This Birria Burrito is a Mexican dish that combines tender meat, rich chile sauce, and gooey cheese wrapped in warm tortillas.
This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Whether you’re savoring it at a food truck or in the comfort of your kitchen, this birria recipe will transport your taste buds to the Mexican state of Jalisco or my next door neighbors in Tijuana.
Deliciousness in every bite that tastes just like the ones sold at busy Mexican restaurants.
Table of Contents
🥣 Instructions
For the Chile Sauce:
- Remove the stems from the dried guajillo chiles and the dried ancho chiles.
- Open the chile peppers lengthwise and remove seeds and veins.
- Place in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Then, remove from heat.
- Add rehydrated chiles, spices, and water to a blender. Blend until smooth.
One of my most popular recipes is Slow Cooker Birria de Res. Both recipes start off with this amazing sauce.
Please be sure to stick with dried chilies instead of chili powder. The flavor will be far more authentic.
For the Beef:
- Press the Saute button and heat the olive oil for 2 minutes.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear it on all sides until beautifully browned.
- Remove the beef from the instant pot.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over the instant pot and strain the chile sauce.
- Add the bay leaf, beef bouillon, and water.
- Place the lid on the instant pot. Move the valve to sealing. Set time to 45 minutes.
🥩 Variations
Traditionally, birria is made with goat meat, but here, we use beef chuck roast for its rich flavor and tenderness.
Feel free to experiment with goat meat or even lamb for a twist!
There are different ways to make typical birria. However, we will use an Instant Pot instead of a slow cooker or a large Dutch oven. (see recipe card for those instructions)
- Remove the beef from the pot.
- Chop up the birria meat.
Note the deep, rich red color from the chile peppers.
Rest the Meat! Let the meat stew rest briefly after cooking before shredding. This helps it retain moisture, making it more flavorful and tender.
We’re making burritos, but with this meat, you can also make Instant Pot Birria Tacos.
The broth left inside the pot is the consomme. Keep it warm until ready to serve.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
That’s the Spanish way of saying Birria Burrito. It’s a Mexican dish where birria, a spiced stew usually made from goat or beef, is wrapped in a large flour tortilla.
To eat birria as a stew or taco, use corn tortillas. Here, we’re making burritos. Use a large flour tortillas to wrap up the meat.
Birria is popular for its rich, complex flavors, versatility in dishes like tacos, and its comforting, celebratory nature in Mexican cuisine.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Skim the Fat: After cooking, skim off excess fat from the top of the stew. This makes the dish lighter and highlights the other flavors.
- Customize Your Toppings: When serving birria in tacos or burritos, consider a variety of toppings like diced onions, cilantro, lime wedges, or a sprinkle of cheese to add texture and freshness.
- Save the Broth: The broth from birria is flavorful and can be used for dipping tacos (as in Birria tacos) or served as a soup on the side.
- Experiment with Leftovers: Birria is versatile; use leftovers in Birria Quesadilla, Birria Ramen, and Birria Tamales.
- Crisp up the outside by placing the burrito back on the skillet for a few minutes, turn and do this on each side.
- Sprinkle shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (or Oaxaca cheese) onto each flour tortilla.
- Add a generous portion of chopped beef birria, diced onion, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a drizzle of the chile sauce.
- Roll up the tortilla halfway, tucking in the sides as you go.
- Then tightly roll up the rest of the burrito.
🔥 Storing and Reheating
Place burritos in a sealable plastic bag for up to three days. Be sure to remove as much air as possible. They last up to four months in the freezer.
To reheat, cover with a paper towel and place in the microwave for 2 to 2 ½ minutes depending on the power of your microwave.
🍴 Serve With
This Birria Burrito recipe combines traditional Mexican beef stew’s deep, rich flavor wrapped in a giant, warm tortilla. So satisfying!
😋 Hungry for More?
Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest for my latest recipes and videos.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below.
Birria Burrito
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 4 cups water
- 5 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 cloves
- ¼ cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- 2 bay leaves
For the Beef:
- 2 lb chuck roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups water
For the Burrito:
- 12 burrito-size flour tortillas
- 6 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ½ cup diced onion
- chopped cilantro
- lime for consomme
Instructions
For the Chile Sauce:
- Remove the stems from the chile pods.
- Open the chiles lengthwise and remove seeds and veins.
- Repeat until there are no more chiles left.
- Place in a stock pot and cover with 2 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil. Then, remove from heat.
- Put a lid on the pot, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Throw away the water.
- Add rehydrated chiles, cinnamon, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, cloves, and oregano to a blender.
- Add 2 cups water.
- Blend until smooth.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the Beef:
- Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot.
- Add the olive oil.
- Heat for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop up beef into large pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- Sear on all sides.
- Remove the beef from the instant pot.
- Place a strainer over the instant pot and strain the chile sauce.
- Add the bay leaf, bouillon, and 2 cups water.
- Stir to combine and return the beef to the pot.
- Place the lid on the instant pot.
- Move the valve to Sealing.
- Press the Pressure Cook button.
- Set time to 45 minutes.
- Once the cycle is complete, move the valve to Venting.
- Remove the beef from the pot and chop it up.
- Reserve the broth for later. That is the consome to be served with the burritos.
For the Burritos:
- Warm up the tortillas.
- Add some cheese, some chopped-up birria, diced onion, and cilantro.
- Roll up halfway.
- Then, tuck in the sides.
- Tightly roll up the rest of the burrito.
- Repeat until done with all the burritos.
To Serve:
- Pour some of the consome into cups and top with lime, cilantro, and onion.
- Serve the consome with the burritos.
- Dunk the burritos into the broth and enjoy!
Notes
- Add seared beef to the pot. Strain sauce + 2 cups beef broth over the beef.
- Cover and set the timer for 8 hours on low (preferred) or 4 hours on high.
- Sear the beef. Strain the sauce over the beef + 2 cups of beef broth.
- Cover and cook for 2 ½ hours. Halfway through, add another 2 cups of beef broth.
Just made the Birria Burrito from this blog, and it’s a flavor explosion! The tender and juicy birria combined with the melty cheese, all wrapped up in a warm tortilla – it’s a taste sensation that I can’t get enough of.
So glad you enjoyed the Birria Burrito bold flavors! Keep savoring those delicious bites…
Woah this burrito is good! Look at that amazing chunks! And the sauce looks so good!
Yesss! Chunky goodness and that sauce – pure burrito perfection!
This recipe is amazing, i’ll add this one on my list and try making it for a snack. Thank you for this, keep it up!
Absolutely! Snack goals for sure! Enjoy this recipe.
My family enjoyed this recipe a lot. It was like having restaurant-style food at home! So delicious!
Glad your family loved it!