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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 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.
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.
Sear the meat on all sides to lock in the flavors. Mmm… imagine the smell! It’s Mexcellent! 😀
These chiles give good flavor to the Birria de Res. I’m using chile guajillo 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 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 chiles means they have to soak in hot water. This does not take long. 5-10 minutes at the most.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- 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.
- Full natural release.
Stove Top Instructions:
- Make the sauce as instructed above.
- Keep the meat in the pot.
- Pour sauce over the meat.
- Cover with lid and cook for 90 minutes, up to 2 hours.
- Until fork tender.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 1457mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 29g
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I ave always put a little bit of vinegar in mine .it really brings out the flavor of the sauce but I always did it on the stove or in a hole outside. We always did a whole goat or a pig.
Great idea! It will help tenderize the meat.
My maternal grandpa was also from Zacatecas but I have never been. My grandma was from chihuahua. They moved to Texas before I could ever visit their places of birth. I am planning on making your recipe this week but making it into tacos. I cannot wait!
I think everyone would love this recipe. Hope you try it!
Thank you for this! I’ve cooked it twice already in the past week and made it into tacos. Can’t stop eating them. Soooo good!
So yummy. Glad you liked it!
I made this for dinner yesterday. I cooked it in the crockpot on low for 7 hours. The house smelled so good! I was worried that a whole stick of cinnamon would be too much but it turned out delicious. It was about 1/4 inch in diameter. I did put in some carrots, roma tomatoes and half toasted onion. Mmm! The broth was flavorful. It may look like there’s a lot of chili’s but it’s not spicy at all. Hubby loved it. He said this was the best taco I’ve ever made. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a Keeper. Will make again.
I think so too definitely this recipe is a keeper. So glad you liked it!
I used your instructions as a guide, mi mom shares ‘recipes’ like an ingredient list without quantities or instructions! But this was very similar, just added vinegar and used cumin instead of thyme (as per my mom’s list).
So yummy. Glad you liked it!
This is a great recipe! Super savory and rich in flavor. I asked my Pops to bring a few pounds of beef… He brought almost 10 lbs!!! Had to double everything, switched to stove top, and turned out well.
Thank you!
Wow that’s a lot of beef. Glad you liked this recipe!
I cant get a hold of ancho chilies, will it still turn out ok?
Yes. Anchos add good flavor, but you can use only guajillo chiles.
So delicious, my family loved it! Thank you so much for sharing your family’s recipe.
So glad you family liked it! This is one of my favorite recipes.
I have mine in the crockpot right now! So excited 😋
So exciting hope you liked it!
I have mine in the crockpot, is my husband birthday, I am anxious. Thank you very much for your recipes I love many of them
So glad you enjoyed this. Provecho!
This dish is so rich with flavor. I am a big fan of all things beef but this one satisfies me on a whole new level.
Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I need the side salsa. The really spicy one. For the birria tacos. Please. Se me la estoy saboreándomela. Thank you for always sharing good recipes.
Glad you enjoyed my recipes Mayra!
I’ve been hesitant to make birria but this sounds doable and delicious. My maternal grandmother was born on Zacatecas and my paternal grandparents were from Durango and Chihuahua. Thank you for posting this, my family will love it. Please keep sharing your recipes.
Like you said this recipe is pretty doable. Hope you try it!
I seriously have NO words for how good this is !!! Thank you!!
So glad you liked it! This recipe is delicious.
Hola..mi hijo y sobrina fueron a comer Ayer a un lugar aca en Tucson, Arizona. Nunca pense que les gustaria..ahora les hare y los sorprendere. Tu receta de ve muy facil, rapida by exquisita.. gracias
Esta receta es deliciosa! Espero sea del agrado de toda tu familia.