Quesabirria Tacos with Braised Beef for Cheesy-Delicioso Dipping

Quesabirria tacos are a modern taco wonder. They’re a relative newcomer to the Taco Tuesday scene, and an instant classic — for all the right cheesy-delicioso reasons.

Deservedly so, says Vivi Abeja, one of our favorite Mexican cooks who sent us this new recipe. “Wow! Quesabirria tacos have officially become my party go-to. It is such a crowd favorite and the time that goes into making it deserves for it to be shared with your loved ones.”

We’ll be honest. There are easier tacos (like these amazing shrimp tacos). Making quesabirria takes a little more than 2 hours for the meat to braise into fall-apart, super-tender shredded beef. But, most of the work happens on the stovetop while you’re doing something else. And these tacos are absolutely worth every minute of the wait, says Vivi.

See how Vivi makes her cheesy-delicioso beef quesabirria tacos, step by step!

“I made these tacos over the holidays, and they are now the new tradition for all future special get-togethers,” says Vivi. “If I’m going to spend 3 hours on a recipe, I may as well double up the meat and cook for my whole family.”

Vivi grew up in Little Village, one of Chicago’s traditionally Mexican neighborhoods, in a large family. When she and her aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers all get together with everyone’s kids there are dozens of familia members to feed. And these are a hit with all ages, she says. Everyone reaches for these cheesy-beefy-melty tacos garnished with diced onion and cilantro.

What Are Quesabirria Tacos — Where Did They Come From?

Quesabirria taco are the descendant of birria, a traditional stew popular in Jalisco, Mexico. Chunks of goat meat are braised for hours in a chile-infused broth, called consomé de birria. When it’s ready, everyone sit down to a hot bowl of birria, with a stack of freshly made corn tortillas for dipping into the stew’s savory broth.

Food trucks in Tijuana got in on the iconic dish in the last few decades. Street vendors started selling birria tacos, using beef instead of goat meat because it was more accessible.

Here’s what we think makes quesabirria tacos such a taco fave today. With its melted-queso and shredded beef wrapped in a grilled tortilla folded into a half moon, quesabirria taco is comfort food you can hold in one hand and eat on the go. The best kind of fast food.

Intererestingly, it’s not a dish Vivi grew up eating in her family of gifted homecooks. Her family roots are from Michoacan, and so her grandmother taught her many traditional recipes, like her Michoacan enchiladas with salsa roja, homemade frijoles, and flautas de papa.

“I’ve never made quesabirria tacos before, but when I find myself at a restaurant that makes them, I order them because I know how special they are. From the cheesy goodness to the tender beef and the combination of chiles that make that delicious salsa, I just love them. Not only do you get to enjoy delicious flavorful tacos, but you end up with a broth you can sip on to finish your meal.”

Vivi, who is a trained chef, of course added her own special touches to this recipe. “What makes my quesabirria tacos different is the combination of chiles I use and the addition of vinegar. I use my favorite chiles, which makes these tacos sweet, smoky and spicy. You also get a tanginess from the vinegar that helps balance out the flavors.”

Check out Vivi’s quesabirria tacos in her step-by-step video, below! For more tacos, salsas and an easy primer in making our own corn tortillas, check out our Ultimate Guide to Taco Tuesday here.

Ready to Make Vivi’s Quesabirria Tacos with Beef Dipping Broth?

Quesabirria Tacos with Braised Beef for Cheesy-Delicioso Dipping

Recipe by Vivi Abeja

0.0 from 0 votes

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

12 (3 tacos each)

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

3

hours 

Ingredients

• 5 lbs beef chuck roast, cubed

• 1/2 onion

• 6 cloves garlic, large

• 5 bay leaves

• 20 whole peppercorns

• 2 tsp salt, or to taste

• water, to cover

• 3 packs corn tortillas (36 tortillas)

• 11/2 cups Chihuahua cheese, shredded

• 1 1/2 cups white onion, diced, for filling

• 1 cup cilantro, chopped, for filling

• 1 lime, juiced, for broth when serving

• 
  For the Red Salsa:

• 10 guajillo chiles

• 6 puya chiles

• 5 ancho chiles

• 5 arbol chiles

• 1/2 onion

• 6 cloves garlic

• 5 whole peppercorns

• 3 Tbsp chicken bouillon seasoning

• 1 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

• 1 1/2 tsp whole cumin

• 3 Tbsp vinegar

Directions

• Slice the beef chuck roast into cubes. Place in a medium-size pot on the stove.
• Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt.
• Add enough water to cover all the ingredients.
• Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour.
• Make the Salsa to Add to Broth
• While the chuck roast is simmering, prep the dried chiles for the salsa by removing the seeds, stems and veins.
• In a bowl, soak the dried chiles in beef broth to cover from the chuck roast pot. Let the chiles sit in the broth for 10 minutes to hydrate.
• After 10 minutes, place the hydrated chiles and the broth in a blender with onion, garlic cloves, peppercorns, chicken bouillon, dried oregano, toasted sesame seeds, whole cumin, and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
• Strain the blended chiles salsa into the pot. Add more water if needed to cover.
• Cook for another 2 hours or until the beef is fall-apart tender.
• Remove the beef from the pot. Reserve the broth in the stovetop pot, set to low. Shred the beef with two forks and set aside.
• Putting It All Together: Quesabirria Tacos Time!
• Dip each corn tortilla into the warm broth in the stovetop pot and heat up in a comal, without crowding them. Work in batches.
• When the dipped tortilla starts to heat up on the comal, add about 2 Tbsp of Chihuahua cheese over its surface, followed by 2 to 3 Tbsp shredded beef. Sprinkle 1 tsp chopped onion and ½ tsp cilantro. Fold the tortilla into a half moon and let it cook until the cheese is melted.
• To serve, set out a bowl of beef broth. for dipping. Add fresh juice from 1 lime. Enjoy your melty-hot quesabirrias while dipping into broth.