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Crockpot Birria

Crockpot birria with deeply red, smoky chile consommé braises beef chuck until it falls apart tender. This Mexican slow cooker birria turns into glistening shredded birria tacos meat with a rich, smooth sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck roast
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
Dried chiles
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
Tomatoes and aromatics
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves
Chile sauce and spices
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
Serving toppings
  • 1 Lime wedges, cilantro, and diced white onion for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Toast and soften chiles
  1. Toast guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, shaking once or twice so they don’t scorch.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 10 minutes to soften before blending.
Blend the chile consommé base
  1. Blend the soaked chiles with diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and 1 cup beef broth until completely smooth.
Slow-cook the birria
  1. Season the beef chunks generously with salt and black pepper, then place them in the crockpot.
  2. Pour the chile sauce over the beef, add the remaining beef broth, and stir to coat all pieces.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4–5 hours) until the beef is completely fall-apart tender, with the consommé turning deeply red and rich.
Shred and serve
  1. Shred the beef directly in the consommé using two forks, then serve hot with lime, cilantro, and white onion on the side.

Notes

For the smoothest consommé, blend until the mixture looks completely uniform, and add extra splashes of broth only if your blender struggles. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; the flavors deepen overnight. Freezing is yes—freeze in portions up to 3 months and reheat gently. Dietary swap: for a dairy-free meal keep toppings dairy-free; the birria itself is naturally dairy-free (check any serving sauces you add).