Are you searching for authentic, melt-in-your-mouth birria that rivals any restaurant? After tasting far too many quesabirria tacos, we’ve crafted this recipe to capture the essence of traditional birria, balancing robust spices with the rich, beefy flavor of a tough cut of beef slowly braised for hours. The result is incredibly tender shredded meat swimming in a complex, aromatic broth.
Table of Contents
What Is Birria?
Hailing from the state of Jalisco, Mexican Birria is a labor of love. The beef cooks in a broth flavored with a variety of chili peppers and other savory ingredients.
When cooked, it’s mind-blowingly good! The best part is that it makes a fair bit, so you can enjoy the seasoned beef birria for leftovers or, better yet, make our favorite recipe, quesabirria tacos!
Traditionally made with tough cuts of goat meat or lamb meat, we’re making this version a bit more accessible. We recommend using beef neck. You’ll have to go to a butcher to get this cut and ask for a 4-5 pound piece.
Beef neck is one of the affordable cuts of meat with a large bone. The bone adds incredible flavor, and all the fat and connective tissue break down as it braises to create amazingly tender meat in a flavorful broth. This cut begs to be braised low and slow and packs tons of flavor.
🎥 Watch: How to Make Birria Meat
Beef Birria Ingredients
FOR THE CHILI PASTE:
- New Mexico chiles – Also called hatch chiles, look for dried chiles. These are spicy but not overly so.
- Guajillo chiles – Very popular in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo peppers are bold and mild to medium in spice level, and you can find them with dried types of chiles in your grocery store.
- Arbol chilis – Also known as chiles de arbol, these small chilis are very spicy.
- Water – Or an equal measure of beef broth.
- Vinegar
- Cumin – Dried cumin is what you’ll need.
FOR THE BEEF BIRRIA:
- Beef neck – Look for a 4-5 pound piece. Are you having trouble finding beef neck? See our list of trusted sources for buying meat online.
- Oil – Neutral-flavored vegetable or peanut oil is fine.
- Red wine – Anything you can drink will work in this recipe!
- Onion – Fresh yellow or white onion.
- Garlic – Bring on the fresh garlic!
- Bay leaves – Dried.
- Oregano – Dried. Use Mexican oregano if you have it or can find it.
- Cumin – Yes, more cumin. Cumin adds SO much flavor!
- Thyme – Dried thyme is fine.
- Paprika – More flavor!
- Ancho chili powder – You can find dried and ground ancho chili powder in most large stores, and you could also pop whole dried ancho chiles into the Dutch oven.
- Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
Beef Birria Toppings
- Onion – Finely diced white or sweet onion adds crunch and a fresh pop of flavor.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is a must with beef birria.
- Jalapeno – Like it spicy? Pass the fresh jalapeno! Slice it or dice it finely.
- Radish – Yup, radishes. They add a lovely crunch that adds some texture to this Mexican beef stew recipe.
Lime – A squeeze of fresh lime juice will brighten up all the flavors.
How to Make Birria Meat
It’s not hard, but there are a few steps. Start the birria meat cooking early in the day so it has time to braise before dinner.
FOR THE CHILI PASTE:
Toast the chilis and then remove the seeds and stems. Then, rehydrate the chilis in boiling water for about 30 minutes.
Strain the chilis, then pulse in a food processor along with vinegar and salt. Add a bit of oil or water as needed to make a smooth paste. Set this aside for later.
FOR THE BIRRIA BEEF:
1. Season the beef on all sides with salt and heat a cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to the Dutch oven and brown the beef on all sides.
2. Remove the beef and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Save a few sips for yourself!
3. Add the onion, bay leaf, garlic, cumin, thyme, paprika, and a pinch of salt to the reduced wine, then stir in the chili paste.
4. Set the beef into the Dutch oven and add water to barely cover the beef. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 4-5 hours or until the beef shreds easily with a fork. Set the beef aside to cool.
5. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Watch for chunks of beef that may have broken off the main piece. Add any wayward chunks to the beef to cool.
6. Return the liquid to the Dutch oven and simmer to reduce and thicken.
7. Meanwhile, shred the beef and discard the bones.
Mexican Birria Recipe Tips
- Plan ahead: Birria takes a few hours to make. Be patient. This beef birria recipe is NOT a quick dish. The beef takes hours to break down and become tender.
- Pro Tip: We start this dish the day before. We braise the beef, then chill it and the sauce. We shred it the next day when it is cool enough to handle.
- Can you substitute other chilies? Yes! You can mix and match the dried chilis. Experiment to give a good balance of flavor. We also like to include dried chipotles, dried anchos, and fruity dried poblano chilis.
- Make it spicier. If you’d like your birria spicy or spicier, add a good pinch of chipotle powder to the sauce when reducing it.
- Fresh toppings are essential. The garnishes accentuate the flavor of this easy birria recipe, so don’t skimp on them! Serve birria with all your favorites!
HOW TO SERVE BEEF BIRRIA
This birria is a traditional preparation for stew and should be served in a bowl with chili-infused braising liquid. Add a sizeable portion of shredded meat and top it with the sauce. Then, top your birria with chopped onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and a squeeze of lime juice.
To make it a Mexican cuisine feast, serve the birria stew with fresh warm corn tortillas on the side and pico or your favorite salsa and fresh chips.
What to do with leftover Dutch Oven Birria
Birria is all the rage right now. Use your leftover shredded beef and sauce for beef birria garnachas, extra cheesy quesabirria tacos, and even these birria quesadillas with the consome de birria as a dipping sauce, and nachos. There’s so much you can do with the tender and flavorful meat!
