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These Quesabirria Tacos have the perfect balance of crunchy tortilla, tender meat and melty cheese! Save the extra stew broth for a simple dipping sauce.
Growing up near the Mexican border I often visited Tijuana with my Nana to see family, go shopping and enjoy a good meal. It was the 1980’s and life was different back then. We’d get up early in the morning, cross the border before the line got too long, then spend the day browsing the marketplace and munching on antojitos (street food) along the way.
I loved snacking on quesadillas made with fresh corn tortillas, elotes (grilled corn) and churros. Probably my favorite treat was tacos de lengua (tacos made with cow tongue). I know that might sound strange if you’re not used to eating tongue let me tell you, that meat just falls apart in your mouth when it’s cooked right. So. Good.
It has been years since I tasted Mexican street food, so little by little I’m adding my Nana’s Mexican recipes to this little blog. Sometimes recreating the flavors of your past can be a way of visiting loved ones long gone ya know?
Today, let’s talk about quesabirra tacos!
Why You’ll Love this Quesabirria Recipe
This birria recipe has a lot going for it. Here are a few of the top reasons I know you’ll love it:
- Flavorful. This recipe makes fall-apart-tender beef that is bursting with flavor. Once it’s made into tacos, fried up, and dipped in sauce? Unbelievably delicious.
- Tested & highly rated. Not only have I made this recipe many, many times, but so have readers just like you. These quesabirria tacos are consistently described as delicious, tasty, and amazing.
- Flexible. You can use leftover birria meat in a wide variety of ways. I share lots of ideas below in the section about using extras to make other recipes.
My house smells amazing while these are in the oven. The neighbors even came a knockin…
– Donna, in a December 2022 comment on this post
What Are Quesabirria Tacos?
A quesabirria is a cheesy version of a birria taco.
Traditionally, birria tacos are made with stewed goat meat but you can also make them with beef or mutton. The meat is marinated in a flavorful adobo sauce, then cooked in a broth until it’s fall-apart tender. Then you stuff it in a corn tortilla and top it with a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro.
Once you add cheese (queso) to the mix, the taco becomes a quesabirria. Sometimes this is also called a quesotaco. The quesabirria originated in Tijuana and is basically what you get when a taco and a quesadilla come together and create something amazing.
Quesabirria is often made with beef, which is what I used for this recipe. You stuff the cooked meat into a corn tortilla with cheese, fry it until the cheese is melty, then serve it with leftover stew broth as a dipping sauce.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make quesabirria tacos. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
For the meat:
- Short ribs – Deboned and cubed
- Beef chuck roast
- Sea salt – Kosher salt works too.
- Black pepper
For the meat marinade:
- Dried guajillo peppers
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Dry spices: oregano, smoked paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper.
For the stew:
- Olive Oil – I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil
- White onion – You could also use yellow onion
- Ground cinnamon
- Bay leaves
- Beef broth
Once your stew has finished cooking, we’ll use the meat for the tacos and use the leftover broth for a dipping sauce.
For assembling the tacos:
- Yellow corn tortillas
- Oaxaca cheese – This is a stringy, melty cheese that’s usually found in Latin American grocery stores. If you can’t find it you can use another melty, mildy flavored cheese like mozzarella. Use “low moisture” mozzarella in this case.
- Fresh cilantro
How to Make Quesabirria Tacos
Making quesabirria tacos at home is easy, but also a bit of a process! It’s not complicated, it just takes time. I recommend marinating the meat overnight, then cooking the stew and assembling your tacos the next day.
Ready to dive in? Here’s how to do it:
Prepare the Birria
- Prepare the meat: Trim and cube the chuck roast and short ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a large container with a lid.
- Soften the dried chilis: Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and soak the guajillo chilis for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the water and remove both the stems and seeds.
- Make the meat marinade: In a blender, place the guajillo peppers, one chipotle pepper, all of the adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Blend until smooth.
- Marinate: Pour the sauce over the meat in the container. Cover with the lid and marinate for at least 1 hour. Do not rush the marinade time! More than an hour is better as it gives the meat more time to absorb all the flavors. I prefer to let it marinate overnight.
Cook the Stew
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Cook the onion and sear the meat: Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a french or dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the marinated meat and all the sauce. Mix in the cinnamon, bay leaves and beef broth.
