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A close-up of several golden, crispy tacos filled with shredded meat, garnished with herbs, arranged on a white plate in sunlight.
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Shortcut Crockpot Birria Tacos with Enchilada Sauce

Birria tacos without the hassle! This shortcut version uses red enchilada sauce and chipotles in adobo to get that classic flavor without a blender needed. The beef cooks low and slow in the crockpot until it falls apart, then the corn tortillas crisp up in the birria oil with Oaxaca cheese and cilantro. Serve them with the warm broth for dipping.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 15 - 20 tacos
Calories: 355kcal
Author: Ansley Beutler

Ingredients

  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion diced
  • 15 oz red enchilada sauce I used Siete
  • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 chipotles in adobo sauce chopped
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 bay leaves

For the tacos

  • 15 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups Oaxaca cheese grated
  • Cilantro

Instructions

  • Cut the beef chuck into 4–6 smaller chunks and season each piece well with salt and pepper. Sear the beef in a hot skillet if you'd like. It adds more flavor, but you can skip it. Place the beef and diced onion in the bottom of the crockpot.
    3 lb beef chuck roast, 1 tsp sea salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 onion
  • Pour the enchilada sauce and beef broth over the beef. Add the chipotles, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
    15 oz red enchilada sauce, 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, 1 Tbsp adobo sauce, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 bay leaves
  • Before removing the beef, spoon the oil off the top of the crockpot into a separate bowl. This is the “birria oil” that toasts the tortillas in step 5.
  • Take the beef out of the crockpot and onto a separate pan. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and discard them. Leave the crockpot on keep warm so the broth stays warm. Pull the beef into pieces with a fork. It should be so tender it falls apart. Ladle 2–3 spoonfuls of the broth over the meat and toss well to coat.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add about ½ tablespoon of the birria oil to the pan and immediately place a tortilla on top. Flip the tortilla so both sides are coated in the oil. Sprinkle Oaxaca cheese over the tortilla, then add the birria and cilantro leaves to one half. Once the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over into a taco. Toast both sides, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
    15 corn tortillas, 2 cups Oaxaca cheese, Cilantro
  • The tacos will crisp up more as they sit. Serve them warm with a bowl of the birria broth for dipping.

Notes

Gluten-free: use corn tortillas and check the labels on your enchilada sauce, chipotles, and broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1004mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg