Slow Cooked Birria Quesatacos Recipe

Tools

  • Blender
  • Slow cooker (around 8 quarts)
  • Large pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 7 Guajillo chilis
  • 1 Can tomato sauce
  • 1-2 Bay leaves
  • 2 Onions
  • 4 Limes
  • 2-3 Carrots (large)
  • 1 Lemongrass stalk
  • 0.3 oz Ginger
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp marjoram/oregano
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp chili powder 
  • 3 lbs Beef chuck roast (can substitute with preferred cut or protein like short ribs or goat)
  • 30 Corn tortillas (small)
  • Shredded Cheese
  • 8 cups Chicken Stock
  • Parsley, Black ground pepper, Salt, Oil, Garlic
  • Any other aromatics/ingredients you'd like (soy/fish sauce, other chilis, vinegar, potatoes, etc)

Instructions

  1. Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock into pan and heat till boiling, then turn down to medium.
  2. Cut off stems from guajillo chilis and soak them in chicken stock for 10 minutes, flipping sides every 2 minutes.
  3. Add chilis and stock into blender. Add tomato sauce, all the spices, and another 1/2 cup stock. Blend everything on high for 1 minute. 
  4. Cut chuck roast (or other cut) into 1-2 inch cubes. Pat dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. 
  5. Mince garlic, parsley, lemongrass, and ginger and season on top of beef.
  6. Pour some oil into the pan and set to medium high. Place half of the chuck roast in, sear all sides of the cubes for 1-2 minutes each. Remove from pan and place into slow cooker pot. Repeat with remaining half. 
  7. Roughly chop 1 onion, cut carrots into chunks, add to pan, sauté for 4 minutes. Deglaze pan using 1 cup chicken stock. Add contents in pan into slow cooker pot.
  8. Pour pure from blender into pot. Rinse the sides of the blender using stock and pour into the pot. 
  9. Pour 2 cups stock in pan, reduce to 1 cup. Add to pot. Repeat for other 2 cups. Add any remaining stock into pot.
  10. Slow cook contents in the pot on medium for 10 hours.
  11. Remove beef from the pot and shred into small pieces. Pour 2 ladles of broth onto the meat and mix. Set aside.
  12. Finely chop remaining onion and parsley. Slice limes into 8ths, set aside for toppings.
  13. Set pan on medium heat. Dip tortilla into broth and place in pan. Evenly spread cheese onto tortilla and wait for cheese to melt. 
  14. Add shredded meat onto 1/2 of the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half using spatula. Wait for bottom side to crisp up then flip to the other side and wait till crisp. 
  15. Plate tacos. Scoop a cup of broth into a bowl. Top broth and tacos with lime, parsley, and onions as desired.