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–+ servings
Stack of crispy smoked quesa birria tacos on black plate with lime wedges and consommé dipping sauce

Smoked Quesa Birria Tacos

Smoked quesa birria tacos with pecan-smoked chuck roast braised in a dried chile birria sauce until fall-apart tender, shredded, and served in consommé-dipped corn tortillas with melted quesadilla cheese, cilantro, onion, and lime.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Servings: 8 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: BBQ, Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef
  • 3-4 lbs chuck roast cut into large chunks
  • Salt, pepper, garlic for seasoning
Birria Sauce
  • 4 dried Guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
  • 2 dried Ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
  • 2 Chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 white onion charred
  • 6 cloves garlic charred
  • 2 cups beef broth plus more as needed
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp Mexican cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
Tacos
  • Yellow corn tortillas
  • Quesadilla cheese or Oaxaca
  • Cilantro
  • Diced white onion
  • Lime

Equipment

  • Smoker or Pellet Grill
  • Dutch Oven
  • Blender
  • Griddle or cast iron skillet

Method
 

  1. Cut chuck roast into large chunks. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Smoke over pecan wood at 275°F for about 2 hours until deep bark forms.
  2. Remove stems and seeds from Guajillo and Ancho chiles. Boil 2-5 minutes until softened. Char onion and garlic in a hot dry pan until blackened edges form.
  3. Blend softened chiles, chipotles in adobo, charred onion and garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and beef broth until completely smooth.
  4. Pour sauce into Dutch oven. Add smoked beef chunks and enough broth to mostly cover. Add bay leaves. Cover and cook at 300°F for 2-3 hours until fall-apart tender.
  5. Remove beef and shred. Reduce braising liquid by half until rich and thick. Add shredded meat back if desired.
  6. Dip corn tortillas in consommé. Place on hot griddle. Add cheese and shredded birria. Fold and cook until crispy and cheese is melted.
  7. Top with diced onion, cilantro, and lime. Serve with reduced consommé for dipping.

Notes

Smoke first, then braise: The 2-hour smoke builds bark that distributes smoky flavor throughout the shredded meat after braising.
Char the aromatics hard: Visible browning and blackened edges on the onion and garlic create the roasted flavor backbone of the entire sauce.
Reduce the consommé by half: The braising liquid needs to be concentrated into a rich, thick dipping sauce. Thin consommé lacks the intensity that makes birria tacos addictive.
Dip every tortilla: The consommé dip is what makes the shell crispy, red-stained, and packed with birria flavor.

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