This Birria Quesadillas recipe is made of flavorful shredded beef and gooey cheese sandwiched between two crisp, buttery golden tortillas. Dip the quesabirra in rich, savory, smokey birria consommé for a mouthwatering meal!
If you enjoy this, you must try my Cheese Quesadilla recipe and Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas next!
Firstly, I have to give a huge thanks to Mexican cuisine for giving us this delicious recipe! If you've never had birria, you are in for a treat! It has bold flavors, tender beef, and when placed on a tortilla with melted monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheeses - it's HEAVEN. The first time I had birria wasat our local Mexican restaurant and it was incredible. I totally get why it went viral on tiktok!
The process of making a Beef Birria Quesadilla, or Birria de Res, can be a bit lengthy, but I will walk you through how to make it stove top, in the oven, in the slow cooker, and even in an instant pot (the fastest way).
You make think it's a complex preparation, but I promise, at first bite, you'll understand why this classic favorite is worth all of the work!
You start by preparing a stew of dried chiles, beef stock, seasonings, and herbs. Chuck roast is steeped in this flavorful soup for a couple of hours and the final result is juicy tender beef.
And all that leftover stew, or consommé, becomes the best dipping sauce for the quesadillas. Even once the quesadillas are gone, you'll be slurping up that broth. No doubt, preparing these cheesy Birria Quesadillas is a labor of love but you will be SO happy you did it!
Although birria has grown popular in recent years through L.A. food truck culture and viral TikTok videos, birria originated in Jalisco, Mexico. It's a traditional Mexican stew that is typically made with goat or lamb meat. It is cooked low and slow to form a flavorful consomé and super tender and juicy meat. I'm talking cut it with a spoon type of tender! For this recipe, birria de res (
This Birria Quesadilla recipe uses chuck roast instead of goat meat because it's easier to find and has a similar flavor and texture. The birria meat is marinated in that saucy stock until it is fork tender.
Birria quesadillas with consommé are addictive! Although there are many ingredients, these can all be found in your local grocery store very easily.
The consume for this recipe is full of standard birria flavors! The ingredients below are KEY to the best birria ever!!
Cut the chuck roast into chunks and add cumin, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
On a cutting board, cut chiles and remove the seeds. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and toast the chiles for 3-4 minutes, until slightly charred. Then place the chiles in the boiling water until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add an additional tablespoon of oil to the frying pan and add sliced onions. Cook until softened and fragrant, then add peppercorns, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, cumin ginger, and a cinnamon stick.
Continue to cook for 4 minutes then add tomato paste and stir until paste forms then remove from heat and add everything in the pan into a blender along with softened boiled chilies (don't worry about draining the peppers completely), Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, Garlic, Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, and Apple Cider Vinegar.
Blend together until smooth and thick. It should have a reddish tinge - the bright red hue of the birria is so pretty!
Add 4 tbsps of vegetable oil to a large pot and allow it to warm. Add beef chunks and sear on all sides until browned and crisp (Be sure not to overcrowd the pot, cook in batches if needed).
Pour blended tomato/chili puree into the pot on top of the beef and add beef stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 ½-3 hours, until beef is fork tender.
Taste for salt and add as needed then remove the beef and shred with a fork. Save the juices to dip the quesadillas into!
Melt butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Dip the tortilla into the reserved juices from the pot and place it into the pan. Add ½ cup Mexican Blend Cheese Mixture and ½ cup Mozzarella (more if you'd like). Then add about 1 cup of the shredded beef on top of the cheese and place the second tortilla on top.
Flip over in the pan and allow the second side to crisp. Finally, remove from pan and enjoy with accompanying traditional warm birria broth!
The quesadilla toppings are my favorite! Whether you're using corn tortillas or flour tortillas (my preference), I like to top them with sour cream, pico de gallo, and a few lime wedges. You can also serve these with:
Birria quesadillas are warm tortillas filled with beef and cheese.
The inclusion of chiles makes these birria quesadillas spicy but not overwhelming, so the whole family can enjoy them!
The quesadillas and consommé should be more than enough but if you want other add-ons, consider yellow rice, roasted veggies, or guacamole.
Want more delicious and beautiful recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter, where you'll hear about new recipes FIRST and get tantalizing and exclusive perks!
Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
It took a while to make this but it was really delicious.
Thanks!