Birria Quesadillas

These birria quesadillas have tender, chile-braised beef and stretchy melted cheese in a crispy red-stained tortilla with consomme on the side for dipping. ♡

Also known as quesabirria, these are the crispy, cheesy, dip-worthy quesadillas that took over social media for good reason. The beef gets slow-braised in a rich dried chile sauce until it falls apart. The magic is in the consomme: the deeply flavorful braising liquid doubles as both a tortilla dip and a soup on the side. When you dip the tortilla in that red fat before griddling, you get this incredibly crispy, deeply golden shell that you just can’t get any other way.

Toast, blend, braise, and dip. Let’s make it together.

Ingredients

Birria Quesadillas (Quesabirria)

For the birria:

• 2 lbs chuck roast, cut into chunks
• 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

For assembly:

• Corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella)
• Fresh cilantro, diced white onion, lime wedges

Optional add-ins:

• Pickled red onions
• Sliced radishes
• Salsa verde
• Avocado slices

How to Make Birria Quesadillas

1. Toast. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly puffed. Transfer to a bowl of hot water and soak for 15 minutes until softened.
2. Blend. Drain the chiles and add to a blender with onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, vinegar, and 1 cup of beef broth. Blend until completely smooth.
3. Braise. Season chuck roast with salt. Place in a Dutch oven, pour the chile sauce and remaining broth over the top. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 3 hours until the beef shreds easily with a fork.
4. Shred. Pull the beef from the pot and shred with two forks. Skim the red fat from the top of the consomme and set it aside in a small bowl. Return shredded beef to the pot to soak up more flavor.
5. Griddle. Dip each corn tortilla in the skimmed red fat. Place fat-side down on a hot skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded Oaxaca cheese and a generous scoop of birria beef to one half. Fold and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply golden and crispy.
6. Serve. Top with fresh cilantro and diced onion. Ladle warm consomme into small bowls for dipping alongside lime wedges.

Tips

• Don’t skip toasting the chiles. It takes two minutes and completely transforms the flavor of the sauce.
• The consomme fat is your frying medium for the tortillas. Skim it off the top and use it generously.
• Use Oaxaca cheese if you can find it. It melts beautifully and has a mild, milky pull that mozzarella can’t quite match.
• Chuck roast is the best cut for birria. It has the right amount of fat and connective tissue to break down into tender, shreddable meat. Short ribs also work great but cost more.
• Low and slow is the only way. The beef needs 3 full hours to break down properly.

Variations

• Slow cooker birria: After the chile sauce is blended, add everything to a slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
• Instant Pot birria: Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes with natural release.
• Birria tacos: Same concept but fold the tortilla into a taco instead of a quesadilla.
• Birria ramen: Use the consomme as a ramen broth with noodles and the shredded beef on top.

Love bold Mexican flavors? Try our smash burger tacos for something faster, or black bean tacos for a meatless night. These also go great with Korean cucumber salad on the side.

Birria Quesadillas

Chile-braised shredded beef and melty Oaxaca cheese in a crispy red-stained tortilla served with warm consomme for dipping.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 490

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• - 2 lbs chuck roast cut into chunks
• - 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
• - 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
• - 1 medium onion quartered
• - 4 cloves garlic
• - 2 cups beef broth
• - 1 teaspoon cumin
• - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• - Salt to taste
• - Corn tortillas
• - 2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella
• - Fresh cilantro diced white onion, lime wedges

Method

 

1. **Toast.** Dry-toast guajillo and ancho chiles 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Soak in hot water 15 minutes.
2. **Blend.** Blend soaked chiles with onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper, vinegar, and 1 cup broth until smooth.
3. **Braise.** Pour chile sauce and remaining broth over seasoned chuck roast in a Dutch oven. Cover and simmer on low for 3 hours.
4. **Shred.** Pull beef apart with two forks. Skim red fat from consomme and reserve.
5. **Griddle.** Dip tortillas in the red fat, fill with cheese and shredded beef, and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until crispy.
6. **Serve.** Top with cilantro and onion. Serve with warm consomme for dipping.

Notes

- Toast the dried chiles before soaking for much deeper flavor.
- Skim and save the red fat from the consomme. It's the secret to crispy tortillas.
- The beef needs a full 3 hours of braising to shred properly.

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