This easy Beef Birria delivers fall-apart tender beef in a rich tomato and dried chiles broth that makes it irresistible.
Making Birria in your pressure cooker streamlines the process. Typically Birria would simmer for hours but in the Instant Pot this recipe is ready in less than 2 hours.
If you are making this recipe, be sure to make a batch of fresh corn tortillas (so easy to make) to make birria quesadillas.
What is Birria?
Birria (pronounced Bee-Ri-Uh) is a Mexican meat stew (originally goat), in a chile broth that yields tender and flavorful meat. It has a lot of flavor but its not spicy.
Is birria spicy?
This is the number one question people ask when they see the ingredients. This dish uses Guajillo and Ancho chilies which are mild with more of a warm, flavorful heat.
One key thing is that, the chilies are deveined and deseeded before we add them to our meat, that way we prevent excessive heat.
If you follow the recipe accordingly, I promise this dish won't burn your mouth or be overwhelming at all.
Can you use chicken for this recipe?
Absolutely! Any meat that can be shredded would work in this recipe. If you are to use chicken, I would use a combination of thighs and chicken breast for more flavor depth. Also I would use some of the chicken skin (crisped up to render some fat) for additional flavor.
Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see this variation of the recipe.
For making Birria, the best cuts of beef are those that can be shredded easily such as chuck roast or short rib.
What do you eat with this dish?
You probably have seen it all over the internet served as tacos con queso (cheesy tacos) AKA Quesa-Birria. They are crispy tacos stuffed with cheese and birria and served with caldo o consome (the juices from cooking).
You can always serve it with rice and beans and tortillas on the side for a traditional dish. It also is great in enchiladas, taquitos and even grain salads.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this dish are easy to come by. Most grocery stores carry dried chilies in their Hispanic Food isles.
If you have a Mercado (Hispanic market) nearby, you will find these chilies there, otherwise Amazon carries them as well.
- Chuck Roast: This cut of meat offers a good marbling which gives the broth so much flavor, however I do like to remove excess fat.
- Dried Guajillo Chile: These peppers can easily be found at any well-stocked supermarket in the Hispanic foods aisle or online.
- Dried Ancho Chile: This peppers are fruity and deeply aromatic.
- Onion: Used both to make the Birria broth and to garnish and serve with the consommé (beef broth).
- Chipotle in adobo: I only use a couple of chipotles in adobo for their smokey flavor. They don't add much heat, if any at all in this recipe.
- Roma tomatoes:
- Cumin: I used ground cumin.
- Dried oregano: I use the Mexican oregano, but feel free to use whichever variety you find at the store.
- Garlic: Used with the onion and tomato to create the aromatic base.
- Bay leaf: Use a couple of bay leaves to infuse the broth but remove them at the end.
Instructions (Birria in the pressure cooker)
Even though we are using the pressure cooker for this recipe, I like to sear the meat (in the instant pot on the sauté function).
Searing the meat adds flavor, locks moisture and the end result is tender, flavorful meat.
After the meat gets seared, I start building the aromatic base. Since we are using dried chiles, they need to be rehydrated, so we boil them for about 20 minutes.
I find that is easier to rehydrate the chiles and then proceed to deseed them and remove the stems.
After the chiles are softened and their seeds and stems removed, set them aside and keep the water in which you boiled them.
In the same pot that you seared them meat, add the onions, tomatoes and dried spices. Sauté them until deeply aromatic and the onions and tomatoes have softened.
Blend the tomatoes and chiles with the water from boiling them. Blend until very smooth, if you don't have a power blender such as a Vitamix, you will need to strain the mixture.
Return the meat to the instant pot and cover with the sauce. Pressure cook for 50 minutes until the meat is tender. Allow a 20 minute pressure release.
Remove the beef from the pot and skim the fat.
Shred the beef and return to the broth, check for salt and serve in quesadillas, bowls, ramen or tacos.
Birria Recipe
Equipment
- Presure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Chuck Roast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2.5 cups water
- 2 Dried Guajillo Chile Pods rinsed
- 2 Dried Ancho Chile Pods rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tablespoon destilled white vinegar
- 2 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Add salt and pepper to your chuck roast, cut it into 4 chucks and sear it on the sauté mode in your pressure cooker for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside and let it rest.2 pounds Chuck Roast, 2 teaspoons salt
- In a pot over medium-high heat add the water and chiles and boil for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool down and reserve the water.2 Dried Guajillo Chile Pods, 2 Dried Ancho Chile Pods, 2.5 cups water
- Once the chiles are cooled down, remove the stems and seeds.
- To the instant pot on sauté mode add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, onions cook until onions are translucent and aromatic for about 4-5 minutes.2 tablespoons Vegetable oil, ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- Once the onions are cooked, add the spices and allow them to cook for 1 minute.1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Add the sliced tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar.2 roma tomatoes, sliced, 1 tablespoon destilled white vinegar
- Add the Ancho and Guajillo chiles and cooke for 1 more minute.
- Add the chipotle chiles with adobo and 2 cups of the water that was used to soak the chile ancho and guajillo.2 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
- Remove from the heat and let it cool down enough to add to your blender and blend on medium speed to create a marinade.
- Add the blended spices and chiles and make sure to cover all the meat with the marinade. Add the bay leaves.2 bay leaves
- Set instant pot to high pressure and cook for 50 minutes.
- Once time is up, allow 20 minutes of natural pressure release. After that do a quick release of the remaining pressure
- Remove the beef and separate from the au jus or caldo that has formed in the instant pot. Skim any excess fat and set aside (if using for frying tortillas).
- Reserve the juices from cooking to dip your tortillas or add to the meat when served
- Shred the beef and serve as desired. Highly reccomend to make Quesa-Birrias using corn tortillas and Oaxaca cheese
Alana
Could you send me the recipe for the chicken. I love this recipe.
Steve Kelly
I tried this recipe. First time cooking Birria and it was delicious!! My friends loved it.
Isabel
So glad you enjoyed it!
A
Can I just use chicken? Or would the taste not be as complimentary?
Isabel
I have never tried it but I think it would be tasty!
cec
Am I missing a step? Where do I add the white vinegar?
Isabel
Hi! Sorry about that, recipe is now updated. You add it when you cook the chiles. Hope you tried it.
IGnatius T Foobar
If you have a traditional pressure cooker that sits on the stove, instead of an instant pot, you can do this in one pot! Sear the meat, cook the onions, then toss in the liquid and bring it up to pressure.
Birria is SO AMAZINGLY GOOD.
Joanna A
Do you have any recommendations for how long to cook this in a slow cooker?
Isabel
Haven't tested this yet but I'd do low temp for a long time, like 6 hours on low to tenderize the meat. I will test a slow cooker version soon!