This Slow Cooker Birria de Res is rich, smoky, and fall-apart tender. Made with beef chuck roast, guajillo and ancho chiles, and warm spices, it’s perfect served as a hearty stew or shredded for tacos, quesabirria, Birria Ramen, and more.
Quick Recipe Notes
- Authentic flavor, easy method. Traditional birria simmers for hours. This slow cooker version delivers the same rich flavor with very little hands-on time.
- Use chuck roast. It’s affordable, easy to find, and becomes perfectly tender after slow cooking.
- Don’t waste the consommé. It’s delicious served as a stew or for dipping tacos.
- Even better tomorrow. The flavors deepen overnight, making leftovers even more delicious. Freezer friendly. Freeze the meat and consommé together for an easy future meal.
- So many ways to serve it. Make tacos, quesabirria, Birria Burritos, even Birria Tamales!
-Maggie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Family recipe inspired by childhood trips to Tijuana
- Easy slow cooker method
- Authentic Mexican flavors
- Perfect for tacos or stew
- Over 860 reader reviews
My Favorite Childhood Memory of Birria
Long before birria was all over social media, birria was something special in my family.
When I was a little girl growing up in Los Angeles, we’d drive to Tijuana to visit my grandfather. Every visit included one stop that never changed—a tiny family-run restaurant from Jalisco that served only one thing: birria.
The dining room was dimly lit, with plastic tables and chairs. It arrived in a simple paper bowl with a plastic spoon, steaming hot and filled with the most incredible aroma of dried chiles and slow-cooked meat.
I still remember watching my grandfather savor every spoonful.
I had no idea those childhood trips would one day inspire one of the most popular recipes on Mama Maggie’s Kitchen.
Back then—more than 40 years ago—birria wasn’t trendy. You didn’t find birria tacos on every corner or endless videos online. It was simply a beloved regional specialty that families made and shared.
Today, every time I make this recipe, it brings me right back to those weekends in Tijuana. I can still picture that little restaurant, and I often wonder if it’s still there.
That’s the kind of food memory I hope this recipe creates for your family, too.
🌟 What People Are Saying
Over the years, hundreds of readers have taken the time to rate this recipe and share their experience. Nothing makes me happier than hearing that this birria turned out just as delicious in your kitchen as it does in mine. Here’s what one reader had to say:
Thank you for trusting my recipes and taking the time to leave a review. Your feedback helps other readers cook with confidence.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Sear the Beef
Sear the meat all sides on medium heat to lock in the flavors. Mmm… imagine the smell! It’s Mexcellent! 😃 Don’t rush this step. A deep brown crust adds incredible flavor to the consommé.
The best cut of meat to use is boneless beef chuck roast. Chop into beef chunks for searing in batches.
Originally, this recipe was made with goat meat. You might also find people who make with lamb.
Prep the Chiles
These dried chiles give birria its signature smoky flavor. We’re using guajillo chiles and ancho chile.
It’s easy to devein and remove the seeds from the chiles. Start by cutting off the tops, or the stems.
Then cut them lengthwise. Do you see the seeds? You don’t want these in your sauce. Remove them. You won’t be able to get all of them. Just remove as many as you can. If you can remove any veins, remove them too.
Place the stemmed, seeded, and deveined chiles into a large stockpot. You will need to use a pot that can handle all the chiles.
To rehydrate the chiles, cover them with hot water and soak for 5–10 minutes until softened.
Guajillo and ancho chiles create the traditional flavor of birria. If you can’t find guajillos, chipotle peppers can add smoky flavor, but the taste will be different.
To make birria sauce, you will need all these aromatics. Spices like ¼ cinnamon stick, thyme, Mexican oregano, cloves, laurel leaves (or bay leaves), salt, and pepper. It sounds like a lot, but each spice brings a lot of flavor to the dish.
Make the Adobo Sauce
Add the spices, the reconstituted chiles, liquid, bouillon, and garlic to the blend. Blend until smooth. Since we are not straining, make sure it is fully blended. You might need to blend a second time.
Not a fan of bouillon? Use beef broth instead.
For a smoother adobo sauce, strain the sauce. Set this aside until ready to use. This is what will help create a rich consommé.
If the sauce tastes too spicy, add 1-2 tomatoes to the blender and blend away. They will help reduce the heat level.
Back to the beef… The slow cooker is your friend in the kitchen. You can go shopping, go horseback riding, watch two movies, and your food will not burn. Gotta love that!
This crockpot birria recipe is sure to be a hit, but just in case… Stovetop and instant pot instructions are in the recipe card below.
Slow Cook
Now time to add the sauce. You want the sauce to cover the entire piece of beef. If it doesn’t for some strange reason, add more water and a little more salt or simply add beef broth.
Slow cook the meat – Set it on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. The meat will be fall-apart tender and ready to eat.
🫙 Storing & Reheating Instructions
- Store leftovers in airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in a microwave covered for 2 ½ to 3 minutes.
🥘 How To Serve
- Serve Beef Birria with diced onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and warm corn tortillas. Spoon plenty of consommé into bowls.
- Or, make it faster with this recipe for Instant Pot Birria Tacos (also known as quesabirria tacos), and use leftovers to make Birria Quesadillas, and Birria Pizza.
🥩 More Mexican Beef Recipes
- Barbacoa de Res (Beef Barbacoa)
- Carne con Papas (Beef and Potatoes)
- Salpicon de Res (Cold Beef Salad)
- Caldillo (Mexican Beef Stew)
- Milanesa de Res (Fried Beef Steak)
- Carne Asada Street Tacos
This slow cooker birria recipe delivers bold, authentic Mexican flavor with minimal effort. Juicy shredded beef and a rich consommé make it perfect for tacos or serving as a stew.
