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Slow Cooker Birria is made with chuck roast cooked low and slow in a rich sauce of guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and warm spices. Once the chile sauce is blended, the slow cooker does most of the work, cooking the beef until it’s fall-apart tender and leaving you with plenty of consommé. Serve it in bowls with fresh onion, cilantro, lime, and warm tortillas, or use the tender beef for birria tacos and quesadillas.
This is one of those recipes where most of the flavor comes from getting the sauce right up front, then letting the slow cooker take it from there. After cooking low and slow, the beef pulls apart easily, creating tender flavorful beef with very little hands-on work.
Table of Contents
Building Flavor with Dried Chiles
The dried chiles are what gives this birria its deep color and rich flavor. Once the stems and seeds are removed, they only need about 15 minutes in hot water to soften before everything gets blended into the sauce.
I use a mix of guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles because they each bring something different to this recipe. Guajillo chiles are fairly mild with a fruity, earthy flavor, ancho chiles add a little sweetness and depth, and árbol chiles bring most of the heat.
From there, the softened chiles get blended with tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, beef broth, vinegar, and warm spices. That’s really where most of the work happens. Once the sauce goes over the chuck roast, the slow cooker takes over and turns everything into tender, shreddable beef with a rich savory consommé.
Ingredients Worth Talking About
You don’t need anything complicated for this birria, but a few ingredients make a big difference in the finished dish.
The full list of ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chuck roast. The marbling and connective tissue break down during the long cook time and give you that tender, shreddable texture you want for birria. I leave the roast whole rather than cutting it into chunks, which saves a little prep and still gives me beef that pulls apart easily at the end.
- Dried guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles. Using a combination gives the sauce more depth than using just one type of chile. The guajillo and ancho build the flavor of the sauce, while the arbol chiles bring more of the heat.
- Jalapenos + chipotle powder. These add another layer of heat and a little smokiness to the sauce. This birria definitely has some kick as written, but it’s easy to adjust if you prefer things milder.
- Tomatoes, onion, and garlic. These blend right into the chile sauce and help give the consommé more body and savory flavor.
- Beef broth + vinegar. The broth forms the base of the consommé, while the vinegar adds enough acidity to balance the richness of the beef and dried chiles.
- Cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and ginger. These are used in smaller amounts, but they round out the sauce and add warmth. The cinnamon and ginger add another touch of flavor, but it doesn’t make the birria taste sweet or overly spiced.
How to Make Slow Cooker Birria
- Prep and soften the chiles. Remove the stems and most of the seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles. Place them in a bowl, cover with very hot water, and soak for about 15 minutes, or until they’re soft and flexible instead of dry and brittle. Drain well.
- Broil the vegetables, if you’d like (optional). For a deeper, slightly smoky flavor, place the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños on a sheet pan and broil until softened with a few blistered or charred edges. This step is completely optional, so skip it if you want to keep things simple.
- Blend the birria sauce. Add the softened chiles to a blender with the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, beef broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend until very smooth and the chile skins are completely broken down.
- Add everything to the slow cooker. Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour the chile sauce over the top. I leave the roast whole rather than cutting it into chunks—it saves a little prep and still gets incredibly tender. Add the bay leaves, then turn the roast once or twice so it’s coated in the sauce.
- Let the slow cooker do it’s thing. Cover and cook on LOW for 8–9 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours. I prefer the low-and-slow method when I have the time. The beef is ready when you can pull at it with a fork and it gives almost no resistance. If it still feels firm or is difficult to shred, it simply needs more time.
- Shred the beef. Transfer the chuck roast to a cutting board or large bowl and shred it with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat as you go. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Return it to the consommé. Add the shredded beef back to the slow cooker and stir it into the cooking liquid. Taste and add more salt if needed. If you want a thinner consommé for dipping or serving in bowls, add a little extra beef broth until it’s the consistency you like.
A Few Things That Make a Difference
- Cook until it shreds easily. Cook time is a range, especially since chuck roasts vary in size. If the beef is still firm or difficult to shred, it usually doesn’t need anything fixed. It just needs more time.
- Use LOW when you have the time. HIGH works when you need to speed things up, but I prefer cooking birria low and slow for the most tender texture.
- Sear the beef for even more flavor. This step is completely optional, so don’t let it keep you from making the recipe. If you have a few extra minutes, sear the chuck roast in a very hot skillet for 2-3 minutes per side before adding it to the slow cooker. Those browned edges add a deeper beef flavor to the finished birria.
