Melt-in-your-mouth tender and flavored with chilis, slow cooker Birria de Res is a savory Mexican stew that will knock your culinary socks off. So easy to make and with unbelievable flavor, start your slow cooker and dig into a bowlful of deliciousness!
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I love taking big old hunks of inexpensive meat and turning them into delicious eats. This Mexican Birria de Res is no exception. Cooked low and slow in a broth that’s flavored by chilis, this easy stew has a medium spice level that’s easy to adjust to suit your preference.
Serve it by the bowlful with tasty garnishes, or keep the birria and consomme (cooking liquid) separate to make a bunch of other dishes – see all my suggestions below!
What you’ll love About This Recipe
- It’s affordable.
- Birria is so easy to make – practically set-it-and-forget-it!
- It’s perfect for meal prepping and freezes fabulously!
What is Birria De Res
Birria de Res Con Consomé, or birria in consomme, originated in Jalisco, Mexico, and is a slow-cooked stew typically made with goat meat. Tough cuts of meat were slowly cooked in a broth infused with chilis, and the meat would take on the most amazing flavor.
Loosely translated from Spanish, birria de res means “inexpensive stew.” This is because tough, affordable cuts of meat are slow-cooked in broth to break down all the connective tissue and melt the fat, resulting in fork-tender and flavorful meat.
For authentic birria de res, goat is usually used. However, goat isn’t as accessible – or as well-liked – outside of Mexico, so we’re using beef.
What Kind of Beef For Birria?
Beef birria cooks much like a pot roast, so look for pot roast cuts of meat. Anything with chuck in it (chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck arm, chuck seven bone), rump roast, or bottom round will all work well. You can also use beef shank if you can find them.
I usually buy boneless beef so that I’m not just paying for a bone I’ll discard. The bone doesn’t add that much flavor to this dish, so it’s fine to go without.
And, look for a fatty cut. Yes, fat is good in this birria recipe. The fat adds SO much flavor and richness to this dish, and if you make birria tacos with the meat, you’ll want the fat.
What You’ll Need
There’s a pretty long list of ingredients to make Birria de Res, but don’t worry, it all goes into the pot!
- Beef roast – A 3-4 pound pot-roast type cut works best. See my notes above.
- Onion – A whole yellow or white onion.
- Celery – You’ll need a few stalks.
- Garlic – Fresh whole cloves.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Beef broth – Or water.
- Cumin – Dried.
- Mexican oregano – Not to be confused with regular oregano.
- Dried chipotle chilis – Use 1 or 2 whole chilies. Use canned chipotles in adobo if you can’t find the dried chilis.
- Dried arbol chili peppers – Chile de arbol. For mild spice, add 1-2 chiles de arbol. Add 5-6 if you want it medium, and 7-8 if you like it spicy.
- Dried guajillo chili peppers
- Dried ancho chili pepper
- Dried pasilla chili peppers
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Birria de Res
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe at the end of this page.
- Pat the roast dry and season it with salt and pepper. Sear it in a skillet to get a nice brown crust on the outside of the roast. Set the meat into the slow cooker.
- Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the remaining oil in the skillet until browned. Add them to the slow cooker.
- Warm the broth in a pot on the stovetop or in the microwave to cut down on time in the slow cooker. Add the broth to the meat and vegetables.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies and give them a rinse inside to dislodge any dust or dried insects or spiders (yes, it happens.)
- Toast the chilis in a dry skillet until they start to brown, 1-2 minutes. Watch them, as they can burn, and if they burn, they’ll make your broth taste bitter. Then, add the chilis to a small saucepan, cover them with water, and bring them to a low simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and add the chilis to the crock pot.
- Add the cider vinegar, cumin, and oregano to the slow cooker and pop the lid on.
- Set the slow cooker on high and cook for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8.
Recommended
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can mix and match with the dried chilis – you don’t have to use what I suggest. The important ones are chipotles (or you can use chipotle in adobo), chiles de arbol (for the spice), and guajillo chiles.
- Start this slow cooker beef recipe early in the day, so you have time to let it cook before dinner.
- Be careful not to burn the chilis when toasting them. I did this once, and it ruined the whole batch, giving the broth a bitter/acrid taste.
- This is even better the next day!
How To Serve
When the meat is fork-tender, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks or your favorite meat claws.
Strain the vegetables and broth, discarding any solids.
Season the birria consomme (broth) with salt and pepper and serve the broth with the meat in a bowl.
Garnish Birria de Res with chopped diced onion, fresh cilantro, avocado, lime, radishes, and all your favorite Mexican toppings. Serve it with corn tortillas on the side, or add your favorite sides to make it a meal.
Make It A Meal
Birria is a hearty meal, there’s no doubt! But, to make it a full and well-rounded meal, serve it with some sides. My favorite sides with this meal are baked Spanish rice, Mexican corn salad, or just white rice.
What Else Can You Make With Birria?
Birria meat, the melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, can be used in so many different ways! Here are some of my favorites:
- Birria tacos
- Birria pizza
- Birria egg rolls
- Burritos
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate any leftover birria and broth in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze birria de res in the consomme for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they’re not the same. Barbacoa can be made with similar cuts of beef, but the primary difference is that birria is loaded with chilis, and the consomme is eaten with the dish.
Birria sauce is nothing more than the seasoned cooking liquid that the meat is cooked in, and it is richly flavored with garlic and chilis. You can separate the fat (but save it for other dishes) or gobble it up like it is.
This literally means the broth from the stew. In the case of birria de res, is it the seasoned cooking liquid.
Birria and birria de res is keto! It’s also gluten-free.
Step By Step
Slow Cooker Birria de Res
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds chuck roast or another fatty pot-roast cut of beef
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 stalks celery cut into 4
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 cups beef broth low or no sodium added
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried cumin
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 dried chipotle chili
- 3 dried guajillo chilis
- 2 dried pasilla chilis
- 3 dried ancho chilis
- 5 chiles de arbol more if you like it spicy, less if you like it mild
- 1/2 cup diced sweet onion optional garnis
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro optional garnish
- 1 lime optional garnish
Instructions
- Pat the roast dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sear the roast to get a nice brown crust on the outside of the roast. Set the meat into the slow cooker.
- Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the remaining oil in the skillet until browned, 3-4 minutes. Add them to the slow cooker.
- Warm the broth in the skillet and add the broth to the meat and vegetables.
- Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilis. Give them a rinse inside to dislodge any dust or dried insects or spiders (yes, it happens.)
- Toast the chilis in a dry skillet until just starting to brown, 1-2 minutes. Watch as they can burn and if they burn they'll make your broth taste bitter. Then, add the chilis to a small saucepan, cover them with water, and bring them to a low simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and add the chilis to the crock pot.
- Add the cider vinegar, cumin, and oregano to the slow cooker and pop the lid on.
- Set the slow cooker on high and cook for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8.
- At the end of the cooking time, remove the beef and set aside until cool enough to handle, then shred it using two forks or meat claws.
- Strain the broth and discard the solids. Season the broth with additinoal salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve portions of the beef along with the broth (consomme) in bowls and garnish with onion, cilantro, avocado, jalapenos, lime wedges, and your favorite toppings.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can mix and match with the dried chilis – you don’t have to use what I suggest. The important ones are chipotles (or you can use chipotle in adobo), chiles de arbol (for the spice), and gaujillo chiles.
- Start this slow cooker beef recipe early in the day so you have time to let it cook before dinner.
- Be careful not to burn the chilis when toasting them. I did this once and it ruined the whole batch, giving the broth a bitter/acrid taste.
- This is even better the next day!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.