😋 Hungry for More
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Slow Cooker Birria Recipe (Birria de Res)
Ingredients
- 4 lbs roast beef
- 3-4 cups water
- 5 dried chile guajillo
- 2 dried chile ancho
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 clove
- ¼ whole cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- 2 laurel leaves or bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the griddle, or pan.
- Toast the chiles on the griddle for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn frequently.
- Make sure they do not burn.
- If they burn, discard the chiles and start again.
- Once toasted, transfer to a heatproof bowl.
- Add 1 cup hot water and let the chiles soak for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
- Seed and devein the chiles, saving the water.
- Don’t worry if some seeds remain.
- Add the saved water, the chiles, garlic, oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon, bouillon, laurel leaves (or bay leaves), salt and pepper in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat two tablespoons oil.
- Add salt and pepper to the beef.
- Sear the beef on all sides.
- Once the meat is brown, transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the chile mixture from the blender.
- Add enough water to cover the meat.
- Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred beef.
- Serve with diced onions, chopped cilantro, and tortillas.
Video
Notes
- Make the sauce as instructed above.
- Add oil. Press Saute.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides.
- Remove the meat and add the chile sauce and water.
- Return the meat to the pot.
- Cover with lid. Press Pressure Cook. 55 minutes.
- Release pressure. Serve and enjoy.
- Make the sauce as instructed above.
- Keep the meat in the pot.
- Pour sauce over the meat.
- Cover with lid and cook for 2 hours.
- Until fork tender.
Can you make this in a roaster?
Yes, of course. It’ll take about 2 hours. Check it after an hour and add 1 cup more of broth if needed.
I found this recipe when you first posted it and it’s the only way I have been able to make it! I just wanted to thank you I got so emotional it’s been awhile since I’ve made it! Life has been so hard lately but my daughter wants this for her birthday! Thank you again
That made my day. So glad you’re back making it.
I used this recipe with moose roast and it was fantastic. Thanks for the wonderful meal!
No kidding! That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone use moose roast. Glad to know it worked.
I made this yesterday. I halved the recipe. It was very tasty.
I know it’s a Durango recipe, because you told us that. But I wanted to say my dad was born in Zacatecas too! The town of Guadalupe. He came to the states when he was 28 and I am born and raised in California and he died when I was 7 years old, so I don’t pretend to know all about the best cuisine of all.
I didn’t know about Birrias until a few years ago. I found in local taqueria.
I doubted that I could duplicate that because I’m not best chef, but I tried with your recipe and it was close enough! My husband and son loved.
My mom told me last week that my dad would not allow flour tortillas for his meals. I didn’t know that. Only corn. I cook a lot of Mexican and I always use corn for tacos and enchilada and others. I’ll use flour for burritos, of course, which I think is an American invention.
I know I side tracked, but once you said Zacatecas, I thought of my dad. Thanks for all the recipes you spend time writing about. I rely on your site for many recipes.
Food keeps memories alive. Thank you for sharing!
Hello, if you were to cook this recipe in a pressure cooker or crock pot, how large would it need to be? My crockpot is 1.5 L (~1.5 quarts) and I’m worried that would be too small.
Thanks!
I would chop up the meat to fit the crockpot. Or cut the birria recipe in half and use less meat. That might be your best option.
Hi! I noticed your recipe says “1 clove” but your video shows 2 cloves. If I only used one will it affect the taste of my end result? I have this in the crockpot now and am hoping for a yummy dinner this evening. Thank you!
I would try the recipe with just one clove and see what you think. Adding two will change the flavor of the sauce. If you add two and don’t like it, add some broth to the sauce. But really, one or two cloves doesn’t make too big of a difference.
Thank you for this great recipe! I just made the sauce, and will hold it for the morning, and will put everything in the crock pot. I had birria tacos for the first time in a cafe yesterday – so delicious! Birria tamales sound really good too. Thank you!
Leslie
Oh, Birria tacos are a whole mood, right? Hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe!
Is it possible to use tri tip instead of chuck roast? If so, are the instant pot directions the same?
I’ve never tried it with tri tip. Chuck roast shreds easily and that is ideal. Please comment back if you try it with tri tip in the instant pot.
Hi this is my go to Birria recipe! If I wanted to make a double batch, I would have to use my electric toaster. What do you recommend for temperature and time for cooking? Thank you!
Hi there! Thanks for loving this recipe. Unfortunately, I have never made birria in an electric toaster. Hopefully someone in the community has and can leave a comment with instructions. Sorry, I wish I could be more of help.
I have made this many times and my family loves it! I’m marking this for a big party! 😬 How can I get the correct ratio of chilis for 30 pounds of beef?
That’s great to hear! I would go to the recipe card. Hover you arrow over the Servings number. A bar is going to pop up. Move the bar to the right until you get to the number of servings you are having. The ingredients will adjust to whatever the new servings is. You can do this with all my recipes. Hope this helps!
Would I be able to prep this ahead of time and start the slow cooker in the morning before I leave for work? Thank you.
Yes, definitely. You can even make the sauce the night before. Then before you leave for work, add everything to the slow cooker. When you’re back home, the birria will be ready.
Looks delicious. Can I used dried peppers for this? Still heat it up to release flavor?
Thanks Colleen
Dried chiles are used to make the sauce.