Mexico

Birria de Res: Mexican Red Chile Braised Beef and Quesabirria

How to make birria de res, Mexico's beef braised in a dried-chile adobo, at home: guajillo and ancho substitutes, choosing shank and chuck, a slow simmer until the meat falls apart, quesabirria tacos, heat control, storage, troubleshooting and what to do with leftover consomé.

This recipe was translated from the Japanese original by the Sekai Gohan editorial team. Read the original (Japanese)

  • Prep40 min
  • Cook3 hr 10 min
  • Total3 hr 50 min
  • Serves4 servings
  • LevelIntermediate

Mexican birria de res: shredded beef in red consomé with corn tortillas and lime

The story of birria de res: carrying red chile aroma into the meat

A table set with red braised beef, corn tortillas, lime and chopped onion for birria de res
Birria comes alive at the table when you ladle the consomé into small bowls and use tortillas to scoop up the meat

Split open a dried chile and the kitchen fills with a sweet smell, almost like raisins. It isn't a hot smell; it's deep and red. Combine that with tomato, garlic, vinegar and spices, then braise beef in it slowly. The red fat that floats up when you lift the lid, and the steam rising from meat that falls apart at a touch, are the best moments of birria de res.

Birria de res is a Mexican red stew: beef marinated in an adobo made from dried chiles and simmered until it is meltingly tender. Its origins are usually traced to goat dishes from in and around the state of Jalisco, and today home and street-stand versions made with beef are eaten widely. You can serve it in a bowl and sip the consomé, and in recent years another way has become hugely popular: quesabirria, cheese-filled tortillas dipped in the red fat and griddled.

The two things that trip people up at home are the dried chiles and the cut of beef. With guajillo, ancho and chile de árbol on hand you get the aroma quickly, but you won't always have all three. This recipe gives both the blend for when you have the chiles and realistic substitutes for days when you don't. Among Mexico's red dishes, pozole rojo (in Japanese) is a big pot of hominy soup, tinga de pollo is chicken stewed with chipotle, and mole poblano (in Japanese) is a rich sauce for celebrations. Birria is different from all of them: you eat the beef's fat together with a red consomé built on dried chiles.

About the name

In Spanish it is written birria de res; res means beef. In Japanese the name is spelled several ways, and this article uses birria de res throughout. The cheese-filled, griddled taco version is called quesabirria or quesatacos de birria.

Choosing dried chiles and beef: what to keep and what to swap

Guajillo, ancho, chile de árbol, paprika and oregano laid out to compare color and shape
Dried chiles bring color, sweet aroma and a light bitterness, not just heat. When substituting, think about each role separately

Tomato alone won't make birria red. Lightly toasting the dried chiles, soaking them in hot water and blending them into a smooth adobo is what carries the red aroma through the whole pot. Scorched chiles leave bitterness behind, so the key is to stop once you've "woken up" the aroma rather than toasting them hard.

A mix of shank, chuck and short rib (or plate) is the easiest way to go. Shank alone gives strong flavor but little fat; chuck alone is easy to eat but makes a thinner consomé. Adding a little short rib brings red fat to the surface and makes the tortillas toasty when you griddle them. If you don't like it fatty, skim the surface after cooking and keep only 2 tablespoons of fat.

Core element Role in Mexico Practical option Notes on substituting
Guajillo Red color, light acidity, fruitiness Latin American grocers, online Without it, increase the paprika, but the aroma will be weaker
Ancho Dried-fruit sweetness and depth Latin American grocers, online If you leave it out, add a few raisins for sweetness
Chile de árbol Sharp heat A little ground red chile Too much makes the whole stew painfully hot
Mexican oregano Herbal aroma close to citrus Mediterranean oregano works too Thyme or basil takes it in a different direction
Beef shank and chuck Meat that shreds after a long braise Combine shank, chuck and short rib Thinly sliced beef gives a thin consomé and doesn't shred the same way
Corn tortillas Hold the meat and consomé Store-bought corn tortillas, or flour tortillas Bread or rice are fine as a home meal, but the dish changes shape
Paprika alone leans toward "red beef stew"

On days without dried chiles, get close with paprika, a little ground red chile, raisins and vinegar. You won't get the aroma of guajillo or ancho skins, though. Rather than aiming for a perfect replica the first time, using even one kind of dried chile makes it much easier to capture what birria is about.

Ingredients: 4 servings of red stew, plus tacos

Beef shank, chuck, dried chiles, tomato, onion, garlic, spices and corn tortillas laid out for birria
Gather the beef, dried chiles, tomato, onion, vinegar and spices first, and the flavor stays on track through the long braise

This makes 4 servings as a stew, or about 8 small quesabirria tacos. If you're saving some for the next day, store the meat and consomé separately; they're easier to use that way.

