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Brisket Birria Tacos

Brisket birria tacos with slow-cooked beef brisket simmered until extremely tender, then dipped tortilla shells get stained crimson-red from strained chile consomé. Each taco is built with shredded brisket and finished with onion, cilantro, and lime for a savory dunking experience.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
rest time 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef brisket
  • 4 lb beef brisket
Guajillo chiles
  • 6 guajillo chiles
Ancho chiles
  • 4 ancho chiles
White onion
  • 1 white onion Halved; plus extra for topping
Garlic
  • 8 clove garlic
Tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
Apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Cumin
  • 1 tbsp cumin
Oregano
  • 2 tsp oregano
Bay leaf
  • 1 bay leaf
Cinnamon sticks
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
Beef broth
  • 8 cup beef broth
Corn tortillas
  • 8 corn tortillas
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro
Lime
  • 2 lime Wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Slow-cook the brisket
  1. Place beef brisket in a large Dutch oven with beef broth, white onion, and garlic, then bring to a boil over high heat. You should see active bubbling around the brisket and along the pot edges.
  2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer at a gentle simmer for 3.5 hours until extremely tender. The meat should easily pull apart with light pressure.
  3. Remove the brisket to a plate and shred into bite-sized pieces, reserving the cooking liquid in the pot. The shredded brisket should look fibrous and evenly torn for easy taco filling.
  4. Let the shredded brisket rest for 15 minutes before assembling the tacos. You should see it hold together without drying out as you shred and portion.
Make the birria chile consomé
  1. Toast guajillo chiles and ancho chiles in a dry sheet pan for 1 minute. They should darken slightly and smell fragrant without burning.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 10 minutes. They should soften and look pliable.
  3. Blend the soaked chiles with garlic, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and cinnamon sticks until smooth. The mixture should be a thick, uniform red-brown paste.
  4. Strain the chile paste through a fine sieve into the reserved broth, then return to the Dutch oven. The consomé should turn a crimson-red color.
  5. Simmer the consomé for 20 minutes. You should see gentle steam and a lightly reduced, flavorful broth.
Dip, fill, and serve
  1. Dip corn tortillas into the hot consomé until lightly saturated. The tortillas should look glossy and dark red at the edges.
  2. Fill each dipped tortilla with shredded beef brisket. The brisket should be visible as a hearty mound at the center.
  3. Dip again if desired, then top with white onion and cilantro. You should see a fresh contrast of green cilantro and pale onion over the red-dipped shell.
  4. Serve with small cups of consomé for dunking and lime wedges on the side. The steam from the consomé and the bright lime should be visible at the table.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the chile paste for a silky consomé—this helps the crimson-red broth cling to the dipped tortillas without gritty bits. Refrigerate leftover brisket and consomé separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days; freeze brisket up to 3 months, and freeze consomé up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and trim visible fat from the brisket before slow-cooking.