Birria tacos, also known as birria de res tacos, are a popular Mexican street food that has recently exploded in popularity across the United States. Birria tacos are made with meat that is slowly braised and stewed until tender and full of flavor. The braised meat is then stuffed into a soft corn or flour tortilla, topped with onions, cilantro, and salsa, and often served with a side of flavorful birria broth for dipping the taco.
What is Birria?
Birria is a Mexican stew or soup traditionally made with goat meat, but also commonly made with beef or lamb. The key to birria is slow cooking the meat until it becomes fall-apart tender. Mexican birria recipes often include dried chiles, such as guajillo, ancho, and puya chiles, as well as aromatic spices like garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and cinnamon. This creates a complex, spicy, and deeply savory broth.
Birria originated in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, and is still very popular in that region today. It’s considered a celebratory and festive dish, often served at big events and family gatherings. While birria de chivo (goat birria) is traditional, beef birria, or birria de res, has become very common as well.
How Are Birria Tacos Made?
To make birria tacos, beef or goat is seasoned aromatically with dried chiles, spices, and herbs and then braised or simmered until extremely tender. The cooked meat is then shredded. Soft corn tortillas are briefly dipped in the flavorful birria broth, which both softens them and infuses them with flavor. The soaked tortilla is filled with the shredded meat, topped with sliced raw onion and cilantro, and often served with a small cup of birria consomme for dipping.
The key to great birria tacos is first making an incredible birria broth or consomme. When the meat is cooked slowly in a complex, spicy, and deeply flavored broth, it absorbs all that aromatic flavor. Then dipping the tortillas in that same broth before filling them adds another layer of birria flavor.
Birria Broth
A good birria broth starts with a base of dried chiles, like ancho, guajillo, California, New Mexico, and puya chiles. These are toasted to bring out their flavors, then combined with garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, and other warm spices. Beef or goat meat is then braised in this flavorful liquid until super tender and full of spice and aroma. The cooked meat is strained out and reserved for the tacos, while the remaining liquid is the delicious birria broth for dipping.
Meat
Traditionally birria tacos are made with goat meat or lamb, but beef has become very common. Short ribs, chuck roast, brisket, or other fatty cuts of beef that become tender when braised are ideal. The meat should be cooked until it can be easily shredded into stringy, succulent pieces that are full of moisture and flavor from the broth.
Assembly
Good birria tacos start with soft, fresh corn tortillas. The tortillas are briefly dipped in the hot birria broth, just until pliable and lightly infused with flavor. The meat is then placed inside the moistened tortilla, along with sliced raw white onion and chopped cilantro. A final drizzle of broth is often added over the top. Birria tacos are served with a small cup of broth for dipping each delicious, flavorful bite.
What Makes Birria Tacos Special?
What really makes birria tacos stand out is the incredible depth of flavor in the meat and the tortillas. The chile- and spice-infused broth permeates the meat, making every bite deeply savory and aromatic. Dipping the tortillas in that same flavorful broth before filling them adds another layer of moistness and spice. Every component – the meat, tortillas, onions, cilantro, and broth – works together to create an incredibly satisfying taco experience.
Slow-Cooked Meat
The long braise makes the meat in birria tacos incredibly tender and full of complex flavors. Short ribs, brisket, chuck roast, or other fatty cuts become fall-apart tender after hours in the broth, while also absorbing layers of flavor from the dried chiles and spices.
Infused Tortillas
Dipping the fresh tortillas in the hot birria broth before filling them is an ingenious way to add extra moisture and flavor. The broth infuses the tortilla with spice and aromatics.
Flavorful Toppings
The traditional toppings – raw white onion, fresh cilantro, and more broth for dipping – add texture and bright, fresh flavors that perfectly complement the rich, complex meat.
Consomme for Dipping
Every bite of a birria taco can be dunked in the flavorful, chili-infused broth, adding an extra hit of moisture, spice, and savoriness. Having a dipping broth sets birria tacos apart.
Where Did Birria Tacos Originate?
Birria tacos originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco, specifically from the city of Guadalajara. Birria itself has long been a popular celebratory dish in Jalisco, traditionally made with goat meat. Sometime around the 1990s, taquerias and street food vendors in Guadalajara started serving birria in taco form – stuffing the flavorful, spice-rubbed birria meat into tortillas.
The dipping technique became popular, where vendors would briefly dip the tortillas in the broth before filling them. This helped soften the tortillas while also infusing them with extra meaty flavor. Dishing up small cups of consomme for customers to dip each bite became standard practice. Thanks to street food culture and tourism, birria tacos started gaining fame beyond Jalisco.
How Birria Tacos Became Popular in the US
In the last decade, birria tacos have exploded in popularity across the United States. Several factors contributed to the sudden craze:
- Social media – Videos and photos of ooey-gooey birria tacos went viral on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.
- Food media – Bloggers and outlets like Buzzfeed, Thrillist, and Eater started covering the trend.
