Birria quesadillas with consomme is an amazing Mexican recipe that has become insanely popular throughout the U.S. The birrria quesadillas also known as quesadillas de birria or quesatacos are typically enjoyed by dipping them in the flavorful consomme. Birria is traditionally made using goat but this recipe uses beef. If you like this recipe you’ll have to try barbacoa next!
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you all for so long. It’s one of our favorites.
Birria consommé can be made on the stove top which is what I’m doing today but it can also be made in the oven, in a slow cooker and in an instant pot.
I love my slow cooker and can’t wait to try making birria in it. I don’t have an instant pot but I know they’re super popular.
Tao of Spice has a great birria recipe and shows you how to make it in the slow cooker and instant pot.
Birria is typically served at celebrations. But it is great anytime.
Birria quesadillas with consomme may intimidate you when you look at the long list of ingredients but it is honestly pretty easy.
I’m going to show you the whole process so that you can easily recreate it at home.
What is birria consomme made of?
Birria consomme is the flavor packed liquid that the birria meat was cooked in. It consists of dried chilies, herbs, spices and seasonings resulting in a seriously flavorful broth or sauce that’s perfect for dipping the birria quesadillas in.
Birria consomme ingredients
These are the main ingredients. For the full list check out the recipe card.
Chuck roast
I use chuck roast for my birria. I find that it’s perfect for this recipe as it has a good amount of fat to give the birria consomme plenty of flavor without it being too greasy. Other cuts of beef such as beef shank or short ribs also work well.
Dried chilies
I use guajillo, pasilla and arbol chilies. You can increase the amount of arbol chilies if you want a spicier consomme.
Spices
Ground cumin, ground black pepper, cinnamon and whole cloves.
Herbs
Bay leaves, dried oregano, dried thyme and cilantro.
How to make birria consomme
Now that you have your ingredients it’s time to get started. Cut the chuck roast into smaller pieces.
You’ll also need one whole onion and half a head of garlic. Cut the top off the garlic to expose it.
Reserve the other half of the garlic. We will need it later to make the salsa.
Put the chuck roast, onion, garlic, beef bouillon cubes, bay leaves, salt and water in a pot.
Bring it to a boil and skim off the foam that rises.
Then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 3 hours.
The meat will now be tender. Remove the meat from the pot and strain the beef broth and return it to the pot.
I let the meat cool before shredding it because it’s super hot.
While the meat is cooling down I’m going to work on the birria sauce.
How to make the birria sauce
You’ll need guajillo, pasilla and arbol chilies for the sauce. However you can totally omit the arbol chiies if you don’t like spicy.
Clean the chilies with a wet paper towel. Take the stems off them and remove the seeds and veins.
You don’t have to remove the seeds from the arbol chilies just clean them.
Put the roma tomatoes and chilies in a pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Let boil for about 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and let soak for about 10 minutes.
While the tomatoes and chilies are soaking go ahead and add the other ingredients needed for the sauce to the blender.
Those ingredients are the oregano, thyme, ground cumin, ground black pepper, white onion, peeled garlic cloves, piece of cinnamon, whole cloves, white vinegar and salt.
Now add the tomatoes and chilies to the blender along with 2 cups of the strained beef broth.
Blend until you get a smooth sauce.
Now strain the sauce into the beef broth.
This is the birria consomme that will be served with the birria quesadillas.
Cook it covered on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Season it with salt to taste.
Now I am going to shred the cooked chuck roast. I used my fingers for this but you can also use two forks.
Discard the fat.
Reserve half of the meat for the birria quesadillas and add the rest to the pot with the consomme.
Season the reserved meat for the birria quesadillas with salt.
What are birria quesadillas made of?
Birria quesadillas also known as birria quesatacos consist of corn tortillas that are dipped in the birria consomme then lightly fried in a skillet and filled with cheese and the shredded beef. The birria consomme gives them their signature color.
Frying the lightly in oil allows them to get a little crispy. Birria quesadillas are famously enjoyed by dipping them in the consomme.
