There are some recipes that feel like an event. They take a little time, fill your home with the most incredible aromas, and deliver a meal that feels truly special. Friends, this Birria de Res recipe is one of those events, and I am so excited to share it with you today.

After seeing these rich, cheesy, dippable tacos everywhere, I knew I had to try making them from scratch. I wanted to do it right, which meant a trip out to La Huerta International Market in Tacoma for some truly authentic ingredients—a little adventure that was worth every mile. The result? A stack of the most amazing tacos I have ever made. Seriously. The beef is fall-apart tender, the consommé is a deeply flavorful, soul-warming broth, and the crispy, cheese-crusted corn tortillas are the perfect vessel for it all.

Don’t be intimidated by the list of chiles; they are the key to building that incredible, complex adobo sauce, and using an Instant Pot makes the whole process surprisingly simple. This is the perfect meal for a lazy weekend, a special celebration, or just a day when you want to treat yourself to something truly spectacular.

Here’s how we did it.

The Ultimate Birria Tacos (Instant Pot Method)

This recipe will walk you through creating the tender meat and the all-important consommé for dipping.

Yields: Approx. 10-12 tacos Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: Approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

What You’ll Need:

For the Meat:

  • 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into large 2-3 inch chunks
  • 2 lbs beef short ribs or bone-in beef shank

For the Adobo (The Flavor Base):

  • 8-10 Guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 4-5 Ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2-3 Chiles de Árbol, stemmed (optional, for a little extra heat)
  • 1 large white onion, halved
  • 6-8 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 large Roma tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 small stick of Mexican cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups of beef or chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Assembly & Serving:

  • Good quality corn tortillas
  • 1 lb Oaxaca cheese (the real deal, if you can find it!), shredded
  • 1 white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Lime wedges

The Method:

  1. Sear the Meat: Set your Instant Pot to Sauté on high. Once hot, add a splash of oil. Pat your beef dry, season it generously with salt and pepper, and sear it in batches until you get a deep brown crust on all sides. Set the seared meat aside.
  2. Sauté Aromatics: Toss the halved onion and garlic into the pot. Sauté for a few minutes in the rendered fat until they start to soften. Add the Roma tomatoes and cook until their skins blister.
  3. Wake Up the Chiles: In a separate dry skillet, toast your dried chiles for about 30-60 seconds per side until you can smell their fragrance. Be careful not to burn them! Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 20-30 minutes to soften up.
  4. Blend the Adobo: Drain the rehydrated chiles and add them to a blender with the sautéed onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Add in the peppercorns, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and 2 cups of the beef broth. Blend it all on high until it’s completely smooth.
  5. Pressure Cook: Strain the adobo sauce through a sieve right into the Instant Pot. Add another cup of broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom (this is key to avoid a “Burn” warning!). Return the meat to the pot, add the last cup of broth and the bay leaves. Secure the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on high for 75 minutes.
  6. Natural Release: This is important! Once the timer goes off, let the pot release pressure naturally for at least 20 minutes. This keeps the meat tender and juicy.
  7. Finish the Birria: Carefully remove the meat and shred it. Skim that beautiful, red-tinged fat from the surface of the liquid and save it in a bowl. The liquid left in the pot is your precious consommé!
  8. Build Your Tacos: Heat a skillet or comal. Dip a corn tortilla into the reserved red fat, place it on the hot skillet, and top with a generous pile of Oaxaca cheese and shredded beef. Fold it over and cook until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is gloriously melted. Repeat until you have a beautiful stack of tacos.

Serve immediately with a small bowl of the warm consommé for dipping, and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh onion, cilantro, and a big squeeze of lime.

I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s a beautiful process and a meal that’s meant to be shared. Let me know how it turns out!

Happy cooking, The Hippie Farmer