Slow Cooker Birria Recipe | Easy Birria Tacos & Consommé

Everyday BBQ original: This slow cooker birria recipe was created for Everyday BBQ & Cooking rather than for a client brand.

This is one of my favorite ways to make birria at home because the slow cooker does most of the work. Chuck roast cooks low and slow with beef broth, chiles and spices until it is fall-apart tender, then the cooking liquid becomes the base for the consommé and those crispy, cheesy birria tacos.

Slow Cooker Birria Ingredients

Beef

• About 6 lb fresh chuck roast
• Garlic salt, for seasoning
• Avocado oil or another high-heat oil, for searing
• About 4 cups beef broth, depending on the size and shape of your slow cooker

Spices

• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup cumin
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/4 cup garlic powder or minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• Pinch of cinnamon

Aromatics and Chiles

• Handful chopped cilantro, optional
• 2 to 3 large onions, quartered
• About 10 dried chile de árbol peppers, stems removed
• 1 dried guajillo pepper, stem removed

For the Birria Tacos

• Corn or flour tortillas
• Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese
• Avocado oil
• Optional: finely diced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper

How to Make Slow Cooker Birria

1. Set the slow cooker to low. Add enough beef broth to cover the bottom by about 1/4 inch.
2. Cut the chuck roast into large chunks. Season generously on all sides with garlic salt.
3. Heat a frying pan over high heat with avocado oil. Sear the beef on all sides until a good crust develops, then transfer each piece to the slow cooker.
4. Deglaze the frying pan with a little beef broth and pour all of that flavor into the slow cooker.
5. Add the chili powder, cumin, black pepper, garlic salt, garlic powder or minced garlic, Mexican oregano and cinnamon over the beef. Pour in more beef broth to help the spices mix into the liquid. I usually use about 4 cups total.
6. Lay the cilantro, onions, chile de árbol peppers and guajillo pepper on top. Do not stir them in.
7. Cover and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours, or until the beef is fork- and shred-tender.
8. Remove the onions, peppers and cilantro. Put them in a blender with some of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker and gently stir.
9. After about 30 minutes, remove the beef to a large bowl. Shred it with two forks and discard any undesirable pieces of fat. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker.
10. Turn the slow cooker to warm and let the shredded beef soak in the consommé for about 1 hour.

How to Fry Birria Tacos

1. Heat a clean frying pan over medium heat with a little avocado oil.
2. Dip both sides of a tortilla into the layer of flavorful fat on top of the slow cooker, then place it in the pan.
3. Fry briefly on the first side, flip, then add cheese first followed by birria beef and any other toppings you want.
4. Fold the taco closed and fry for about 30 seconds per side, or until crisp and melted to your liking.

Serve the tacos with a bowl of the consommé for dipping. I also like a simple mixture of finely diced onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper either inside the tacos or on the side.

Birria Tips

• Get a real sear on the chuck roast before it goes into the slow cooker. That browned crust adds another layer of flavor.
• Keep the onions and dried chiles on top during the long cook so they are easy to remove and blend later.
• Give the shredded beef time to soak back in the cooking liquid before making the tacos.
• Dip the tortillas in the flavorful fat from the top of the cooker before frying for the classic crisp, deep color and flavor.

BBQ for the everyday family.