over the place. Not only the stew but the juicy tender meat, which is cooked low and slow in chilis, is used in all sorts of tasty dishes like beef birria garnachas, birria quesadillas, and these beef birria tacos, aka Quesabirria Tacos.
Imagine a crispy corn tortilla packed with succulent, juicy, and spicy meat with plenty of cheese oozing out and getting crisp in the pan. Can you taste it? But wait, there’s more! The rich sauce is served on the side for dunking, making these fun AND delicious to eat.
The recipe starts with authentic Mexican Birria, a meaty beef stew that we make from a tough and inexpensive cut of meat. Be sure to start the birria at least the day before because it cooks low and slow for hours. Or you could skip the Dutch oven and make Instant Pot birria, slow cooker birria, or pulled smoked chuck roast instead.
WHAT ARE QUESABIRRIA TACOS?
Queso means cheese, so you guessed it, these tasty beefy tacos are loaded with melted cheese. We use Oaxaca cheese, which is like a fresh Monterey Jack cheese. It has a mild, creamy flavor and a bit of a salty tang that goes well with these tacos.
You can find this cheese in many local grocery stores and, for sure, at Latin markets. It’s perfect in this cheesy taco quesabirria recipe.
QUESABIRRIA TACOS INGREDIENTS
What do you need to make Quesabirria Tacos? You’ll need to start with the meat from the Mexican Birria stew, also known as birria de res. You’ll also need these ingredients for cheesy birria tacos:
- Beef broth from the birria recipe is used for dunking the tacos, kind of like a French dip sandwich that you dunk in au jus before biting. Don’t skip the dipping sauce!
- Fresh corn tortillas – We tested this recipe with homemade psyllium husk tortillas to make these keto birria tacos. They didn’t hold up as well, but they did get the job done. If you’re not doing low-carb, stick with regular white or yellow corn tortillas.
- Oaxaca cheese – Shredded Oaxaca cheese is our first pick for these tacos.
- Lime wedges – a squeeze of fresh lime puts these tacos over the top!
And because we’re all about flavor, we’re topping these birria tacos with a delish onion topping and chipotle crema. To make these, you’ll need:
- Onion – Fresh yellow or white onion. If you don’t care for sharp onion flavor, opt for a sweet onion.
- Jalapeno – Because it’s all about the spice! Remove the seeds and chop them finely.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds so much flavor!
- Adobo sauce – You’ll find this in the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. You need some of the paste. Toss the chipotles into a baggie and pop them in the freezer to use later.
Crema – Sold as crema, you can also make your own by combining sour cream with heavy cream and lime juice until it’s smooth and pourable.
How to Make Beef Birria Tacos
Seriously, we’re in love with these homemade birria tacos, and you will be, too! Once you’ve got the birria meat cooked and shredded, this birria taco recipe is easy.
To make the onion topping, mince the onion and mix it with the cilantro and finely diced jalapeno. Add a pinch of salt.
Make the chipotle crema: blend the adobo sauce with the crema and lime juice.
Assemble the tacos by reheating the beef birria meat (the microwave is fine) and reheat the broth in a small pan on the stove.
Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush oil over the surface.
Dunk the tortillas in the birria broth to coat them and place them in the hot pan.
Fill the tacos with shredded beef and cheese and fold them over. Fry them until they’re golden brown on one side, then flip them and fry them on the other side until the cheese melts.
Top them with the diced onion mixture and chipotle crema and serve them with a side of consomé (hot broth) for dipping and a squeeze of lime juice.
