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.
How long should I slow cook a 6lb chuck roast using this recipe?
Thanks
In the slow cooker, set it for 8 hours on low. The meat will be fork tender.
I thought I read somewhere in the comments that there was a section on the recipe where we could adjust the servings and it would recalculate all the ingredients but I can’t figure out where or how, an I wrong?
You can adjust almost all my recipes except for this one. This recipe is on a different recipe plugin. Sorry.
Maggie, buen dia.
What cut of beef works best with this recipe?
Chuck, Sirloin, Round, etc???
Rick
I use chuck roast.
I have never had Mexican stew before, so thought I would give it a try. Wow! It was delicious! Will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it. Such a great recipe!
Love Mexican food and loved this recipe! The beef was so juicy and tender!
That’s great to hear! Yes, the beef comes out really tender.
Hello Maggie, if I make this recipe over the stove top, would it be on high heat or medium? Only about two hours?
I want to make this recipe soon. I’ll be looking forward to your reply. Thank you!!
To make birria de res on the stove top, start with medium. After about 20 minutes, turn it to medium low.
:Hello! Do you think Chamorro would work well with this birria recipe? And, do you think it would make a good filling for tamales? Thank you.
Yes! Chamorro is perfect for birria and for tamales.
This dish makes my mouthwatering!
It is so easy and so delicious.
I am sure everyone will love this!
Glad that you found it easy and delicious as well. Thank you!
Such an awesome recipe, it looks so yummy! I love slow-cooked food, it brings out the best taste and flavor of any dish! I’ll definitely make this at home! Thanks!
You won’t regret it. This recipe is super tasty!
Maggie, te amo a ti y tus recetas. I’ve been using this recipe for 3 years now and everyone including myself absolutely loves it. Over time, I’ve experimented and modified a few small things and I honestly think you should try it once. I do everything the same way except I put about 6-7 de guajillo, 4-5 de ancho, y 2-3 chilitos de arbol. I add half a medium sized white onion to the sauce along with 6-7 garlic cloves to the blender. I also put a tiiiny bit less cinnamon than 1/4th of a whole stick. I exchange half of the salt in the blender for some of the beef bouillon and add more of the remaining chile water than 1 cup. If I feel it needs more salt 1 hour before being fully cooked, I add a bit more beef bouillon. Regardless, this recipe is the best. You rock.
Mil gracias por tus palabras. So happy you enjoy this recipe! I even go back to this recipe each time I make birria.
How long would I pressure cook this ?
I have another post showing Instant Pot instructions https://inmamamaggieskitchen.com/instant-pot-birria-tacos/
Can you tell me about how much salt and pepper you added to this recipe.
Thank you
You need salt and pepper to season the beef. So, account for about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Add another 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper for the sauce. In total, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Taste the sauce after you blend everything. If it’s too salty or needs more salt, adjust as needed.
Hola\, mi Espoo es de Texas y obsecionado con los platillos mexicanos, pero birria es us platillo favorito.
Voy a seguir las instrucciones paso por paso esperando quest esta receta Lego guste, he cocinado otras recetas y no le gustaron. Wish me luck por favor! 🤞🏼
Segurito le va encantar esta receta. Provecho!
This recipe was a hit with our family. My husband is Hispanic and comes from a family of incredible cooks. I made this for tacos one day while everyone was over swimming and the all loved it! The last time I made it I added one small can of chipotle (chiles and the sauce). It was a bit too spicy for me (I have no tolerance) but my husband and kids say that I need to make it like that from now on! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Yay! Happy to hear you guys enjoyed this recipe!
I’m excited to try this recipe. My in laws are from Durango and hoping to impress them. Im using about 7lbs chuck roast, is it safe to close to double this recipe?
Yes, 7lbs is close to double what the recipe asks for. Taste it at the end and adjust for broth and water, if needed. iArriba Durango!
Think this would be okay with brisket? And what temp and how long in a Dutch oven. I have a 7lb brisket!
I’ve never tried it with brisket. If you do end up trying it out, can you come back and let us know what you did and how it turned out?
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made it since discovering it last year, I have it memorised 😀
Also, I’d never had Birria before, I was looking for a Mexican beef recipe when I came across it. Tried Birria at a highly rated Mexican restaurant recently and it couldn’t hold a candle to this recipe. Thank you!
I love reading these types of comments. Glad you enjoy this recipe!
Hello. Can I cook the barbacoa in a slow cooker? I saw the slow cooker birria recipe. I’m wondering if the cook time would be the same. Thank you 😊
Yes. Same as the slow cooker birria recipe.
4 hours on high.
6-8 hours on low.
This recipe is fantastic and easy. I have surprised quite a few Latin friends by being a gringo and showing up to parties with a pot of this deliciousness 😀
Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Maggie, I love you recipe, so much that I’m using it for my sons birthday. I was wondering how long would I cook it on the stove top if I’m making 15x the recipe?
If you go to the recipe card, there’s an arrow over the servings. Move that over to adjust to the servings you want. It will recalculate the ingredients for you too. Happy Birthday to your son!
Hello, a friend highly recommended your recipe and I can’t wait to make it. Would I change anything in the recipe to make this into birria tacos? Thanks.
No. I make birria tacos using this recipe all the time. Hope you enjoy!
This has been my go to recipe for the last 2 years! So easy to make, tasty, and definitely filling. I usually double the recipe so we can have leftovers for the next day. My husband and kids go crazy whenever I make this.
It makes my day, week, month, year each time I get messages like this. So glad you have loved this recipe for TWO years!!
Wow!! My mom’s from Jalisco and LOVES birria. For my son’s birthday next Saturday I wanted to make something special so I decided to do a trial run for my family before the birthday celebration. My boys DEVOURED it. My husband who grew up on the border and is used to the yummiest Mexican food LOVED it. It’s not birria de chivo but it did not disappoint. I made it in the instant pot and I can’t wait to make this for my son’s bday next Saturday! Thank you for making birria so accessible. I’m going to try your caldo de Albondigas tomorrow:)
Yolanda, that is wonderful to hear! Impressing someone from Jalisco is a big accomplishment. 🙂 You’re going to love the albondigas. Provechito.
How long etc. did you cook it in your Instant Pot?
I wrote a separate blog post on how to do it in the instant pot. To be very honest with you, that’s how I make birria now. It’s a lot faster. I only make it in the slow cooker when I want to make a LARGER amount of birria. Here is the birria instant pot recipe https://inmamamaggieskitchen.com/instant-pot-birria-tacos/