Taco That Broke The Internet: Birria de Res Tacos with Consommé

A beloved Mexican dish featuring tender beef tacos served with rich, flavorful dipping broth

The Taco That Broke The Internet: Birria de Res

Listen, we need to talk about that moment when your first birria taco drips its gorgeous, crimson consommé down your arm, and you realize you’ve just crossed a line—there’s no going back to regular tacos. These aren’t your Tuesday night standby tacos; these are the tacos that make you want to cancel plans, ghost your diet, and seriously consider whether you could quit your job to open a food truck.

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, and perfected through generations of family recipes, birria tacos have taken social media by storm faster than a cat riding a roomba. Imagine the most tender, flavor-packed beef, tucked into crispy tortillas that have been baptized in rich, chili-infused broth, then griddled until the cheese creates those Instagram-worthy cheese pulls that’ll make your followers weep. Yes, they take time to make—but so did the Sistine Chapel, and nobody’s complaining about that investment. So clear your schedule, send the kids to grandma’s, and let’s embark on what might be the most rewarding culinary adventure since someone decided to stuff a cookie inside another cookie. Your taste buds are about to get an upgrade to first class.

Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 4 hours Total Time: 5 hours Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

For the Meat & Marinade:

• 4 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
• 3 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried chipotle chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (Mexican preferred)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

For Assembly:

• 24 corn tortillas
• 1 lb Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, shredded
• 2 white onions, finely diced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 limes, cut into wedges

Instructions: Taco that Broke the Internet

Prepare the Marinade:

1. Toast dried chilies in a dry skillet until fragrant (30 seconds per side)
2. Soak chilies in hot water for 30 minutes until soft
3. Blend chilies, onion, garlic, vinegar, and spices until smooth
4. Strain mixture through fine-mesh sieve

Cook the Meat:

1. Season beef chunks with salt and pepper
2. Cover meat with marinade, refrigerate 4 hours or overnight
3. Place in Dutch oven with 4 cups water
4. Cook at 325°F (165°C) for 3-4 hours until fork-tender
5. Remove meat, shred, and reserve broth (consommé)

Assembly:

1. Skim fat from consommé surface, reserve
2. Dip tortillas in skimmed fat
3. Griddle tortillas until crispy
4. Then fill with meat and cheese
5. Fold and griddle until cheese melts

To Serve:

1. Plate 3 tacos per person
2. Then serve with small bowl of hot consommé
3. Later, garnish with diced onion, cilantro, lime wedges
4. Meanwhile provide extra consommé for dipping

Chef’s Notes

• Traditional birria uses goat meat (birria de chivo)
• Quality of dried chilies greatly affects final flavor
• Then consommé can be strained twice for clarity
• Leftover meat freezes well for future use

Tips for Success

• Don’t rush the meat cooking process
• Likewise, consider keeping consommé hot for serving
• Double-dipping tortillas creates crispier tacos
• Serve immediately while tacos are crispy

Recipe developed with respect for Mexican culinary tradition while adapting for home kitchens.

A Final Note From The Kitchen

And there you have it—the legendary taco that broke the internet, crashed a thousand Instagram servers, and launched countless food truck dreams. Remember, like any great love story, birria takes time, patience, and a willingness to get a little messy. When you serve these, don’t be surprised if your guests suddenly forget how to maintain polite dinner conversation, instead dissolving into a chorus of satisfied mumbles and the occasional “Oh my god.” That moment when someone takes their first dip into the consommé? Pure kitchen theater. And while yes, your kitchen will smell incredible for days (a bonus, really), and yes, you might find yourself dreaming about that consommé (totally normal), just remember: you’re not obsessed—you’re dedicated.

These tacos aren’t just a meal; they’re a passport to the intersection of tradition and trend, where ancient Mexican cooking techniques meet modern social media fame. So go forth and birria—may your tortillas be crispy, your consommé be rich, and your phone be ready for those drip shots that made this humble taco an internet sensation. After all, if you didn’t post it, did it even happen? (Spoiler alert: Yes, and it was still delicious.)