Crock Pot Birria Tacos
Crock Pot Birria Tacos are tender, slow-cooked beef tacos with rich, smoky flavors, crispy tortillas, melty cheese, and a savory broth for dipping!
A FLAVORFUL TACO RECIPE
Get ready to elevate taco night with these Crock Pot Birria Tacos! These have become a bit more mainstream in recent years and I think I speak for many of us when I say that I absolutely love them! The chuck roast comes out so flavorful and fall apart tender but the real magic happens when you fry up the taco shells. It just takes these to a whole new level – plus the meat creates the most delicious dipping juices! Put the meat on before you head to work and come home to the most amazing smells!
These were amazing! Fantastic flavor and great instructions. Will definitely make again.
– Brendan
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Honestly, it isn’t that big of a deal. Don’t let the size of your roast stress you out, just use what you have. Obviously, the bigger chick roast, the more meat you get. If it’s a smaller roast, that’s okay too! In general, most chuck roast that you find will be somewhere between 1.5-3 pounds. If you want a similar sized roast that I used, you will want one that is at least 3 pounds.
I used flour tortillas because that’s what I had on hand. However, traditional Birria Tacos are made with corn tortillas. Either of them will work, just make sure you have the street taco size. If using corn tortillas, you may want to double them up as they can break easier than flour ones.
So, a lot of people don’t realize that cinnamon is a common ingredient used with Birria Tacos. All the seasonings used here are what’s used in traditional Birria tacos, including cinnamon. I don’t think you taste cinnamon as a specific ingredient, I actually think it enhances the rest of the flavors of the other ingredients.
Instead of cooking the beef in the slow cooker, you could do it in the oven. You can cook the chuck roast in the oven at 300°F for 3 to 4 hours.
sure, instead of using the Crock Pot, try using the Instant Pot to cook the chuck roast for 60-75 minutes.
Remember this will depend on the size of chuck roast you chose. If you use one that is at least 3 lbs like I did, you can make 36 (street size) tacos out of this, but if you fill them very full you will get 24 tacos out of them.
I used a cast iron skillet for searing the beef to give it that beautiful golden color. You won’t get the same golden color with most other pans. I also used that pan for the tortillas. However, these can be made on a griddle instead of a cast iron pan so you can cook more at one time.
You can keep the prepared tacos in the fridge for up to 3 days. They will be soft when reheating. They are hard to get crispy in the air fryer or in a skillet. Any longer and they will be soggy. You can keep the ingredients separated and in the fridge for up to 5 days. The meat freezes well for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- boneless chuck roast – these vary in sizes but basically you want to look for one that is around 2-3 pounds (it’s ok if it is a little more or a little less.)
- salt and pepper
- low-sodium beef broth – you can always add salt but you can’t take it out so I went with low sodium beef broth. You can certainly taste the sauce and add more salt as you prefer.
- crushed tomatoes – I used the kind with basil added but use what you can find.
- yellow onion
- canned green chiles – this does not make this “hot” at all. If you want to add some spiciness to this dish, you could add a bit of red pepper flakes.
- garlic – I prefer fresh garlic for this but you could use the jarred stuff if you really wanted.
- honey– I used this in place of sugar to help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. If you don’t want to use honey, you could use agave or brown sugar, but, I’d just use 1 Tablespoon instead.
- ground cumin
- oregano
- paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- cinnamon stick – this is optional. See my Frequently Asked Questions above.
- flour or corn tortillas– street taco size. Traditional Birria Tacos are made with corn tortillas but use what you like, it’s your meal to do with what you want!
- shredded mozzarella cheese – Oaxaca cheese is the traditional cheese used for Birria tacos. So if you wanted to make this more authentic, you could use that. I went with mozzarella since that is easiest for most people to find in their local grocery stores.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BIRRIA TACOS:
In a skillet add 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Coat the roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the chuck roast to the skillet. Sear each side for 2-3 minutes or until the sides are golden brown.
While the meat is searing in the crockpot add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, onion, green chiles, garlic cloves, honey, and dried ingredients. Mix until combined.
Taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed. Add half a teaspoon at a time. Add cinnamon stick. Transfer the roast to the crockpot.
Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. Cook until the meat is tender and easy to shred. When done, remove the cinnamon stick. Mash the garlic with a fork against the inside of the crockpot. Mix the garlic into the sauce. Shred the meat with two forks.
Transfer the meat to a separate container. In a skillet over low to medium heat add a teaspoon of oil before cooking each taco. Dip both sides of the shell in the sauce in the crockpot. Transfer the shell to the skillet. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until golden brown. Flip the shell over and cook for 30-60 seconds.
While the shell is cooking add 2 tablespoons of cheese over the whole shell. Add 3-4 tablespoons of beef to half of the taco. Once cooked flip the shell to create a taco. Transfer to your serving dish. Serve with fresh limes, cilantro, chopped onion, and birria sauce.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Crock Pot Birria Tacos (+Video)
Ingredients
- ⅛ cup oil (divided use)
- 2-3 pounds boneless chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 16 ounce can low-sodium beef broth
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 8 ounce can green chiles
- 8 garlic cloves
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 15 street taco size flour or corn tortillas
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Oaxaca cheese)
For Serving (Optional)
- 3 limes, sliced into quarters
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- In a skillet add 2 Tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.
- Coat both sides of a 2-3 pounds boneless chuck roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Add the chuck roast to the skillet. Sear each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- To a 5-6 quart crock pot, add 16 ounce can low-sodium beef broth, 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup finely diced yellow onion, 8 ounce can green chiles, 8 garlic cloves, 3 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon ground cumin, 1 Tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix until combined.
- Taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed. Add half a teaspoon at a time if you feel more is needed. Add 1 cinnamon stick. Transfer the roast to the crock pot.
- Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. Do not remove the lid while cooking to keep checking on the meat. This will make your meat end up tough and harder to shred. Just set it and forget it. Cook until the meat is tender and easy to shred.
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Mash the garlic with a fork against the inside of the crockpot. Mix the garlic into the sauce.
- Shred the meat with two forks. Then transfer the meat to a separate plate or bowl.
- In a skillet over medium low heat add a teaspoon of oil before cooking each taco.
- Dip both sides of the shell in the sauce in the crockpot to coat. Transfer the shell to the skillet. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until golden brown.
- Flip the shell over and cook for another 30-60 seconds or until golden brown.
- While the shell is cooking add 2 Tablespoons of mozzarella cheese over the whole shell.
- Add 3-4 Tablespoons of shredded beef to half of the taco.
- Once cooked flip the shell to create a taco. Transfer to your serving dish and continue with the remaining tacos. You can do several at a time if you have a large enough skillet.
- Serve with sliced fresh limes, cilantro, chopped onion, and birria sauce (from the crock pot.)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This can cook for longer than 8 hours if you need it to (for example, if you put it on before going to work.) Just keep it on low or if you have a digital slow cooker, you may have the option for it to switch to a “keep warm” setting after the cook time.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
If using ground cinnamon instead of the cinnamon stick, how much would you recommend?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tested with ground cinnamon
These were amazing! Fantastic flavor and great instructions. Will definitely make again.