- Cover and braise the beef in the oven for 3 hours. Again, don’t rush the process. Birria meat is so tender because it cooks low and slow.
- Remove the stew from the oven and skim some of the fat off the top. Place the fat in a separate dish and set aside. We are going to use this fat to cook the tacos!
- Remove meat and shred with a fork. Return to the dutch oven once finished. Stir to toss the shredded meat with the sauce.
Make the Tacos
Warm the fat: Add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved fat into a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Assemble and cook the tacos:
- One at a time, dip one side of the corn tortillas into the stew and place coated side down onto the heated skillet with the warmed fat.
- Top the tortilla with the shredded Oaxaca cheese. When the cheese is starting to melt, top it off with shredded beef and fold over one side onto the other.
- Fry on both sides until crispy. Remove and set onto a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining tacos.
- Serve with more cheese sprinkled on top, some cilantro, and extra stew broth for dipping.
How to Serve Quesabirria
You can eat quesabirria tacos just as they are, right off the griddle. Usually, they are eaten with a little cup of extra stew broth. You dip your taco into the broth before taking each bite.
But maybe you want your quesabirrias to be a bit extra? I feel that! Here are some of my favorite topping ideas:
- Homemade Guacamole – Add on top of or to the inside of your tacos after they are cooked.
- Salsa Macha – Also called “black magic oil” this spicy sauce will add a real kick to your tacos!
- Pico de Gallo Salsa – Open your tacos and stuff some inside.
- Spicy Ranch Taco Sauce – I made this for my cheesy gordita crunch tacos recipe, but you can use it with any kind of taco.
Tips for Success
My biggest tip for making the best quesabirra tacos? Don’t rush the process.
Making tender, flavorful birria meat takes time so I recommend giving the raw beef plenty of time to marinate (overnight is best), then letting it cook low and slow for the full 3 hours. I do not recommend trying to rush the process by cooking on the stovetop or even using an Instant Pot, tempting though it might be.
Another tip? Fry the tacos in the skimmed fat. Cooking them in fat from the stew adds incredible flavor! You can supplement with olive oil if you really must, but don’t try to go all healthy and skip frying in the fat. Quesabirra tacos are not health food. Embrace it! 🙂
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Tacos: It is difficult to save the cooked tacos for later, so loosen your belt and gobble them up! But if you must save leftovers, you can store cooled quesabirrias in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat them by frying them again on the stovetop until warmed through, or placing them in an oven preheated to 350F until the insides are warm (about 8-10 minutes).
- Birria Meat: This recipe makes a generous amount of stew, so you will have leftover meat. You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You may also freeze it for up to 3 months. See below for some tasty ways to use it!
Ways to Use Leftover Birria Meat
Leftover birria meat is incredible in burritos, made into more tacos, or just spooned on top of Instant Pot Mexican Rice. You can also serve it on top of Vegetarian Dirty Rice as long as you don’t mind your meal not being vegetarian anymore. 🙂
I also have some recipes showing you how to use extra birria meat:
- Birria Pizza – Homemade pizza dough topped with extra birria sauce and meat, then topped with melty cheese.
- Birria Quesadillas – A classic way to use up extras in Mexican households.
- Birria Mulitas – Essentially these are birria quesadillas with the WORKS. So good.
- Birria Enchiladas – A cozy Mexican dinner idea made with homemade enchilada sauce.
- Birria Ramen – This is a super quick way to use up leftover birria meat.
- Birria Flautas – Crisp tortillas stuffed with birria meat and cheese, then served with guacamole and sour cream.
You can also use birria meat in place of pork carnitas to make tortas ahogadas.
Enjoy!
PrintQuesabirria Tacos with Dipping Sauce
These Quesabirria Tacos have the perfect balance of crunchy tortilla, tender meat and melty cheese! Save the extra stew broth for an easy dipping sauce.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 12 tacos
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 4–5 short ribs, deboned and cubed
- 2 lbs beef chuck roast
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Marinade Sauce:
- 6–7 dried guajillo peppers
- 1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 Tbsp tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 1⁄2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
Stew:
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 32 ounce beef broth
Tacos:
- 16 yellow corn tortillas
- 1 1⁄2 cups Oaxaca cheese, shredded
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Birria:
- Prep the meat. Trim and cube the chuck roast and short ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a large container with a lid.