Beef and seasoning

Ingredient Amount Substitutes & notes
Beef shank 500 g 4 cm (1 1/2 in) cubes. Brings flavor to the braise
Beef chuck 400 g 4 cm cubes. Gives tender, shreddable meat
Beef short rib or plate (boneless) 200 g 4 cm cubes. If you don't like fat, use more chuck instead
Salt 1 1/2 tsp Rub directly onto the meat
Black pepper 1/2 tsp Coarsely ground
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp For searing

Chile adobo

Ingredient Amount Substitutes & notes
Guajillo chiles 5 If unavailable, add 2 tbsp paprika
Ancho chiles 2 If unavailable, add 1 tbsp raisins
Chile de árbol 1 Leave out if you don't like heat. A pinch of ground red chile also works
Tomatoes 2 (about 300 g) 200 g canned diced tomatoes also works
Onion 1 (about 200 g) Half is charred, half goes into the braise
Garlic 5 cloves Peeled
Apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp Or 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
Ground cumin 1 tsp Too much makes it taste like taco meat
Dried oregano 1 tsp Mexican oregano is ideal
Cinnamon stick 1/2 Or 1/6 tsp ground cinnamon
Cloves 2 If ground, just a tiny amount
Bay leaves 2 Can be left out
Beef stock or water 900 ml About 3 3/4 cups. If using beef bouillon granules, reduce the salt
Chile soaking liquid 150 ml About 2/3 cup. Don't use it if it smells burnt

Finishing and quesabirria

Ingredient Amount Substitutes & notes
Corn tortillas 8 Flour tortillas also work. About 15 cm (6 in) across
Melting cheese 160 g Instead of Oaxaca cheese. Mozzarella-style cheese works well
White onion 1/2 Diced into 5 mm (1/4 in) pieces
Cilantro 20 g Scallions if you don't like cilantro
Limes 2 Lemon also works
Salt About 1/2 tsp To adjust at the end
Allergies and food safety

This dish contains beef and dairy (cheese), and some store-bought tortillas may contain wheat. Wash any tools that touched raw meat with detergent and keep them away from cooked meat and tortillas. The beef is cooked until it shreds, but if you taste the cooking liquid partway through, make sure it has come to a full boil first.

Method: don't scorch the chiles, and braise until the meat falls apart

Spend the first 30 minutes focused on the dried chiles and searing the beef. Once that's done, it's a dish of waiting over low heat. Burnt chiles can't be rescued, but a thin consomé or too much fat can be fixed later.

  1. Open up the dried chiles

    10 min

    Remove the stems from the dried chiles, slit them lengthwise, and take out the seeds and thick veins. No heat is used in this step. Tear the guajillos into 3 cm (1 1/4 in) pieces and the anchos into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) pieces, discarding any cracked skin or bits that look blackened. Chile de árbol is very hot, so if you want to keep the heat down, use only half of it here. Leaving a lot of seeds in makes the stew hotter and more bitter.

    Opening dried chiles, removing seeds and veins, and tearing the red skins into large pieces
    Remove the seeds and veins before using the chiles. Tearing them into large pieces makes scorched spots easier to spot

  2. Lightly toast the chiles and aromatics

    8 min

    Heat a skillet over medium-low for 2 minutes, then lay the chiles in one at a time with no oil. Toast 10 to 15 seconds per side and pull them out as soon as they're fragrant and slightly pliable. Stop before they smoke. In the same skillet, cook the halved tomatoes, 1/2 onion cut into 2 cm (3/4 in) wedges and the garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, until lightly browned on the surface and the tomato skins just start to split. Put the chiles in a bowl, pour over 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) boiling water and let them soak for 15 minutes.

    Toasting dried chiles, tomato, onion and garlic in a dry pan to release their aroma
    10 to 15 seconds per side is plenty for the chiles. Take them out before they smoke and they're less likely to turn bitter

  3. Blend the adobo until smooth

    7 min

    Put the soaked chiles, the tomatoes, onion and garlic from the previous step, the apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves and 150 ml of the chile soaking liquid into a blender. Blend on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 1 minute 30 seconds, until you have a red paste with no large flecks of skin. No heat is used in this step. It should fall slowly from a spoon and feel thick rather than gritty. If the blades spin freely, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.

    Blending soaked chiles, charred tomato, onion and garlic into a red adobo
    Blend the adobo until the skin flecks disappear. A gritty adobo makes the consomé heavy

  4. Sear the beef

    12 min

    Cut the shank, chuck and short rib into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) cubes and season all over with the salt and black pepper. Put 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy pot and heat over medium-high for 2 minutes. Don't crowd the pot: sear the beef in 2 batches, 2 minutes per side. You're looking for a deep brown crust on the surface and browned bits left on the bottom of the pot. This step isn't meant to cook the meat through, so once the outside is seared, transfer it to a plate.

