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Easy and Authentic Mexican Recipes for the Busy Home Cook

Slow Cooker: Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew + VIDEO

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A big bowl of this Slow Cooker Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef stew, is the ultimate comfort food. Deep robust Mexican food flavors that will make your tastebuds very happy. Enjoy!

Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew, is a traditional Mexican dish that is hearty, delicious, and full of amazing, robust flavors. by Mama Maggie's Kitchen

Birria de Res reminds me of my maternal grandfather. He was born in a humble town in Zacatecas, Mexico – no neon signs, taxis or 7-11s. Like most Mexicans outside of the city, he didn’t have much of an education, but that didn’t stop him. He collected every book or magazine he could get his hands on. Learning was my grandfather’s passion.

Maggie Unzueta, brother, mother, and grandparents
From left – my grandfather, my grandmother, me, my mom, brother

My grandfather was a violinist, an engineer, a writer, a man beyond his time. Eventually, he made his way to Durango, Mexico – where my family is from. Each time we visited my abuelito, we would eat Birria de Chivo, or Mexican Stew made with goat. Since goat is hard to find in the US, I’m making this dish with beef. This is the way we make it in Durango. Other states have their versions.

Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew, is a traditional Mexican dish that is hearty, delicious, and full of amazing, robust flavors. by Mama Maggie's Kitchen

Sear the meat on all sides to lock in the flavors. Mmm… imagine the smell! It’s Mexcellent! 😀

Braised Chile Colorado Beef Shanks (or Chamorros con Chile Colorado) is a robust and rich in flavor dish. This is Mexican recipe destined to be one of your family favorites. By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

These chiles give good flavor to the Birria de Res. I’m using chile guajillo and chile ancho.

Two ancho chiles. One with the stem removed and the other intact on a white surface.

It’s easy to devein and remove the seeds from the chiles. Start by cutting off the tops, or the stems.

Hand holding an ancho chiles that's been cut open exposing the seeds.

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.

Dried chiles in a stainless steel pot.

Place your stems removed, deveined, and seeds removed chiles in a stock pot. You will need to use a pot that can handle all the chiles.

Reconstituting guajillo chiles in a pot

Reconstituting chiles means they have to soak in hot water. This does not take long. 5-10 minutes at the most.

Spices to make the Birria de Res sauce on a decorative Mexican clay plate.

To make the sauce for the Birria de Res you will need all these spices. ¼ cinnamon stick, thyme, 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.

Blender with chile, spices, and garlic cloves on a wooden surface.

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.

Hand holding a blender with the sauce for Birria de Res

Some people will strain the sauce for the Birria de Res. My mom is not much of a strainer. Authentic Mexican food is rustic. I love that about our food. If you like a smoother sauce, then go for it. Strain away. I like my mom’s version, and that’s what I’m going with. Set this aside until ready to use.

Beef searing in a stainless steel pot.

Back to our beef… salt and pepper the side that’s up. Then turn and sear the uncooked side. You really want color on your beef. Don’t skip this step. It helps lock in some amazingly delicious flavors.

Seared beef in a black slow cooker.

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! Add the beef to the slow cooker.

Chile sauce pouring into the slow cooker over the beef.

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.

Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew, is a traditional Mexican dish that is hearty, delicious, and full of amazing, robust flavors. by Mama Maggie's Kitchen

Set it on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. The meat will be tender and ready to eat. Birria de Res is typically served with raw diced onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and a dozen tortillas.

Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew, is a traditional Mexican dish that is hearty, delicious, and full of amazing, robust flavors. by Mama Maggie's Kitchen

Birria de Res screams celebration – birthday parties, Christmas, baby showers. It’s probably because you can make a HUGE pot of this delicious stew, and it feeds large Mexican families. Big families. Big food. Lots of love (and tortillas).

Watch Video and learn how to make Birria de Res

Yield: 12

Slow Cooker: Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew + VIDEO

Birria de Res is a traditional Mexican stew, the perfect comfort food with rich, bold flavors that your tastebuds will enjoy.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes

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.

Notes

Searing the meat before adding to the slow cooker locks in flavor. Don't skip this step!

Cut of beef used was chuck roast.

© Maggie Unzueta
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Beef
Birria de Res (or Mexican Beef Stew) + VIDEO is the ultimate comfort food. Made in a slow cooker to develop rich, bold flavors that your tastebuds will love. by Mama Maggie's Kitchen #birria #birriaderes #mexicanfood #slowcooker #cincodemayo #crockpot

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Comments

  5. I love how simple this recipe is and the fact that you don’t use an insane amount of weird herbs and spices. Thank you for sharing i will be trying it tomorrow

    Reply

    • Yes. I’ve made this dish in a Dutch oven many times. It needs to cook look enough for the meat to be tender. Also, keep an eye on it to make sure to check if it has enough liquid.