- Soften the dried chilis. Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and soak the guajillo chilis for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the water and remove both the stems and seeds.
- Make the marinade. In a blender, place the guajillo peppers, one chipotle pepper, all of the adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Blend until smooth.
- Marinate the meat. Pour the sauce over the meat in the container. Cover with the lid and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Cook the Stew
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Cook the onion and sear the meat. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a french or dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the marinated meat and all the sauce. Mix in the cinnamon, bay leaves and beef broth.
- Cover and braise the beef in the oven for 3 hours.
- Remove the stew from the oven and skim some of the fat off the top. Place the fat in a separate dish and set aside.
- Remove meat and shred with a fork. Return to the dutch oven once finished. Stir to toss the shredded meat with the sauce.
Assemble the tacos:
- Melt the reserved fat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved fat into a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the tacos. One at a time, dip one side of the corn tortillas into the stew and place coated side down onto the heated skillet. Top the tortilla with the shredded Oaxaca cheese. When the cheese is starting to melt, top it off with shredded beef and fold over one side onto the other. Fry on both sides until crispy. Remove and set onto a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining tacos.
Serve! Top the tacos with more Oaxaca cheese and cilantro. Pour some of the birria stew broth into a cup for an easy dipping sauce.
Notes
You will have some Birria meat leftover. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You may freeze for up to 3 months.
Keywords: quesabirria tacos, birria tacos with consomme, quesabirrias, quesa birria
Unbelievably delicious!
★★★★★
So glad you liked these tacos! Thank you for coming back to tell me. 🙂
Can I make this in a crockpot?
I’ve never personally made this in the slow cooker, but you could probably do the step where the stew meat is cooking in one. I would start with cooking it on low for 6-8 hours. The meat will be fall-apart tender when done. Check it at the 6 hour mark and then increase the cooking time as needed. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Absolutely fantastic.
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
What’s the total cost to make this?
Total cost?
That’s impossible to predict. It depends on where you live, where you are buying your ingredients, and many other things. For example, during the summer months, I get my meat from a local farmer, but in the winter I get it from a small local market. The summer meat is much more expensive than the market meat. It is better to let everyone figure out their own costs depending on where they live instead of trying to provide a cost and having people tell me it’s not accurate. 🙂
I totally understand and was just curious of a rough estimate.
It was messy to make and eat, but it was delicious. The meat could use some more salt, but that Can be adjusted at the end easily enough. We love them. It was worth the mess!
★★★★★
The whole family loved it!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
My house smells amazing while these are in the oven. The neighbors even came a knockin…lol.
★★★★★
The neighbors came a knockin <- best comment ever! So happy you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Excellent
★★★★★
These tacos came out great. New quesabirria fans over here.
★★★★★
The best tacos ever! One you go quesabirria you never go back. Well done. Love this recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed your quesabirrias!
Taste delicious! Enjoyed every bite, thanks!
★★★★★
Wonderful! So happy you liked this recipe.
Can you cook on stove top when you don’t have an oven and what would the amount of beef stock would you use when cooked on stove top?
I have not cooked this on the stovetop, but you probably could cook it covered over medium-low heat. It’s hard to say how much broth you would need but you would certainly need to keep an eye on the meat and add more liquid if things start to dry out.
Outstanding, on my second time making! This time for July 4th celebration 😁🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸 Credit to my husband for frying up on the outdoor griddle! Made mine days in advance, made it easy to get the fat after it hardened. Also, marinated 24hrs. Superb!
★★★★★
Amazing! Thank you for letting me know you are enjoying these quesabirria tacos. Sounds like you had a tasty July 4th celebration! Love the idea of frying on the outdoor griddle.
Coming up this Independence Day 2022! Going to search your recipes for sides too ! Thank you.
★★★★★
Wow thank you for the vote of confidence! My little blog is pretty new so I don’t have a ton of sides yet (working on it), but I do have lots of cocktail recipes! Haha! Let’s not delve into what that says about me. 😀
(I recommend this Miami Vice Drink for the 4th.)
If you told me I could make these at home I wouldn’t have believed you but this recipe is easy and so tasty! These quesabirrias taste like something from a taco truck! Well done.
