Birria de Res (Rich, Red, and Flavorful)

Name: Birria de Res (Rich, Red, and Flavorful)
Yield: serves
Ingredients: 16 cups water; 2 1/2 cups dried hibiscus; 1 cinnamon stick, ideally Mexican, broken into pieces; Sugar, to taste (start with 1 cup)

servings

8-10

Prep

cook

3½–5

Last updated on

February 26, 2026

Birria de res is a celebration dish. It's a slow‑simmered, brick‑red stew that people plan entire weekends around. Weddings, baptisms, hangovers, Sundays, holidays, or any day ending in “y,” birria fits them all. This version leans into deep chile flavor, warm spices, and a silky adobo that melts into tender beef and a consomé that feels rich and comforting without being too heavy.

It is also one of the most requested things I make. If I ask my husband what he wants for any particular occasion, he always says birria. When we visit my parents on the East Coast, my dad usually has a birria night planned before I even step foot in the state.

Birria is bold, aromatic, collagen-rich, and incredibly versatile. You can serve it as a stew, crisp it into tacos, or turn it into quesabirria with a little cheese and a hot comal. Some people, myself included, like to add beans to their tacos or into their personal bowl of consomé. It's not necessary, but it is delicious! Beans bring extra body, richness, and fiber, which makes the whole meal feel even more satisfying.

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Notes & Tips

Heat level: Add more árbol chiles for a spicier consomé.
Meat options: Chuck roast gives you tender meat and a reliable texture, and adding cuts like shank or short ribs brings extra richness. Bone‑in pieces deepen the flavor of the consomé and add more collagen and amino acids, which give the broth extra body and make it feel especially nourishing and gut-friendly.
Make‑ahead: Birria tastes even better the next day.
Freezer‑friendly: Freeze in portions with plenty of consomé.
For quesabirria: To make quesabirria, lightly dip a warm corn tortilla into the top layer of the consomé so it picks up a little color and fat. Set it on a hot comal, add a handful of melty cheese, and spoon a bit of shredded birria on top. Fold the tortilla and cook until the cheese melts and the edges turn crisp. Garnish as you would a normal birria taco.

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Mains

Breakfast

Birria de Res (Rich, Red, and Flavorful)

serves

8-10

prep in

minutes

cook for

3½–5

hours

Ingredients

‍For the Beef + Broth

5 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large cubes (Short ribs, beef shank, or a mix also work.)
2 large white onions
2 heads garlic, peeled
18 cups water
Salt, to taste
2–3 bay leaves

For the Adobo

16 guajillo chiles, deveined and deseeded
6–12 chile de árbol, optional for heat
8 large Roma tomatoes
1 (2½‑inch) piece Mexican cinnamon stick (aka Ceylon Cinnamon)
8 whole cloves
3 tsp thyme
3 tsp Mexican oregano
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns

Directions

1. Make the Broth

Add the beef, 1 onion, 1 head of garlic, and 18 cups of water to a large pot.
Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the meat is fork‑tender, about 2–3 hours.
Season the broth with salt as it cooks. This is your consomé base, so it needs flavor.

2. Build the Adobo

In a separate pot, add: bay leaves, guajillo, árbol, tomatoes, remaining onion, remaining garlic, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, oregano, marjoram, cumin seeds, peppercorns.
Cover with water and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let everything steep for 10–15 minutes.
Strain the pot, reserving about ½ of the cooking liquid.

3. Blend

Transfer softened chiles, tomatoes, aromatics, and spices to a blender.
Add the reserved chile‑tomato liquid.
Add 2 cups of the beef broth from the main pot.
Blend on high until completely smooth. (If your blender struggles, add a little more broth.)

4. Combine + Simmer

Remove the onion and garlic from the beef pot and discard.
Pour the blended adobo through a fine strainer directly into the beef and broth.
Stir well and simmer partially covered for 1½–2 hours, until the beef shreds easily and the consomé is rich and red.
Taste for salt — birria needs seasoning at every stage.

To Serve

Birria en Plato (Stew Style)

Ladle beef and consomé into bowls.
Garnish with onion, cilantro, lime, and a spicy salsa.
Serve with warm tortillas.

Birria Tacos / Quesabirria

Shred the beef.
Dip tortillas in the red fat from the top of the consomé.
Fill with beef (and cheese if making quesabirria).
Griddle until crisp.
Garnish with cilantro, onion, and salsa. Serve with a side of consomé for dipping. Don't forget the limes for your tacos and consumé.