    Searing beef shank and chuck over medium-high heat in a heavy pot
    Don't crowd the meat; brown the surface. The browned bits on the bottom of the pot dissolve into the consomé

  5. Combine the adobo and stock

    6 min

    Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 1/2 onion, thinly sliced, and sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the adobo and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. When the red sauce bubbles and turns glossy as it blends with the oil, add the 900 ml beef stock or water and the bay leaves. Once the liquid boils, return the meat to the pot and skim off only the large patches of scum on the surface.

    Pouring red adobo and stock into the pot of seared beef and bringing it to a bubble
    Bring the adobo to a boil in the pot first, scrape up the browned bits from the beef, then add the stock

  6. Braise over low heat until falling apart

    2 hr 30 min

    Once it boils, turn the heat to low, set the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes. Keep it at a gentle simmer with small bubbles rising quietly; don't let it boil hard. Turn the meat over just twice along the way, and if the tops of the pieces poke out of the liquid, add water 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) at a time. It's done when a skewer slides in with no resistance, the chuck pulls apart along the grain, and the sinew in the shank has turned translucent and soft. If using the oven, cover and cook at 150°C (300°F) for about 2 hours 30 minutes.

    Beef simmering gently in red consomé with fat floating on top
    Keep the bubbles small. A hard boil tightens the meat and clouds the consomé

  7. Shred the meat and adjust the consomé

    10 min

    Turn off the heat, lift the meat onto a tray and let it rest for 5 minutes. No extra cooking happens in this step. Pull the meat roughly into 1 cm (1/2 in) shreds with two forks, removing only the large pieces of fat. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the red fat floating on the pot, and skim off the rest as much as you like. Return the meat to the pot and warm it over low heat for 3 minutes; when steam rises from the meat and the consomé is bubbling gently again, season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. The consomé should be strong enough that you can taste salt and acidity even when you sip it without meat.

    Roughly shredding the braised beef with forks and returning it to the red consomé
    Don't shred the meat too fine; pieces about 1 cm wide keep their texture inside a tortilla

  8. Griddle into tacos

    10 min

    Heat a skillet over medium for 2 minutes and spread 1 teaspoon of the reserved red fat thinly over it. Lightly touch one side of a tortilla to the fat on the surface of the consomé and lay it in the pan. Top with 20 g cheese and 60 g shredded meat, fold in half, and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side. You want the surface glossy red, the edges lightly crisp, and the cheese melted enough to hold the meat together. Serve with chopped onion, cilantro, lime and hot consomé.

    Griddling a red-fat-coated tortilla filled with beef and cheese into quesabirria
    Coat the tortilla lightly in red fat before griddling. Don't overcook it; it's ready when the edges are lightly crisp
Making it a day ahead: stop after braising

If you finish the braise the day before, skimming the fat the next day is much easier. Once the fat has set on the surface in the refrigerator, set aside just 3 tablespoons for quesabirria and reduce the rest to taste. On the day you serve it, warm it over low heat for 10 minutes and move the meat into tortillas before it dries out.

Troubleshooting: fixing bitter, thin or greasy birria

Birria takes time, but the causes of failure are surprisingly few: scorched chiles, boiling too hard, too little salt, and how you handle the fat. Watch those four and you can recover a lot, even partway through.

Problem Why it happens How to fix it
Bitter Chiles scorched, or soaking liquid smells burnt Don't use scorched chiles. For mild bitterness, add 100 g tomato, 1 tsp vinegar and 1/2 tsp sugar and simmer 10 minutes
Pale color Too few chiles, too much tomato and water Dissolve 2 tsp paprika in a little of the cooking liquid, return it to the pot and simmer 10 minutes
Thin consomé Meat not seared enough, not enough salt Simmer uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes to reduce, then add salt a little at a time at the end
Tough meat Boiling too hard, braising time too short Add 100 ml water and simmer 30 more minutes over low heat. Turn the heat back down so large bubbles don't form
Greasy Too much short rib, too much fat left in Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes and skim the fat from the surface. Keep only 3 tbsp for quesabirria
Tacos tear Cold tortillas, overstuffed Warm the tortillas first and use about 60 g meat. Let the cheese glue it together
Too spicy Too much árbol or ground chile Take out some consomé, add 100 g tomato, 100 ml water and a little meat, and simmer 10 minutes

This is where home versions tend to fall short. If you treat birria as "the longer it cooks, the better," you'll stumble over bitter chiles and heavy fat. Toasting the chiles longer doesn't make it more authentic, and boiling hard doesn't speed up a gentle braise. Wake up the red aroma briefly, and loosen the meat quietly. Keep those two ideas separate and birria becomes very reliable in a home pot.