More DELICIOUS braised BEEF RECIPES!
Beef Recipes
Red Wine Braised Beef Shank
Beef Recipes
Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Beef Recipes
Braised Short Ribs with Stout
This traditional beef birria is an excellent choice if you’re looking to switch up your basic beef recipes. Braised in a red wine liquid for hours and topped with a rich chili paste, this beef birria is worth the commitment!
Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.
Dutch Oven Birria (Beef)
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
For the chili paste:
- 4 – 5 New Mexico Chilies
- 4 – 5 Guaillo Chilies
- 3 – 4 Arbol Chilies
- 2 – 3 cups Water
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1/4 cup water
For the birria
- 4.5 lbs Beef neck
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 Onion
- 4 – 6 Garlic cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
- 3 – 4 tbsp Chili paste
- 1 qt Water*
Garnish
- onion minced
- Cilantro chopped
- Jalapeno stemmed, seeded and minced or sliced into rings
- Radish sliced into thin slivers
- Lime sliced into wedges
Instructions
Make the chili paste
- Preheat a large Dutch oven over low heat and add the chilies to toast them.4 – 5 New Mexico Chilies, 3 – 4 Arbol Chilies, 4 – 5 Guaillo Chilies
- Toast the chilies, turning as needed for 1 to 2 munutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Remove seeds and stems
- In a small pot, bring the water to a boil.2 – 3 cups Water
- Rehydrate the chilies by pouring the boiling water over them in a large bowl.
- Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Strain the chilies with a mesh strainer. Discard the liquid.
- Place chiles in a food processor with vinegar.1 tbsp Vinegar
- Add the salt and cumin.Salt, 1 tbsp Cumin
- Pulse until smooth, adding a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of water as needed to make a maste like texutre.1/4 cup water
- Scrape down sides s needed to make sure things are smooth.
- Set aside until ready to use or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Brown the beef
- Season the beef with salt liberally on all sides.4.5 lbs Beef neck, 2 tbsp Salt
- Preheat a the Dutch oven over medium high heat and add oil to coat the pan.2 tbsp oil
- Place the beef, in the heated pot and sear, 2 to 4 minutes to brown.
- Flip and repeat, browning on all sides
Deglaze the pan
- Reduce the heat to medium and slowely add the wine.¼ cup red wine
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits as the wine cooks down.
- Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and spices to the pot.1 Onion, 4 – 6 Garlic cloves, 2 Bay leaves, 1 tbsp Cumin, 1 tbsp Oregano, 1 tsp Thyme, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
- Add the chili paste and stir to combine.3 – 4 tbsp Chili paste
Make the birria
- Place the beef neck in the Dutch oven and add water to just cover. *See notes below if using beef stock.1 qt Water*
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cover with the lid slightly adjar while the liquid simmers.
- Allow the beef neck to simmer 4 to 5 hours until the beef temps at 205F and shreds easily with a fork, adding more liquid as needed to cover the beef.
Strain the liquid
- Carefully remove the beef neck from the Dutch oven. Set aside.
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and discard solids.
- Return the liquid back to the Dutch oven and simmer over medium heat to reduce by 1/4.
- Taste the broth, and if disired add more chili paste, ancho chili powder, cumin, or salt.
Shred the beef neck
- Meanwhile, using two forks, shred the beef neck. Discard bones or any fatty bites.
- Return the shredded meat to the broth.
Serve
- Ladel hot shredded meat and broth into bowls.
- Serve as a stew with desired garnishes.onion, Cilantro, Jalapeno, Radish, Lime
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Beef Birria Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Chill any leftover birria meat and freeze portions of it packed in sauce in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months.
Yes, this is an easy recipe; it just takes time unless you’re making Instant Pot Birria, which only takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. The chili paste is the most complicated part of this great recipe, but it can even be made a day or two ahead of time. Or you can substitute canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, but in our opinion, the flavor isn’t the same.
After that, all you do is season and sear the beef, then add the remaining ingredients. Simple!
No, birria isn’t spicy. It’s meaty, earthy and rich. However, you can add heat by adding crushed red peppers to the broth, serving it with hot sauce or adding a few extra jalapeños to the onion mixture to stir in.
Birria takes several hours to cook on the stove. You want to braise the meat until it is tender enough to shred apart with a fork.
Made this last night for a small dinner party. I used brisket and it was AMAZING!! We did this as a “test” run for a much larger dinner party coming up in the near future where I will be doing the Birria tacos. Thank you for the great recipe and method!
Delicious, smoky, tender – this is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Wow, was this tasty! Already can’t wait to make again. 🙂 Thank you for another winner!
This is such a wicked comfort food! The heat from the chilis is amazing for the colder months!
Birria is one of the best hangover foods. You are so right about making it the day before.
Alright, Kita!!!
I’ve tried Every recipe on YouTube for Birria tacos… Chef John’s (FOOD WISHES), Josh Weissman’s, “the Mexican Recipe Man” (Rick Bayless), and countless others!
YOUR recipe, hands down, beats them all!
Great FLAVOR! KEEP IT UP!!!
…and thank you very much!
This is SO crazy good! Sure to become a regular in our house!
Kita, deNada…
About six months ago I was reading about Birria; it stated that the Spanish gave this recipe to the Mexicans.
The Spanish looked down on the goat and thought that they were worthless; hence the name…
Actually, goat is a favourite meat to many around the world…
So interesting! Thanks, Marcel