Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Toast and soften the chiles
- Toast dried guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles, and dried chipotle chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, swirling to prevent burning.
- Transfer chiles to a bowl and cover with hot water for 10 minutes, then drain well so the blend is not watery.
Blend and strain chile sauce
- Blend the drained chiles with the halved onion, crushed garlic, cumin, oregano, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to keep the silky chile texture while discarding solids.
Simmer the birria consomé
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and warm until it shimmers.
- Add the strained chile sauce and cook for 5 minutes, stirring so it deepens in color without scorching.
- Stir in beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick, then bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add beef chuck roast chunks, return to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Simmer uncovered for 90-120 minutes, until the beef is fall-apart tender and the consomé turns a deep red, stirring occasionally and adding salt and pepper near the end to taste.
Serve as tacos or stew
- For tacos, shred the tender meat and dip corn tortillas in the hot consomé to soften, then fill with shredded meat and top with diced onion and cilantro.
- For stew, ladle meat and consomé into bowls and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Pro tip: after straining, simmer the chile sauce briefly before adding broth so the flavor turns brick-deep without bitterness. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days; the consomé and meat also freeze up to 3 months (thaw and reheat gently). For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and reduce added salt to taste; the texture stays rich with the chile reduction.