      Reply

  8. I cooked this recipe yesterday in my slow cooker and oh my gosh it was so delicious! I have a new born baby and slow cooker recipes is ALL I look for! Seriously you guys need to try it. Thanks for the recipe !!! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Hello Maggie, I cooked the recipe except that I switched the guajillo chiles for the milder California. After the meat had cooked and I tasted it, the barbacoa sauce was SUPER hot, I think it was due to the ancho chiles. So I got rid of half the sauce and replaced it with blended cooked roma tomatoes and fresh garlic. Cooked it on high for another hour and the meat was very tasty and not hot at all. Next time I will use only California chiles. Thnx for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

  14. Hello I love this recipe I plan on making it for new years.. my only question is do I use a cinnamon stick or did you mean 1/4 ground cinnamon power

    Reply

      • I’m originally from the US but currently live in Mexico so I’m able to get fresh goat meat. Normally I would have asked my grandma for the recipe but I wanted to try it differently.

  20. Hi,
    Looks awesome but how can I cut the recipe for just 2 people with out compromising flavor…?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  21. Loved how easy and delicious this recipe is! The broth was delicious and the meat was super tender. My parents are from San Mateo, Zacatecas and I can’t wait to make it for them.

    Thanks for your recipe!

    Reply

  22. Just reading the cooking instructions makes me hungry. And what makes it odd is the fact it’s 6:06 am. I definitely will give it a try. Thanks Amigo.

    Reply

  25. Hi,

    Great recipe! However, I would like to chat with you offline. I could not help but notice your grandfather’s resemblance to my grandfather and he was from Durango too. His name was Pedro Armando and I know he had a sister named Cruz. Do those names sound familiar?

    Reply

    • Hmm.. I think that depends on the person. My son is 11, and he loves this recipe. We are Mexican, though, and he was raised eating spicy food. My husband is German, and he loves this recipe too. Here’s what I would do. If it’s too spicy for her, heat up some beef broth and add some of the beef. That will tame down the heat, and it will still have some of the flavors.

      Reply

  29. I just made this for dinner, it was amazing! Thank you for this slow cooker Birria recipe! I will be cooking this often….in winter specially. I love the convenience of coming home from work and knowing that I don’t have to cook and all I have to do is serve myself a big bowl of birria, yummy!

    Reply

  30. Wow! Funny how similar our life stories are!! My husband is from a little ranchito in Zacatecas…. and my family is from Durango!

    I’m making this for dinner tomorrow!!! Can’t wait!

    Reply

    • Traditionally, birria de res is not made with beans. You can serve beans on the side if you like. No, this does not taste like chili. It has a very deep, strong flavor especially with the cinnamon and the chiles. Very tasty!

      Reply

  34. Going to see how this goes. My blender up and died this morning, so I did all the steps up to the blender part and just poured everything over the meat (used ranch raised Chuck roast) hopefully this works

    Reply

  35. Hi Maggie, I just made this for Nee Year’s Eve. Happy New Year 2019!! It turned out pretty good except that my sauce was dark and not like yours. I used the water that I boiled the chiles in. Was I not supposed to boil them? Was I only supposed to add boiling water to reconstitute them, because that water was dark and I think that’s why it had a little of a bitter flavor. I didn’t burn the chiles so I don’t know. Will definitely try it again, but next time will not add the water from the chiles 🤔.

    Reply

    • Happy New Year! The chile water adds flavor to the Birria de Res. That’s why I say to use it in this recipe. Your problem might have been the chiles themselves. Not every chile is the same. You might have gotten some old chiles and that’s ok, but it transfers to the water. Or did you toast them too long? That would make them taste bitter. Next time, use water to be on the safe side. I have started to clean my chiles with a damp paper towel before working with them. In Mexico, the chiles are very dusty or dirty. Hope this helps!

      Reply

      • Yes I think you are right, the chiles must have been old. I know that my mom had made enchilada sauce with the guajillos and I noticed the sauce was dark. How can I tell if they are old when I’m buying them?

  36. Yes I think you are right, the chiles must have been old. I know that my mom had made enchilada sauce with the guajillos and I noticed the sauce was dark. How can I tell if they are old when I’m buying them?

    Reply

  38. I made this recipe in my instant pot, but did add a little chivo and not only was it delicious, but it only took 1 1/2 hours. I come from a family where food is everything and my mom makes the best “birria”, but, even she thought was perfection. Can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply

  40. Adoro toda tu receta desde, como cuentas la historia de tu abuelo en Zacatecas, me encanta que no hayas olvidado tus raíces y que compartas esta receta que es tan nuestra!!
    Besos desde Puebla México la receta sale deliciosa!!
    I love all your recipe from, as you tell the story of your grandfather in Zacatecas, I love that you have not forgotten your roots and that you share this recipe that is so ours!
    Kisses from Puebla Mexico the recipe comes out Delicious!!! Congrats

    And tell me please, how and when I can follow your recipes

    Reply

  41. The recipe says to put in blender and set aside ..do I blend all of the ingredients in the blender???

    Reply

  42. Hola Christian,
    Como dicen .. Viven los recuerdos y las buenas memorias en la comida. 🙂 Si gustas, puedes inscribirte para recibir por correo electrónico mis recetas. Los mando cada viernes. Ve donde dice “Name Email” en la parte derecha de esta página. También, cocino en vivo cada domingo en el Facebook. Espero que nos puedas acompañar.
    Muchos saludos.
    iGracias!

    Reply

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