Birria quesadilla ingredients
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Corn tortillas
Reserved shredded meat
Birria consomme
Vegetable oil
How to make birria quesadillas
Heat up some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Take one corn tortilla and dip it in the birria consomme. Then put it in the skillet. Fry it lightly on each side for a few seconds.
Add some shredded cheese.
Add some of the shredded meat on top of the cheese and then add a little more cheese on top.
Now fold it and cook until the cheese has melted. Flip to the other side so it can get crispy.
I’m actually able to fit two or three at a time in my skillet. However if this is your first time making birria quesadillas you may want to start with just one at first.
Transfer the birria quesadillas to a plate and repeat the above steps with the rest of the tortillas.
Now everything is ready and you can finally sit down and eat!
Serve the birria consomme in a bowl.
Chopped cilantro, onion and fresh squeezed lime juice are a must for garnishing the consomme.
My husband loves dipping his birria quesadillas in the consomme and so do I.
That’s the only way to eat them as far as I’m concerned!
Looking for more delicious Mexican recipes? Try these:
Birria quesadillas with consomme
These birria quesadillas with consomme are so delicious and full of flavor.
It is sure to impress all of your friends and family! The best part about this recipe is that you’ll most likely end up with leftovers for two or three days depending on how big your family is. I love having leftovers, they make life easier!
In fact I like making birria ramen with my leftovers. You should definitely try it!
Birria Quesadillas with Consommé
Birria quesadillas with consomme is a delicious and flavorful Mexican dish that is sure to impress all your friends and family!
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 3 lbs chuck roast
- 1 white onion
- 1/2 head garlic
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 cups water
For the Sauce
- 6 guajillo chilies
- 2 pasilla chilies
- 5 arbol chilies
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano crushed
- 3/4 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 white onion
- 1/2 head garlic Remove the cloves and peel them
- 1 inch piece of Mexican cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 tsp salt
For the Birria Quesadillas
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 corn tortillas
- reserved shredded chuck roast
- consome
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
For Garnishing
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 limes
Instructions
For the Meat
-
Cut the chuck roast into smaller pieces. Put them in a large pot.
-
Add the whole onion, half a head of garlic, beef bouillon, bay leaves, salt and water to the pot.
-
Bring it to a boil and skim off the foam that rises. Then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 3 hours.
-
After the three hours remove the meat from the pot and let it cool. Strain the broth and add it back to the pot.
-
Once the meat has cooled shred it and discard any pieces of fat.
For the Sauce
-
Clean the chilies with a wet paper towel. Take the stems off the chilies. Deseed and devein them. You don't have to deseed the arbol chilies. Just clean them with the paper towel.
-
Put the chilies and tomatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Let boil for 5 min. Then remove the pot from the heat and let soak for 10 minutes.
-
Go ahead and add the rest of the salsa ingredients to a blender. Then add the chilies and tomatoes. Also add 2 cups of the beef broth to the blender. Blend until you get a smooth salsa.
-
Strain the salsa into the beef broth. Then cook covered on medium low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
-
Add half of the shredded chuck roast to the pot with the broth. Season the other half with salt.
For the Birria quesadillas
-
Heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
-
Once hot dip one tortilla in the consome and add it to the skillet. Let it fry lightly on each side for a few seconds.
-
Add some of the cheese to the tortilla. Then add some of the shredded meat and more cheese.
-
Fold the tortilla and continue cooking until the cheese has melted. Flip so the other side can get crispy. Then transfer to a plate.
-
Repeat the above steps with the remaining tortillas.
-
Serve the consome in a bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and onion. Serve the quesatacos on the side.
Marianne
Sunday 24th of December 2023
I don't like spicey at all. Would this taste ok without all the chilis? It sounds delicious.
Carissa
Thursday 4th of January 2024
The guajillo and pasilla chilies aren’t spicy but the arbol chilies are. You can completely leave those out if you prefer. It will still taste delicious.