Mexican Birria Crockpot

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This Mexican birria crockpot recipe makes tender shredded beef in a rich, smoky chile sauce. The slow cooker gently cooks the beef until it falls apart and soaks up the flavorful birria consommé. Serve this easy beef birria as a hearty stew or use it to make crispy birria tacos.

Prep Time15

Cook Time8 15

Total Time8 30

Course: Dinner, Main Dish, Soup, Stew

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beef birria, birria consommé, birria de res, Mexican birria crockpot recipe, shredded beef, slow cooker birria

Cooking Method: Broiler, Slow Cooker, Stovetop

Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Servings:

Calories: 523kcal

Author: MelanieCooks.com

Ingredients

4 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 3-inch pieces
10 guajillo chiles
5 ancho chiles
3 arbol chiles
2 Roma tomatoes
1 white onion quartered
6 garlic cloves unpeeled
2 cups beef broth low-sodium
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
3 bay leaves
½ cup white onion chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
2 limes cut into wedges

Instructions

Cut the stems from the guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles. Shake out the seeds and rinse the chiles.
Place the chiles in a medium pot and cover them with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened.
While the chiles simmer, place the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly charred.
Peel the roasted garlic. Add the softened chiles, 1 cup of the chile cooking water, tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger to a blender.
Blend for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the birria sauce is completely smooth.
Place the beef pieces in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the beef, add the bay leaves, and gently mix everything with tongs.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be very tender and easy to pull apart.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the consommé so it absorbs the flavorful liquid.
Serve the birria in bowls with the consommé. Top each serving with chopped onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Notes

For a milder birria, reduce the number of arbol chiles or leave them out.
If the beef does not shred easily, cook it for another 30 minutes and check it again.

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