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Quesabirria Tacos

This recipe guides you through making traditional Quesabirria Tacos, featuring tender, slow-braised goat meat (birria) in a rich, spicy chile broth. The birria is served in cheese-filled tortillas, dipped in the flavorful consomé and crisped on a griddle. It's a deeply savory dish, perfect with lime, cilantro, and the accompanying dipping broth.
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Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine south american
Servings 8 people
Calories 4664 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large Dutch Oven or Heavy-Bottomed Pot For braising the birria meat.
  • 1 Blender Essential for creating a smooth chile sauce.
  • 1 Cast-Iron Skillet or Griddle For crisping the quesabirria tacos and melting cheese.
  • 1 Fine-mesh Sieve For straining the consomé, ensuring a silky texture.
  • 1 Tongs For easily handling and flipping tacos on the griddle.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 0.5 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 4 guajillo chile peppers
  • 2 small ancho chile pepper
  • 1 chile de arbol chile peppers
  • 1 large white onion
  • 7 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 pounds goat stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 0.25 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
  • 0.25 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 16 6 inch flour tortillas
  • 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  • 1 lime cut into wedges
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Rehydrate dried chiles: Remove stems and seeds from guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles. Place them in hot water for about 20-30 minutes until softened.
  • Toast and prepare spices: In a dry pan, lightly toast sesame seeds, cumin, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, and cloves until fragrant. Grind them into a fine powder.
  • Sear meat: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the goat stew meat in batches, then set aside.
  • Sauté aromatics: In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sauté diced white onion until softened, then add minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
  • Blend the chile sauce: In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles (reserving some soaking liquid if needed), sautéed onion and garlic, ground spices, diced tomatoes, vinegar, 2 cups beef broth, salt, Mexican oregano, and thyme. Blend until very smooth.
  • Braise the birria: Pour the blended chile sauce over the browned meat in the Dutch oven. Add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and braise for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.
  • Shred meat and strain consomé: Remove the meat from the pot and shred it using two forks. Strain the braising liquid (consomé) through a fine-mesh sieve into a separate bowl, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Skim fat from the consomé, reserving some for dipping tortillas.
  • Assemble tacos: Dip each flour tortilla into the reserved fat/consomé to coat. Place a tortilla on a hot cast-iron skillet or griddle. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese and a generous amount of shredded birria meat.
  • Cook tacos: Fold the tortilla in half to form a taco. Cook on both sides until the tortilla is crispy and golden brown, and the cheese is melted and gooey.
  • Serve: Serve the quesabirria tacos immediately with lime wedges, chopped fresh cilantro, and small bowls of the hot consomé for dipping.

Notes

For an authentic birria, proper rehydration and deseeding of the chiles are paramount to the flavor profile. Toasting the whole spices lightly before grinding enhances their aroma significantly. While goat is traditional, good quality beef chuck or short ribs work beautifully, providing rich collagen for a silky consomé. Ensure the meat is browned well before braising to build a deep flavor base. Straining the chile sauce after blending is crucial for a smooth, refined consomé, free of fibrous bits. The long, slow braise allows the meat to become fork-tender and the flavors to meld perfectly. When assembling tacos, dipping the tortilla into the rendered fat/consomé before griddling creates that signature crispy, flavorful exterior. Don't forget to serve extra hot consomé on the side for dipping.