What Are Birria Tacos?

Birria is a slow-cooked Mexican stew from the state of Jalisco. It is traditionally made with goat, and now most often with beef, braised for hours with dried chiles (guajillo and ancho), garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and vinegar until the meat pulls apart. It is served either as a soupy bowl with the broth (consommé) or with the meat pulled for tacos.

That is a common debate online. Birria went viral around 2019 to 2021, which means a lot of places now sell a mediocre version with under-seasoned meat and a greasy dip. A good one, with properly braised chuck or short rib and a rich, chile-forward consommé, is genuinely excellent. Judge the specific place, not the trend.

For a treat, yes, if the place makes it well: long-braised meat, a crisp fat-fried tortilla and a real consommé. They cost more and are heavier than street tacos, so they are an occasional order rather than an everyday one.

Traditionally goat (birria de chivo). In the United States, beef birria is the standard, usually chuck roast, short rib or shank, or a mix, because beef is cheaper, milder and easier to source. Some cooks use lamb.

Corn tortillas dipped in the red fat that rises to the top of the birria pot, griddled until crisp, filled with the shredded stewed meat (and often melted cheese, which makes them quesabirria), and served with a small cup of consommé for dipping.

A regular taco is a soft tortilla with a filling and fresh toppings. A birria taco is cooked in the stew's fat so the tortilla turns crisp and stained red, the filling is long-braised chile-stewed meat rather than grilled or fried, and it comes with consommé to dip. It is closer to a French dip than to a street taco.

Birria is a fatty, salty dish. The meat is braised in rendered fat and the tortillas are fried in it. Two birria tacos with consommé are a rich meal, higher in saturated fat and sodium than a couple of grilled street tacos. It is fine occasionally; it is not an everyday light lunch.

It is slow food. A batch takes several hours of low braising, uses more meat per taco than a typical filling, and the good versions use beef chuck or short rib plus a long list of dried chiles and spices. The consommé is essentially a bonus bowl of broth. Labour and yield, not hype, drive the price.

Mild to medium. The chiles used (guajillo, ancho, sometimes a little chile de árbol) give deep flavour and colour more than heat. Most birria is not hot; the salsa on the side is where the heat lives.

BEER-ee-ah (the double r is a soft roll). Quesabirria is keh-sah-BEER-ee-ah.