When birria or quesabirria tacos went viral on social media, Ree couldn’t wait to try them. Her inspired version is stuffed with tender beef braised with chiles, fresh onions, fragrant cilantro and melty mozzarella, since Oaxaca cheese wasn’t available at her local market.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and deseeded
- 5 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and deseeded
- 4 dried chile de arbol, stemmed and deseeded
- 4 Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 20 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- For the beef: Combine the ancho, New Mexico and de arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and beef broth in a large pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for 12 to 14 minutes while you sear the beef.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper. In two batches, sear the beef, browning on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the chile and tomato mixture until smooth.
- Add the blended sauce to the Dutch oven, scraping the pan to release any bits stuck to the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot with any juices from the plate. Add the apple cider vinegar, coriander, cumin, dried oregano, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove the beef to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Set aside.
- For the tacos: To build the tacos, grab a tortilla and dip it in the warm braising liquid. Lay the tortilla on a griddle over medium heat, top with a couple of tablespoons of the mozzarella and 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the beef. Add a little onion and cilantro, then fold in half to close. Repeat with 3 more tortillas.
- Cook the tacos on the griddle until crisp, 30 to 45 seconds per side. Remove to a platter and squeeze over the lime juice. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve with the braising liquid on the side for dipping.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 449 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 39 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 41 g |
| Cholesterol | 105 mg |
| Sodium | 994 mg |
Reviews
I just made this, and my husband loved it. It’s a little too spicy for me, but my husband has already asked me to make it for his friends at work.
So good. Followed it exactly except I had the cheese that is usually used in this dish. So good. I as told it was better than any restaurant. I also cooked the beef for 3 hours and 15 mins.
I watched Pioneer Woman yesterday and Ree made these. She had me when she said the beef was the tastiest, most tender she had ever eaten.
These are so good! I followed the recipe to the T. The only modification was I braised in slow cooker for 6 hours.
This makes a ton of meat so this is great for a crowd and leftovers.
This did not disappoint, and if I do say so, I haven’t been dissatisfied with a single pioneer woman recipe yet. I made homemade refried beans to go with the dish and everyone’s socks were knocked off. The dirty dipping sauce is excellent and the dish was flavorful, but not spicy. Might not be “authentic” to some, but I highly recommend you try it anyway. Thanks for sharing!!! I’ll be making these tacos again very soon.
Can’t wait to try this recipe but is it spicy.
This recipe is amazing!! My whole family loved these tacos. I told my daughter I’ve turned into a little Abuela!! I did add more beef stock to my sauce because it ended up more like a mole…rich and delicious! The additional stock made it a little better for dunking the tacos. Yummy!!!
I made this over the weekend and it was even better than I expected! Great for a group or a party or for leftovers. As someone else mentioned I’m going to double the sauce next time because it can be used with so many other dishes.
I watched this episode and went straight to the grocery store to buy the ingredients! It turned out fantastic. I made the sauce and beef on Saturday evening. On Sunday, I warmed the beef and sauce and cooked the tacos for my family. They loved it!! We all loved it!
This was delicious. The meat was perfect and the sauce is amazing. I don’t like cinnamon in savory dishes, so I deleted it and deleted the coriander and replaced them with chili powder. Added a little sugar to the sauce before adding the meat to braise. Before shredding the meat, it was reminiscent of short ribs. I may just eat them like that next time.
What I cannot understand are the tortillas! When I dunked them, they fell apart and got soggy – and putting them in the skillet didn’t seem to solve the issue. I don’t think I would do it that way again unless someone has a solution. Overall, a fabulous dish.
What I cannot understand are the tortillas! When I dunked them, they fell apart and got soggy – and putting them in the skillet didn’t seem to solve the issue. I don’t think I would do it that way again unless someone has a solution. Overall, a fabulous dish.
Looking to make it can you use a sirloin tip roast instead of a chuck roast?