Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style
This quesabirria tacos recipe crockpot style braises beef chuck in a smoky dried chile sauce until it falls apart. The meat goes into tortillas dipped in the red fat, filled with cheese and crisped on a skillet, and the sauce becomes the dipping consome.
8
servings30
minutes8
hoursChuck roast braises in a blended guajillo and ancho sauce, then gets shredded into crisp cheesy tacos served with consome.
Ingredients
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 4 large pieces
6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
1 small white onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves
16 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
Diced white onion, cilantro and lime, for serving
Directions
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Do not let them burn.
- Soak the chiles in the boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Blend the chiles with their soaking water, tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and salt until smooth.
- Season the beef with salt and place it in a 6-quart slow cooker with the bay leaves.
- Pour the sauce over the beef.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat shreds easily.
- Remove the beef, discard the bay leaves and shred the meat. Skim the red fat from the top of the sauce into a small bowl.
- Keep the sauce warm for dipping. Stir a few spoonfuls into the shredded beef.
- Dip each tortilla in the red fat and place it on a hot skillet. Add cheese and beef, fold and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Serve with onion, cilantro, lime and a bowl of warm consome.
Notes
- Beef short ribs or chuck both work. Lamb and goat are traditional options. Taste the consome and thin it with beef broth if it is too strong. Store meat and sauce separately for 4 days. Reheat the meat in sauce and crisp fresh tacos each time.
Where the flavor comes from
Quesabirria is a cheese-filled, crisped taco served with a bowl of rich red consome for dipping. The flavor comes from the dried chiles. Guajillo and ancho chiles are toasted, soaked and blended with tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and spices into a deep red sauce that cooks into the beef for eight hours. This recipe makes about 16 tacos, which feeds 6 to 8 people, and most of the work is hands-off.
The slow cooker handles the long braise, which usually takes a stovetop pot and plenty of watching. After eight hours, the chuck roast shreds easily and the sauce becomes the consome. Skim the red fat from the top. That fat is what crisps the tortillas and gives quesabirria its signature color.
Ingredient notes
Beef chuck roast: Buy a 3-pound roast with plenty of marbling. Cut it into 4 large pieces so it cooks evenly and shreds well. Short rib or brisket also work. Fat is your friend here, since it carries the chile flavor and keeps the meat moist for eight hours.
Dried guajillo chiles: They give a mild, fruity heat and a deep red color. Look for flexible, pliable chiles, not brittle ones. Cut the chiles open and shake out the seeds, since the seeds add bitterness.
Dried ancho chiles: They add a sweet, raisin-like depth. Together with the guajillos, they make a balanced, not-too-hot sauce. Both chiles keep for months in a sealed bag in a cool, dry cupboard, so buy extra for the next batch.
Fire-roasted tomatoes: A can adds smoky sweetness. Plain diced tomatoes work, but the sauce is less complex.
Oaxaca cheese: It melts into long, stretchy strands. Low-moisture mozzarella is a good substitute.
Corn tortillas: Use fresh, pliable tortillas, which crisp well without breaking. Warm them first so they fold without cracking. Look for thicker, street-taco size tortillas, because thin ones tear when they are loaded.
Tips for the best result
Toast the chiles gently: Thirty seconds per side is enough. The most common mistake is burning them, which makes the whole sauce bitter. Pull them off the heat as soon as they smell fragrant. Soak them in boiling water for 15 minutes, until they are soft and bend without cracking.
Skim the fat: Spoon the red fat from the top of the sauce into a bowl. Dip each tortilla in it before it goes on the skillet, which makes the tortillas crisp and red. Do this while the sauce is still hot, since the fat rises and is easiest to spoon off then. Keep a little aside for brushing the skillet.
Cook the tacos hot: Use a hot skillet or griddle and press the tortilla as the cheese melts. Fold it and crisp both sides for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overfill the tacos. About 2 tablespoons of cheese and 3 tablespoons of beef per tortilla is enough.
Swaps and what to avoid
Use beef short ribs for a richer pot, or a mix of chuck and short rib for more flavor. Add a dried chile de arbol for more heat. Swap the corn tortillas for flour for a softer, chewier taco. For a milder sauce, use fewer guajillos and add an extra ancho.
Do not skip the toasting and soaking steps. Blending dry chiles straight into the sauce makes it gritty and bitter. If you want a smoother consome, strain the blended sauce through a fine sieve before it goes in the slow cooker.
What to serve with it
Serve with diced white onion, cilantro and lime, plus a cup of warm consome on the side.
Storing and reheating
Store the beef and consome separately for 4 days in the fridge. Freeze the shredded beef in its sauce for 3 months, and crisp fresh tacos when you reheat. A bowl of pickled red onions and sliced radishes on the table cuts through the rich, cheesy tacos.
Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style at a glance
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cooking time: 8 hours
- Servings: 8 servings
- Ingredients: 16, led by boneless beef chuck roast, dried guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles, boiling water
Tips for Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style
Beef short ribs or chuck both work. Lamb and goat are traditional options. Taste the consome and thin it with beef broth if it is too strong. Store meat and sauce separately for 4 days. Reheat the meat in sauce and crisp fresh tacos each time.
Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style FAQ
How long does Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style take?
Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style takes 8 hours of cooking after 30 minutes of prep.
How many people does Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style serve?
This recipe makes 8 servings.
What do I need to make Quesabirria Tacos Recipe Crockpot Style?
16 ingredients, led by boneless beef chuck roast, dried guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles, boiling water. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