- Blend the sauce really well. Give it enough time in the blender for the softened chile skins to completely break down. You want a smooth sauce that will melt right into the consommé as everything cooks.
How Spicy is This Birria?
This birria definitely has some heat. The guajillo and ancho chiles are mostly for flavor and richness, while the árbol chiles, jalapeños, and chipotle powder bring more of the spice.
If you prefer a milder birria, I’d start by reducing the arbol chiles before changing the guajillo or ancho. You can also use fewer jalapeños if needed. I wouldn’t skip the dried chiles altogether. The combination is a big part of what gives the consommé its rich, layered flavor.
If you like things spicy, make it as written and add fresh jalapeño when serving for an extra kick.
Don’t Forget the Consommé
The liquid left in the slow cooker is just as important as the shredded beef. It’s the consommé, and it picks up all the flavor from the dried chiles, beef, tomatoes, garlic, and spices as everything cooks.
Once the chuck roast is shredded, I stir the beef back into the consommé so it stays juicy and soaks up even more flavor. If you want more liquid for serving or dipping, add a little extra beef broth until it’s the consistency you like.
Serve the consommé right along with the birria, spoon it over bowls, or use it for dipping tacos and quesadillas. It’s one of the best parts of the recipe, so definitely don’t drain it off.
How to Serve Slow Cooker Birria
My favorite way to serve birria is in bowls with plenty of consommé, chopped white onion, cilantro, lime, and warm or charred tortillas. You can also use it a few different ways:
- Birria tacos: Pile the beef into tortillas with your favorite toppings and serve with consommé for dipping.
- Birria quesadillas: Use the shredded beef and consommé to make cripsy, cheesy Birria Quesadillas.
- Over rice: Spoon the birria and some of the consommé over rice for an easy bowl.
- With simple sides: Black beans or a crunchy slaw both work well alongside the rich beef.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make ahead: Birria is a great recipe to make a day ahead. Store the beef in the sauce so it stays tender and has even more time to soak up the flavor.
- Refrigerate: Store the shredded beef and consommé together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of beef broth if the consommé has thickened too much.
- Freeze: Freeze the beef and consommé together in a freezer-safe container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
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Slow Cooker Birria
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 5-7 dried guajillo chiles
- 3-4 dried ancho chiles
- 3 dried arbol chiles
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 2 jalapenos
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Prep the dried chiles: Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho and arbol chiles. The seeds can give a bitter taste so this part is a must. Place the dried chiles in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let them soak for about 15 minutes, then drain.
- Make the birria sauce: Add the softened chiles to a blender along with the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, beef broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, cinnamon and ginger. Blend until very smooth.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker: You can slice it into chunks but I found it easier to just place the chuck roast whole into the slow cooker.
- Add the sauce: Pour the birria sauce over the beef. Add the 2 bay leaves and gently stir or turn the beef so it's coated.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 8–9 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender and easily shreds with a fork. If the meat isn’t shredding easy, it just needs more time to cook. Sizes of beef will vary cooking time a smidge
- Shred the birria: Remove the beef from the slow cooker, leaving as much sauce as you can in the crock pot and shred it with two forks. Discard any large pieces of fat and the bay leaves during this process.
- Finish the broth: Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the flavorful consommé. Taste and add additional salt if needed, you can also add more beef broth if you prefer it a little thinner for dipping.
- Serve: Serve the birria andconsommé in bowls with chopped onion, cilantro and diced jalapeños. I like to serve mine with charred tortillas. You can make barria tacos or barria quesadillas
- Optional extra flavor upgrades: Before adding the chuck roast to the slow cooker, sear the chunks in a very hot skillet for 2–3 minutes per side. It’s completely optional, but it gives the birria a deeper, richer beef flavor. You can also roast the onions, tomato and jalapeño before blending for a deeper smoky flavor. Just pop them in the oven on a sheet pan and broil for about 10 minutes on high.
Notes
- For milder birria: Reduce the árbol chiles first, then use fewer jalapeños if needed. Keep the guajillo and ancho chiles for their flavor and depth.
- Cook for tenderness, not just time: Chuck roasts vary in size. If the beef doesn’t shred easily with a fork, cover and continue cooking until it does.
- LOW is my preferred method: HIGH works when you’re short on time, but I prefer cooking the birria on LOW for the most tender beef.
- For deeper flavor: Sear the chuck roast for 2–3 minutes per side and/or broil the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños until lightly charred before blending. Both steps are optional.
- Adjust the consommé: After shredding the beef, add extra beef broth if you prefer more liquid for serving or dipping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
