Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

We are recent lovers of birria tacos, which has lead me to try them several different ways (at a restaurant, in a pack from Costco, with a birria seasoning packet, with a "birria bomb" seasoning ball... etc.) and so now we have tried them completely from scratch! And everyone loved it! And, I thought it really wasn't very difficult to do.

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

Ingredients:

• 8 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 1 dried arbol chile (add more for more heat – see note)
• 3 large Roma tomatoes
• 1 medium quartered white or yellow onion, peeled and trimmed of root ends
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican oregano but Italian oregano will work, too
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (use half for finely ground)
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 to 5 pound bone-in or boneless chuck roast
• yellow or white corn tortillas, street taco size
• Shredded cheese, for melting (Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese)
• Cilantro and chopped white onions, for serving, optional

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add the dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Add water until ingredients are completely covered. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes until the chiles and onions have softened.
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully remove the tough stems from the chiles. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chiles, onions, tomatoes and garlic and transfer to a blender a high-powered blender (see note if you don't have a high-powered blender).
3. Add 1 1/2 cups of the chile broth from the pot to the blender with the veggies. Add a lid and slightly vent to release steam. Blend until very smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the insert of an 8-quart slow cooker. Add beef broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and allspice. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaves.
5. Season the beef lightly on all sides with salt and pepper and rub lightly into the meat. Place the beef in the slow cooker, turning to coat in the chile mixture.
6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
7. Remove the beef from the slow cooker to a dish. Discard the bone and bay leaves. Shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Keep the remaining sauce warm.
8. To make tacos, heat a skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Dip a corn tortilla fully in the warm consommé and lay flat in the hot skillet. Spread beef on half of the tortilla and top with cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press down gently with a spatula as it sizzles and cooks on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and sizzling. Remove to a plate or platter and repeat with remaining tortillas/tacos.

Marsha's Notes:

You can make the beef and consommé ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a day or two if you want to cut down on the work the day you are cooking all the tacos.

Dried Chiles: the dried chiles called for in this recipe should be easily found in the Mexican aisle or produce section of most grocery stores. You can also find them on Amazon and other online stores. If substituting other types of dried chiles, just keep in mind that different types of chiles can vary greatly in flavor and spice-level. Of the three chiles called for in this recipe, ancho chiles are the least spicy with smoky, mild flavor (1,000 – 1,500 Scoville heat units). Guajillo chiles are medium spicy (2,500 to 5,000 Scoville heat units). Arbol chiles are the spiciest of the three; they are hotter than a jalapeno but not as hot as a cayenne pepper (15,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units). The peppers listed in the recipe ingredients above yield a mild Birria beef with a tiny hint of spice (mild enough that no one in our house even thought it was hot). Add additional Arbol chiles for more heat. 

These are the dried chiles I got at my local store. There are enough for me to make birria a couple of times.

Here is the meat all shredded and read for tacos.

This is the reserved consommé from the crock pot.