Three crisp red quesabirria tacos on a yellow plate with cups of salsa, lime and radish

Birria de Res with Consomé and Quesabirria Tacos

Name: Birria de Res with Consomé and Quesabirria Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 66 tacos · about 10.2 kg · 21 servings
Cuisine: Jalisco
Ingredients: 75 g dried guajillo chiles weighed before seeding; 135 g dried ancho chiles weighed before seeding; 18 g dried chiles de árbol weighed before seeding; 375 ml reserved chile water; 15 cloves garlic peeled; 3 onion roughly sliced; 540 g tomato 1 medium, roughly sliced; 30 ml dried oregano; 15 ml ground cumin; 2 ml ground black pepper; 225 ml vegetable oil; 3900 g beef chuck cut into 6 large pieces; 1.5 l low sodium beef stock; 30 whole cloves; 3 sticks cinnamon stick; 9 leaves bay leaves fresh if you have them; 90 ml apple cider vinegar; 38 ml kosher salt; 7.5 ml kosher salt, for the shredded beef; 66 to 75 corn tortillas, about 15 cm wide; 1050 g shredded Oaxaca, Monterey Jack or Colby cheese; 3 white onion finely diced; 375 ml cilantro leaves finely chopped; lime wedges, to serve; salsa or hot sauce, to serve

Jules Moreau Demo

Makes: 66 tacos · about 10.2 kg
Active: 1 h 45 min
Total: 3 h 30 min

Start 3 h Ahead Egg FreeNut FreeHigh Protein 4 Components · 30% Weighed

You’ll Need Large heavy pot (Dutch oven, about 24 cm, with a lid), Stick blender or Blender or Small food processor, Large non-stick frying pan, Fine sieve

66 tacos · about 10.2 kg · 1 h 45 min active · 3 h 30 min total

Start 3 h Ahead Egg FreeNut FreeHigh Protein 4 Components · 30% Weighed

You’ll Need Large heavy pot (Dutch oven, about 24 cm, with a lid), Stick blender or Blender or Small food processor, Large non-stick frying pan, Fine sieve

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66 tacosnothing left over

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Chiles Keep As Written

Adobo Paste Keep As Written

Braised Beef and Consomé Keep As Written

Quesabirria Tacos Keep As Written

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Ingredients

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Grams Metric As Written US

Chiles

3.5 g per taco

Adobo Paste

17.9 g per taco

Braised Beef and Consomé

87.2 g per taco

Quesabirria Tacos

45.3 g per taco

Contains: milk, celery. Based on ingredients. Does not account for cross contact.

Nutrition 741 kcal per serving

Nutrient	Per Serving	Per 100 g
Energy	741 kcal	153 kcal
Fat	37 g	7.6 g
of Which Saturated	15 g	3.1 g
Carbohydrate	47 g	9.6 g
of Which Sugars	5 g	1 g
Fibre	8.7 g	1.8 g
Protein	60 g	13 g
Sodium	1087 mg	225 mg

Computed from the ingredients. An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Chiles

Snip the stems off the , and . Slit each one lengthwise, shake out and discard the seeds, then chop the flesh into 1 cm (⅜ in) pieces. Wear gloves if chile irritates your skin.

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Drop the chopped chiles into a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer briskly for .

the flesh is soft and mushy while the skins stay whole

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Scoop out half a cup of the simmering water and keep it for the adobo. Drain the chiles in a sieve and press lightly to push out the extra water.

Adobo Paste

Put the drained chiles in a tall jug with the , , , , , and . Blitz with a stick blender for about .

a thick, brick red paste; a little texture is fine

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Braised Beef and Consomé

Heat the in the pot over high heat. Sear half the until deeply browned on every side, about per side, then lift it into a bowl and sear the rest.

a dark golden crust on each face

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Whole cuts of beef should reach 63 °C (145 °F) at the centre, then rest 3 minutes. USDA FSIS
Spoon the adobo paste into the same pot and stir it in the oil for , lowering the heat if it spits hard.

the paste darkens and smells toasty rather than raw

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Stir in the , , , , and , scraping up the browned bits. Return the beef and its juices, bring to a boil, then turn the heat right down, cover and cook at the gentlest simmer for .

only a lazy bubble now and thenthe beef pulls apart easily with two forks

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Lift the beef into a wide pan, shred it finely with two forks and toss with the .

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Skim the red fat floating on the braising liquid into a small bowl; aim for at least six tablespoons. This birria oil fries the tortillas. The liquid left in the pot is the consomé.

the fat is brick red and pools easily at the edges when you tilt the pot
Heat a cup of the consomé in the non-stick pan over medium-high heat for , add all the shredded beef and toss until the liquid is absorbed. Return the beef to its pan and wipe the non-stick pan clean.

almost no liquid left pooling in the pan

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Taste the consomé and add salt if needed. It should be a touch salty because it is for dipping, but still pleasant to sip from a cup. Keep it warm.

Quesabirria Tacos

Warm a teaspoon of birria oil in the non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Lay in a and swish it around the pan for about so the underside soaks up the red oil, then turn it out red side down. Repeat with two more tortillas, adding half a teaspoon of oil for each.

the tortilla is soft and stained red underneath
Scatter over half of each tortilla, then add shredded beef, and . Fold over.
Fry the three folded tacos in the same pan over medium-high heat for on each side.

golden red, crisp and the cheese melted

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Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve hot with cups of warm consomé for dunking, with and on the side.

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From Jules Moreau

The chiles are measured by weight rather than by count, so the adobo tastes the same whatever size your anchos are. The red fat skimmed off the braise is what fries the tortillas, and a cup of consomé tossed through the shredded beef keeps every taco juicy.

Notes

Chile heat: the árbol chiles carry most of the heat. Use fewer, or leave them out, for a milder birria.
Weigh the chiles before seeding. If you have no scale, seed and chop them and measure about 3/4 heaped cup guajillo, 1 cup ancho and 2 tablespoons árbol.
Cut of beef: chuck shreds juicily. Bone-in short ribs also work (about 1.8 kg) but need 3 to 3 1/2 hours; do not mix the two cuts, they finish at different times.
Cheese: Oaxaca cheese is the traditional choice; Monterey Jack or Colby melt just as well. Plain mozzarella is bland, so salt it lightly.
Slow cooker: cook the adobo, deglaze and bring the liquid to a simmer on the stove, then transfer everything to a slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
Milder onion: soak the diced onion in cold water for 30 minutes and drain.

Storage

Keep the shredded beef and the consomé in separate covered containers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for 3 months. Reheat the consomé until simmering.

Make Ahead

Braise the beef a day or two ahead; the flavour improves. Lift the solid red fat off the chilled consomé and melt it to fry the tortillas.