When the family wants different heat levels, it's safer to make the braise without árbol and add hot sauce or ground chile at the table. If the whole pot is hot, the heat comes forward even more when you reheat it the next day, and there's no taking it back for kids or anyone who doesn't like spice.

Serving and storage: save the consomé for the next day

Shredded beef and red consomé in separate storage containers, with tortillas to griddle the next day
Storing the meat and consomé separately makes them easy to use the next day in tacos, soup or with rice

On day one, eating it as a stew is the most straightforward. Put the meat in a bowl, pour in hot consomé, and add chopped onion, cilantro and lime. Warm the tortillas on a separate plate and wrap the meat a little at a time. Dip a tortilla into a small bowl of consomé and the red fat and acidity come back on your tongue.

Day two is for quesabirria. Lift the meat lightly out of the liquid, tuck it into tortillas with cheese and griddle. Warm the consomé in a small bowl and dip the griddled tacos in it. Without cheese, use a little less meat and double up the tortillas so they're less likely to tear.

Plan on 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 weeks in the freezer. To store, separate the meat and consomé, cool them within 30 minutes and transfer them to shallow containers. For freezing, divide into single portions of about 150 g meat and 120 ml consomé, which work well for both tacos and soup. Reheat in a small pot over low heat for 10 minutes, or in a 600 W microwave for 2 minutes, stir everything, then 1 more minute. Make sure it's hot all the way through.

If you have consomé left over, don't throw it out; turn it into a soup the next day. Add a little rice for a porridge-like dish, add boiled potatoes, or add beans for a soup. For a Mexican-style table, it's easier on the appetite to pair the red consomé with light beans or a salad rather than putting pozole rojo (in Japanese) next to it. If you'd like to compare a different take on roasted beef flavor, Brazilian churrasco (in Japanese) or Peruvian anticuchos (in Japanese) show how differently the same beef can be cooked.

Latin American dishes to make alongside

Birria de res is a rich dish, so it's easier to eat when the rest of the table adds lightness with acidity, beans and corn. For an all-Mexican spread, make tinga de pollo first to get to know the aroma of chipotle, and you'll understand how birria's dried chiles differ. To compare another meat dish eaten with tortillas, tacos al pastor, cooked with red adobo and pineapple, is a good contrast. On days with a run of spicy dishes, a corn dough like arepas (in Japanese) on the side makes the red consomé easier to take in.

For a beef comparison, lomo saltado (in Japanese) is the opposite: birria is loosened over low heat, while lomo saltado is stir-fried quickly over high heat. Both can be made in a home kitchen, but the approach to heat is completely different. To broaden a Latin American table, rotate between a rich braise, a quick stir-fry and a corn dough, and shopping for ingredients gets easier too.

Frequently asked questions

Is it not birria unless it's made with goat?

Traditional birria from around Jalisco is often described with goat, but birria de res made with beef is now widely made as well. Goat can be hard to find, so combining beef shank, chuck and short rib is the easier way to make it at home.

I only have one kind of dried chile. Can I still make it?

Yes. Guajillo alone gives red color and lightness but not much depth, so add 1 tablespoon of raisins. Ancho alone gives sweetness but a darker color, so add 1 tablespoon of paprika. Árbol alone makes it far too hot, so don't use it as the main chile.

Can I shorten it with a pressure cooker?

Yes. Everything is the same up through searing and combining with the adobo. In a pressure cooker, cook at high pressure for 35 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then open the lid and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes to reduce. Aromas tend to get trapped in a pressure cooker, so adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar and lime at the table sharpens the flavor.

Is it lacking if I don't make cheese-filled quesabirria?

If you eat it as a stew, you don't need cheese. Cheese holds the meat together when you griddle the tortillas and adds street-stand satisfaction. If you're avoiding dairy, use less meat and griddle it in doubled tortillas so it holds together.

The consomé set solid overnight. Is that OK?

It's natural for the fat and gelatin to set in the refrigerator. Skim the surface fat as you like, and the consomé will loosen again over low heat in a small pot. If the acidity seems weak, add a little lime or vinegar after reheating.

Sources

Mexican tinga de pollo: red, smoky chipotle chicken piled on a tostada with avocado, lime, and fresh herbs
Mexico

Tinga de Pollo: Mexican Shredded Chicken in Smoky Chipotle-Tomato Sauce

Tinga de pollo is shredded chicken simmered with tomato and chipotle, a Mexican classic with roots in Puebla. This recipe for 4 covers adjusting the heat, keeping chicken breast moist, chipotle substitutes, building tostadas, the dish's history and regional variations, plus storage and next-day ideas.