- California taquerias – Mexican restaurants and food trucks in LA, San Diego, and beyond started selling birria tacos.
- Pop-ups – Birria taco pop-ups brought attention to the dish in major US cities.
- Pandemic comfort food – The messy, juicy tacos became a popular pandemic takeout option.
Suddenly birria tacos were everywhere – gracing “hottest trend” lists, showing up on restaurant menus across the country, and going hugely viral online as a must-try food item. What was once a regional dish became massively popular coast to coast.
Regional Birria Taco Styles
While the basic components are the same – braised meat, dipping broth, tortillas – there are some regional variations in birria taco styles across Mexico and the US:
Jalisco Style
The original birria tacos from Guadalajara, Jalisco are all about spotlighting the incredible flavors of the meat and broth:
- Made with goat meat or beef
- Minimal additional toppings – just onion, cilantro, salsa
- Served with broth on the side for dipping
Tijuana Style
Birria tacos from the Tijuana area often include:
- Thin, crispy tortillas
- Melted cheese inside the taco
- Shredded lettuce
- Pico de gallo
Los Angeles Style
LA’s gourmet birria taco trend has popularized wraps and loaded tacos with toppings like:
- Oaxaca or quesillo cheese
- Beans, rice
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
New Mexico Style
New Mexico birria tacos often feature:
- Blue corn tortillas
- Shredded lettuce
- Queso fresco
- Roasted chiles
Types of Meat Used for Birria
While goat was originally used for birria, beef and lamb are now common too. Here are some good cuts to use:
Goat Meat (Cabrito)
Goat meat provides the most authentic, traditional birria flavor. Leg or shoulder cuts are typical.
Beef
For beef birria, opt for fatty cuts that become tender when braised, like:
- Chuck roast
- Short ribs
- Brisket
- Shank
- Plate ribs
Lamb
Lamb shoulder or leg work well for birria.
| Meat | Best Cuts to Use |
|---|---|
| Goat | Leg, shoulder |
| Beef | Chuck roast, short ribs, brisket, shank, plate ribs |
| Lamb | Shoulder, leg |
Key Ingredients in Birria Broth
The broth is what really makes birria tacos stand out. Here are essential ingredients:
Dried Chiles
A combination of dried chiles provides deep flavor. Popular kinds include:
- Guajillo – Mild, tangy
- Ancho – Fruity, sweet
- California – Smoky
- Chile de arbol – Spicy
- Puya – Sharp, citrusy
Spices
Warm spices balance out the chiles:
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
Aromatics
Onions, garlic, and bay leaves round out the flavor:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Bay leaves
Acidity
A splash of vinegar brightens up the broth:
- Apple cider vinegar
- White vinegar
| Ingredient | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Dried chiles | Flavor, heat |
| Spices | Warmth, complexity |
| Aromatics | Depth, sweetness |
| Vinegar | Acidity, brightness |
How to Make Birria Tacos
Making incredible birria tacos at home just takes some time and patience. Here is an overview of the process:
Step 1 – Make the Chile-Spiced Broth
Toast dried chiles, then simmer them with spices, vinegar, and aromatics to extract bold flavor.
Step 2 – Braise the Meat
Add your beef/lamb/goat to the chile broth. Let braise for 2-3 hours until incredibly tender.
Step 3 – Strain and Shred Meat
Remove the cooked meat from the broth. Shred with two forks once cooled slightly.
Step 4 – Dip and Fill Tortillas
Quickly dip corn tortillas in the hot broth to soften. Fill with meat, onions, cilantro.
Step 5 – Serve with Broth
Pass out small cups of the broth for dipping each juicy, flavor-packed bite.
Where to Find the Best Birria Tacos
From California to Texas and beyond, here are some top spots to get incredible birria tacos in the US:
Los Angeles, CA
- Burritos La Palma – El Monte
- Teddy’s Red Tacos – Artesia
- Birrieria Nochistlan Tijuana – Carson
San Diego, CA
- Tuetano Taqueria – Barrio Logan
- Tacos El Gordo – Chula Vista
Las Vegas, NV
- Tacos El Gordo – Las Vegas Strip
- Birria Tacos Y Mas – Downtown
Phoenix, AZ
- Tacos Chiwas – Phoenix
- Birrieria Zaragoza – Phoenix
Dallas, TX
- Maskaras Mexican Grill – Dallas
- Revolver Taco Lounge – Dallas
Houston, TX
- Gerardo’s Grill – Houston
- Xochi Birria – Houston
Birria Tacos Are Worth the Hype
With its moist, flavor-packed meat, aromatic dipping broth, and delicious toppings, it’s easy to see why birria tacos have become a sensation. The richness of slowly braised beef or goat combines perfectly with fresh onions, cilantro, and salsa. Dunking each saturated bite in more flavorful consomme takes these tacos over the top.
It’s a truly memorable Mexican street food experience that you can now find from LA to New York and everywhere in between. With the rise of food media and viral social trends, the secret is out – birria tacos are some of the most crave-worthy tacos you can get anywhere.