
What is Birria Pizza?
This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Birra Pizza is a big beef birria taco but made with flour tortillas.
It consists of layers of flour tortillas crisped up on the skillet and topped with birria and cheese.
The origins of this pizza are unknown. Just like Birria Ramen, many Southern California restaurants claim to have invented it.
My guess is that a version probably originated in Tijuana, Baja California, which is at the front of the birria movement and spread north, or in other words, to Southern California.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Here, the birria is already made. Don’t worry, we’ll go through the process on how to make it from scratch below.
Traditionally, it’s made on the stove, but you can also make Instant Pot Birria or Slow Cooker Birria de Res.
Look for the biggest tortillas you can find at the store. These are burrito-size tortillas.
If you use smaller flour tortillas, you’ll make individual pizzas.
How to Make the Birria Sauce:
- Remove the stem on the end of the dried chiles.
- Open the chiles and remove the seeds and veins.
- Place in a pot and repeat until there are no more chiles left.
- Cover the chiles with water and bring to a boil.
- Add rehydrated chiles, spices, and water to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Do not use the water that was used to rehydrate the chiles.
Dried chiles are a great place for bugs to hide, and you don’t want that in your sauce. Instead, use clean water.
Note: This sauce can be made in advance. Freezes well for up to 6 months.
How to Cook the Beef:
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear on all sides.
- Remove the beef from the pot and strain sauce into the pot.
- Add water, seasonings, and return beef.
Making birria in the instant pot is the easiest and fastest way.
For a slow cooker: Follow the same steps of making the sauce and searing the meat. Then, cover and cook low for 8 hours, or high for 6 hours.
For traditional stove top birria: Follow the same steps of making the sauce and searing the meat. Then cover and cook on medium for 1 ½ hours. Check after 1 hour, and add 1 cup of beef broth.
- Move valve to sealing.
- Cook in the instant pot.
- Once the cycle is complete, move the valve to venting.
The Instant Pot will make meat tender in NO TIME.
After it’s done, taste the sauce for salt. Now’s the time to make any necessary adjustments.
There should be plenty of consommé. If you prefer more, add 1 cup of beef broth. Let it stay in the warm pot to heat through.
- Remove beef from the instant pot and chop.
- Reserve the consommé (or broth).
What is Mexican consommé made of?
Consommé, or sometimes called consomé, is the broth that remains after meat (beef, chicken, pork, or lamb) has been stewed.
It is usually clear in color, but since birria is made with a red chile sauce, the consommé takes on a deep red, garnet color. Some people will serve it as a soup, or in this case, an accompaniment to the main dish.
Warning!
Leave as much of the consommé as possible in the pot. If you make the pizza with juicy meat, the pizza will turn out soggy.
How to Assemble the Pizza
- Dip the flour tortilla in the consommé.
- Place on a hot skillet, dipped side down.
- Add cheese, chopped birria, cilantro, and onion.
- Cook until the cheese is melted.
What we’re making here is an open-faced birria quesadilla.
Fat will move to the top of the pot as the consommé cools down.
Dip the flour tortilla to pick up FAT. The fat will help crisp up the tortilla.
What Type of Cheese to Use: Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or any cheese that melts well works in this recipe.
We are making TWO open-faced birria quesadillas.
Repeat the same process.
Got leftovers? What a great way to use up leftovers and much easier to make than tacos!
Frozen Birria
Birria lasts up to 4 months in a sealable bag in the freezer. Defrost with 1 cup of beef broth. Use as normal.
Set them aside as the top is cooking.
At restaurants, they have one large flat top and can make the pizza in half the time.
You can easily do it on a skillet. It’ll just take longer.
So they won’t get cold, cover with aluminum foil or place in a warm oven.
To make the top, cook a single flour tortilla dipped in consomme. Top with cheese. NO BIRRIA.
Place one birria quesadilla on top of the other.
FLIP the top tortilla (the one without birria). Place on top of the layered birria quesadillas, cheese side down.
Slice with a pizza cutter, and it’s ready to serve!
What to Serve With It:
Add lime, cilantro, and diced onion to a cup of warm consommé. Then, dunk a slice of this tasty birria pizza into the consommé and enjoy!
Hungry for More?
Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter for my latest recipes and videos.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Birria Pizza
Ingredients
For the Chile Sauce:
- 1 cup water (to rehydrate chiles)
- 3 chile guajillo
- 1 ancho chile
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 whole clove
- pinch ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon beef bouillon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups water (for blending)
For the Beef:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 lbs chuck roast
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tablespoon beef bouillon
- 1 cup water
For the Pizza:
- 3 burrito-size flour tortillas
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ¼ cup diced onion
- chopped cilantro
- lime (for consomme)
Instructions
For the Chile Sauce:
- Remove the stems from the chiles.
- 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 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 the 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.
- Give it a minute to heat up.
- 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 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.
For the Pizza:
- Dip one of the flour tortillas in the broth.
- Place on a hot skillet, dipped side down.
- Add 1 cup of cheese all around.
- Add chopped birria on top of the cheese.
- Sprinkle the beef with diced onion and cilantro.
- Cook for 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove the birria quesadilla from the skillet.
- Repeat with another flour tortilla.
- Dip it in the consomme and place on a hot skillet.
- Add the cheese, birria, onion, and cilantro.
- Cook for 2 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Remove from skillet.
- Cover the birria quesadilla with foil paper to keep warm.
- Dip the last flour tortilla in the consomme.
- Place on the hot skillet.
- Top with only cheese and melt.
To Assemble Pizza:
- Stack the two birria quesadillas on top of each other.
- Flip the last flour tortilla with only cheese.
- Place it cheese-side down over the birria quesadillas to create the top.
- Slice.
- Serve with consomme and toppings for broth.
This is gonna sound sacrilegious I know, but I have autoimmune food intolerances… Is there any way to make this without the chiles? I can’t have anything from the nightshade family – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers. I’ve found a taco seasoning recipe and a fajita recipe that are safe for me, but oh my gosh this looks GLORIOUS.
(I’m here on a “not Jessica safe” recipe blog because my husband saw a video of someone making this and wants to try it.)
Hi Jessica, unfortunately you need dried chiles to make birria. I’ve seen versions of it made with fajita seasoning, but that’s not traditional and tastes completely different. I’m sorry. I wish I had other news for you.
This is such a great idea. I’m going to make this for sure, looks delicious.
Yes you do! It’s so tasty!
This is soooo good!
I can’t agree more. 🙂
Cannot wait to give this recipe a try! Looks amazing!
Hope you do. It’s delicious! .. if I say so myself.
I want this pizza right now!
Me too! lol. It’s so good.
Never heard of it before, but it looks delicious. Certainly going to try this one!
It’s a new, trendy recipe that’s absolutely delicious.
It sounds like a slike of heaven for meat lovers!
It’s a meat lover’s dream!
This sounds absolutely delicious! I had never heard of it before, so thank you for sharing!
You must try it. It’s delicious!
Reserve the water from rehydrating the chiles and use that flavor infused water for the blender. Why waste the infused flavor?
Dried chiles are the perfect place for bugs to hide. Depending on the way they are stored, they might also be dusty. You don’t want that in your sauce.