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Crockpot Birria

Crockpot birria is a slow cooker birria stew of fall-apart beef braised in a deeply red, smoky chile consommé. After 8 hours, the beef becomes tender enough to shred right in the rich sauce for easy birria tacos meat.
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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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck roast
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
Dried chiles and aromatics
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 2 dried ancho chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 1 medium onion Roughly chopped.
  • 6 garlic cloves
Chile consommé
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 salt and black pepper To taste.
Serving toppings
  • 1 lime wedges
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 diced white onion

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Toast and soften the 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 burn.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them before blending.
Blend the chile consommé
  1. Blend the soaked chiles with diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and cinnamon, adding 1 cup beef broth until completely smooth.
Braise in the slow cooker
  1. Season the beef chuck roast chunks generously with salt and black pepper, then place them in the crockpot in an even layer.
  2. Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef, add the remaining beef broth, and stir to coat the meat.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4–5 hours) until the beef is completely fall-apart tender.
Shred and serve
  1. Shred the beef directly in the consommé so every piece stays coated in the vivid red sauce.
  2. Serve the birria with lime wedges, cilantro, and diced white onion.

Notes

For the deepest red, don’t skip softening the chiles—strained or partially blended sauce can look dull. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months (reheat until steaming). To make it milder, use 1/2 the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce or omit it and add extra smoked paprika to keep the smoky flavor without the heat.