★★★★★
Wow! It was the best tasting tacos I have ever made. I made the mistake of deep frying the tortillas, not sure why I assumed it was deep fry. Lol. However they turned out delicious!!!! Reminds me of the tacos sold on the streets of Mexico City in the Fonditas around the neighborhoods. 🥰
★★★★★
Thank you for leaving such an awesome comment Mercedes! So happy you enjoyed these quesabirria tacos! Deep frying them does sound delicious, I may try that next time. 🙂
This tacos are GREAT!! Made them over the weekend and everyone was impressed. Will be making these again! Only question is which of your wonderful recipes do I make with my leftover birria meat? My wife is saying birria pizza but I’m thinking the birria mulitas. Guess I’ll just have to make more quesabirria tacos so I can make both with the leftovers. Ha!
★★★★★
Great tacos! I’ve tried a few different recipes and this one I’ll definitely be making again. Share more taco recipes please! Gracias!
★★★★★
Amazing recipe! Everyone loved these tacos.
I’d give it 10 stars if I could.
★★★★★
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed these tacos. 🙂
Delicious!!!!
Going to try this with lamb shoulder next. Thanks for sharing this recipe Friend.
★★★★★
Ooo, making these with lamb shoulder sounds amazing! Let me know how it turns out. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Made these tonight, they were delicious. Had to bake them at the end. Kept sticking and falling apart in the pan. Not sure what I did wrong there. But was a huge hit.
Thanks for sharing!
This is how I baked them.
Laid corn tortillas on baking sheet sprayed with a little pam add some parmigiana cheese and a little of the sauce from the meat. baked at 400 for 8 mins. Then folded in a taco pan added meat and cheese put back in oven for 2-3 min for the cheese to melt. Topped with onion and cilantro
Amazing
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing what you did! Happy to hear you enjoyed your birria tacos!
Hi, can I sear the meat and then transfer to my crockpot for finish cooking?
Sure. 🙂
I have been dying to make these quessatacos for quite some time now after watching traveling food shows, and your recipe seems quite doable and looks utterly delicious. Just a few things I need a little more clarity on. I’ve seen the tortillas entirely dipped into the stew before frying. Just wanted to hear your thoughts on that. Lastly, you only add ONE of the chipotle peppers and then just the remaining sauce from the can, correct? Thanks for sharing this recipe! Looking forward to your reply and actually getting around to making this!
You can dip it entirely depending on the brand of the corn tortilla. With the brand I was using, I found that if I dipped both sides it would fall apart easier. That is why I only dipped a single side to get the flavor, but maintain the structural integrity. 🙂 And yes, just the one pepper. If you want more heat, you can always add more, but I thought this way achieved a nice medium heat that wouldn’t be too hot for most folks.
Thanks for the informative reply!
Another great recipe! I made these tonight and will definitely make them again. The sauce is so rich and flavorful. I’m so glad there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
★★★★★
Also, I didn’t have chipotle peppers so it was not spicy. I added some chipotle spice for added flavor.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and also your tip for subbing the chipotle peppers! So happy you enjoyed this recipe. <3
How much chipotle spice did you use?
I’m a Polish gringo but enjoy Mexican food. How spicy is this for those of us who lack melanin in our skin?
Your comment made me chuckle, thanks for bringing a smile into my day! I would say the marinade is medium-hot spicy – it does have an entire, albeit small, can of chipotle chilis. You could half the amount of chipotle and adobo sauce used, or you could do it like my family did when something was a touch caliente: embrace the heat and sweat a little. 😀 Add a margarita on the side to take off the edge! I highly recommend my Apple Cider Margarita.
Thanks for getting back. I can handle a little heat, but it’s my 10yo that would be the problem. I may have to cut back the heat and see how that goes knowing I could always make the original recipe to get some heat. A nice margarite or cold cerveza should do the trick! May have to give these a try one of these days; they look freaking fantastic.
Gotcha gotcha. Yes, I would halve the amount of chipotle for kid-sized tastebuds. 🙂 Maybe swap the margaritas for some Mango Lemonade.
Another way to cut the heat is to add more cheese to your tacos, the dairy reduces how hot something tastes. So perhaps reduce the chipotle and also add more cheese to your child’s tacos. Plus, more cheese is just tasty. Can never go wrong with more cheese.
(Also one of my grandfathers was Polish – the one who married my flamenco dancing Mexican grandmother. So you might be surprised. These birria tacos may just hit the spot as is.)
Made these today and they were SO GOOD!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed this recipe!