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5 from 139 votes

Instant Pot Birria Tacos

Make this epic delicious Instant Pot Birria! You'll love the flavor explosion of juicy tender meat with melted cheese & crispy tortilla. Elevate it to the next level when dipping birria tacos into the rich sauce. Super tasty birria de res and tacos de birria recipe.
Servings 8 - 12 tacos
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Garnish:

  • 8 - 12 corn tortillas
  • Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese) , freshly grated
  • White onion , diced
  • Cilantro , finely chopped
  • Lime slices

Instructions

  • Prepare Dried Chiles: Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces.
    *Tip for Adjusting Spiciness: This birria is mild to medium spicy. Reduce spiciness by skipping the Chile de árbol; make it spicier by adding 1 more Chile de árbol.
    dried chiles
  • Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot: Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles' aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles.
    toast chiles
  • Brown Meat in Instant Pot: Wait until the Instant Pot says "HOT". Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat.
    brown beef in instant pot
  • Saute Onions and Garlic: Add another 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ (2.4g) cinnamon stick, 2 tsp (2g) dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp (3g) ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp (1.8g) ground coriander, and 2 tsp (10g) tomato paste, then saute for another minute.
    saute garlic
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour in 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.
    deglaze
  • Pressure Cook Birria: Add in 2 tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, and another cup (250ml) of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top.
    With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
    Pressure Cooking Methods:
    a) Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 40 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
    b) Beef Short Ribs (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 42 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
    c) 3lbs Bone-in Lamb Shoulder (3.25" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 2 hours, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
    Remove the lid carefully.
    pressure cook birria
  • Blend and Shred Beef: Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot.
    Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender.
    With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot.
    birria sauce
  • Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 - 6 large pinches of salt).
  • Garnish & Serve Birria: This birria is epic tasty with freshly grated melting cheese. Place some of the flavorful birria sauce in a ramekin. Garnish with diced white onion and finely chopped cilantro.
    birria consome
  • Optional - Make Birria Tacos: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce.
    *Pro Tip 1: Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they're too dry.
    *Pro Tip 2: If you're using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan.
    *Pro Tip 3: It's important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan fry the tortillas.
    Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half.
    Serve these deliciously epic birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices.
    fry tortillas

Video

Notes

1) Meat Choices: We used 1.5lbs beef shanks and 1.5lbs chuck roast steak.
2) Browning Meat in Instant Pot: If your Instant Pot is not big enough to brown all the meat at once, brown them in two batches.
3) Rehydrating Dried Chiles: We don't need to rehydrate the dried chiles before cooking for this Instant Pot Birria Recipe because we're pressure cooking them in liquid for a long time.
4) Birria Sauce: You'll notice the birria sauce in this recipe is thicker than a consommé. We like it this way because the sauce is more concentrated & packed with delicious flavors.
5) Frying Corn Tortillas: We used a cast-iron skillet to fry the corn tortillas, but it'll be easier using a non-stick pan.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Author: Amy + Jacky
Calories: 263kcal

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1574IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg