For anyone not familiar with the word birria it is a fantastic traditional dish from Mexico. Today we are going to show you how to make smoked pulled beef birria tacos that are going to blow your mind. When birria first started it was made using goat meat. Over time this has developed to include veal, beef, lamb and pork. You can serve birria either as a taco filling or in a stew.
Making these tacos is not a quick process as you need the meat to be falling apart so that it doesn’t taste chewy in your taco. You also need to make the consommé to go with the meat. The consommé we will be showing you today will use traditionally Mexican ingredients.
Because of the long process it is perfect if you can start this recipe the day before you need to eat it. If that is not possible don’t stress but make sure you get started early morning. Lets get on with the recipe.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Chuck Roast
- Tortillas
- Medium White Onion, finely chopped
- Cilantro.
- Limes cut into quarters
- Grated cheese. You can use a low moisture mozzarella or a Mexican cheese of your choice
Marinade for the Meat
- 1 tbsp. Garlic Crushed
- 1 tbsp. Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Cumin
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Tomato Paste
Dry rub
- 3 tbsp. Black Pepper Cracked
- 3 tbsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ tbsp. Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
Consommé Ingredients
- ½ Onion
- 4 Fresh Roma Tomatoes Chopped
- 2 tbsp. Chipotle in Adobo Sauce
- 8 Peppercorns
- 3 Cloves
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Whole Garlic with all the Parts Peeled
- 1 ½ tbsp. Salt
- 1 Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- ¼ Cup Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Water
- 3 tbsp. Tomato Paste
Smoked Pulled Beef Birria Tacos Method
We spoke at the top of the article about starting this recipe the day before you want to eat these amazing pulled beef birria tacos. We did this because ideal you are going to want to marinate your meat and leave it overnight in the refrigerator. If you are doing this then you should mix all of your marinade ingredients together. Keep mixing until they form a paste. Take your meat and cover it completely with the paste mix. Overnight is best but if that is not an option leave as long as you can.
Once the meat has been nicely marinated you want to run the meat under some water to clean off all the paste. With this done pat the meat until it is dry. It is now time to get the meat covered in our dry rub. Take a small bowl and add all of the ingredients together and mix well. Cover the meat very lightly in oil and start applying the dry rub all over. It is really important that you cover all of the meat so give it a good turn to make sure all sides are covered and no gaps are left.
Get in the Garden
It is time to get that smoker on! Get your smoker lit and once all the coals are alight then regulate the airflow until the BBQ is sitting somewhere between 250 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you are in that range you can put your chuck roast in and put the lid down. Keep checking that the temperature of the BBQ is in that range as you are going to smoke for three hours or until the bark on the meat is set. This may take slightly longer or less than the three hours specified.
Whilst this is happening you can spend your time working on your consommé. Start by finding a large saucepan or pot. It needs to be quite large as you are going to put the meat into it when its ready later. Once the saucepan has been found add a touch of oil and over a low heat fry the onions and fresh tomatoes for about 6 or 7 minutes. Add to this your chipotle and try until you start to get some amazing smells coming off the mix (approx. one minute,)
With fragrant smells in the air it is time to add your cloves, peppercorns, oregano, thyme, garlic, ginger and cinnamon. Stir everything together nicely and fry for another minute. Finally, add the canned tomatoes, vinegar, salt, water and tomato paste. Give everything a stir and bring the mixture to the boil. Once boiling lower the temperature and simmer for approximately an hour.
Check your chuck roast fairly regularly and as soon as the bark has developed get it off the smoker and add the whole thing to your consommé. Put a lid on top and then return to your smoke for somewhere around 3 to 4 more hours. Before we were not cooking to any internal temperature but now we are waiting for the meat to feel tender when you put in the probe. This should be somewhere around 203-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pulled Beef Birria Tacos Time
Once the meat is ready remove it from the pan and leave it to rest. Once the meat is sufficiently rested you can pull the beef which is otherwise known as shredding. If you have a flat metal sheet that you use on your BBQ or something like a Blackstone you can use that for the rest of the cook. Otherwise take your skillet outside and sit it over the coals.
Take one of the flour tortillas. Briefly dip it into the consommé and once it has a decent coating place it in the hot skillet. Add some pulled beef, onions, cilantro and cheese to one half of the tortilla and fold in half. Once the tortilla has been sizzling away for half a minute turn it over. Leave it another 30 seconds and you are finished. Repeat this process for all of your tacos.
These things are messy. Messy but totally delicious! When serving you should bowl up the remaining consommé to serve as a dip and it is time to eat!
Insanely Good Pulled Beef Birria Tacos
