Gluten Free Beef Birria Tacos

If you’ve been looking for a gluten free taco recipe that feels truly special, this is the one. Beef birria tacos with a side of rich, flavorful consomme for dipping.

Birria is a traditional Mexican dish where the meat is braised in a dried chile sauce until it basically melts apart. The sauce does all the heavy lifting when it comes to flavor, and it’s naturally gluten free.

What makes these tacos extra good is how you assemble them. Each corn tortilla gets dipped in the consomme before hitting the skillet, so it soaks up all that color and flavor. Then you add cheese and shredded beef, fold it over, and let it get nice and crispy.

You end up with tacos that are crispy on the outside, cheesy and tender on the inside, and a warm bowl of consomme on the side for dipping. It’s a whole experience.

The recipe does take a few hours because of the braising time, but most of that is hands off. You just let the oven do the work while you go about your day.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Incredibly Tender Beef – Slow braising for over 3 hours makes this beef so tender it literally falls apart with a fork.

That Crispy Cheese Crust – Dipping the tortillas in consomme before frying creates an irresistible golden and cheesy crunch on every bite.

Rich and Smoky Flavor – Toasted guajillo and ancho chiles build a deep smoky sauce that tastes like it came from a restaurant.

Ingredients

For the Birria

• 3 lb Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 5 Dried Guajillo Chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 Dried Ancho Chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Medium White Onion, quartered
• 6 Cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

For Assembly

• 12 Gluten Free Corn Tortillas
• 2 cups Shredded Oaxaca or Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1 Medium White Onion, finely diced
• Lime Wedges, for serving

How to Make

Step 1

Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until fragrant and slightly puffed. Transfer them to a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 20 minutes until softened. Drain the chiles.

Step 2

Add the drained chiles to a blender along with the beef broth, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, smoked paprika, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth.

Step 3

Season the beef chunks generously with salt and pepper. Place them in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot and pour the blended chile sauce over the top. Stir to coat all the meat evenly.

Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in a 325 degree F oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and falling apart.

Step 4

Remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Skim any excess fat from the braising liquid (the consomme), but reserve at least 2 tablespoons of the fat separately. Return the shredded beef to the pot and stir it into the consomme to keep it moist and flavorful.

Step 5

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each corn tortilla briefly into the consomme so it soaks up flavor and color. Place the dipped tortilla in the skillet with a small amount of the reserved fat and let it sizzle for about 30 seconds.

Add a generous handful of cheese and some shredded birria beef to one half of the tortilla, then fold it over and press gently. Cook until the bottom is crispy, about 2 minutes, then flip and crisp the other side.

Step 6

Ladle the remaining consomme into small bowls for dipping. Serve the tacos topped with fresh cilantro and diced onion, with lime wedges on the side.

My Tips

Toast the Chiles Just Right

When you’re toasting the dried chiles, you want them fragrant and slightly puffed, but not blackened. If they turn dark and start smoking, they’ll make the whole sauce taste bitter and there’s no way to fix that.

Press them flat against the skillet with a spatula so they make full contact with the pan. Flip them after about 1 minute once you can smell them. The whole thing should take about 2 minutes total.

After toasting, make sure you soak them in boiling water for the full 20 minutes. If they’re still a little stiff when you blend them, the sauce won’t get smooth and you’ll end up with chunks of chile skin in your consomme.

Blend the Sauce Until It’s Completely Smooth

This sauce needs to be silky smooth with zero chunks. If your blender isn’t very powerful, blend it in two batches so everything breaks down properly. You can also strain it through a fine mesh strainer after blending to catch anything that didn’t fully break down.

The smoothness of this sauce is what gives the consomme that rich, restaurant-quality look and feel. Chunky sauce won’t coat the tortillas evenly and the dipping consomme won’t feel right either.

Don’t Rush the Braising Time

The beef needs the full 3 to 3.5 hours at 325 degrees F. If you try to speed things up by raising the oven temperature, the outside of the meat will get tough while the inside stays chewy.

You’ll know it’s done when you can pull the meat apart with just a fork and barely any effort. If you feel any resistance at all, give it another 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on.

Also, make sure your lid fits tightly. If steam escapes, the liquid level drops and the meat dries out. If your lid doesn’t seal well, cover the pot with aluminum foil first and then place the lid on top.

More Tasty Recipes

• Gluten Free Flour-Style Tortillas
• Gluten Free Almond Flour Tortilla Chips
• Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas
• Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake
• Gluten Free Beef & Cheese Empanadas

FAQ

Can I make the birria in a slow cooker instead of the oven?

Absolutely! After blending your chile sauce and coating the beef, transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for about 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and shreds easily.

The results are just as delicious. The low and slow method actually works really well for birria since it gives the beef plenty of time to soak up all those rich, smoky flavors from the chiles.