Slow Cooker Birria de Res

Birria de Res (beef birria) is a deeply rich and ultra-satisfying Mexican beef stew that is so insanely flavorful—you won’t believe it’s made with just a few simple ingredients. It’s made in the slow cooker to give the flavors of the beef, chile peppers, and tomatoes plenty of time to come together. The result is mouthwatering deliciousness.

Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Birria de Res is traditionally made with goat. However, here in the United States, I’ve found that it’s much easier to find beef at the grocery store.

Lucky for me (and now you!), it’s just as delicious with beef roast or beef chuck. To be fair, I haven’t tried making the version with goat at home, but I can’t imagine a dish tastier than this one. Okay, maybe I’m a little biased. But trust me, this Mexican beef dish is the real deal.

Once you’ve shredded the beef and mixed it back into the sauce, you can serve it in tons of different ways. You could scoop it over a bed of rice, pile it into tortillas, roll it into enchiladas, or load it into sandwiches. The options are endless, so let’s get cooking!

If you love making Mexican dishes at home, you will also want to try this Slow Cooker Beef Machaca and Mexican Shredded Beef. 

Birria de Res Ingredients

Let’s quickly cover the ingredients you’ll need to bring this birria beef recipe to life.

• Beef Chuck Roast: Chuck roast will give you the most authentic flavor and texture since it has more fat. For a lighter option, swap in lean beef brisket, beef stewing meat, or top round roast. 
• Chile Peppers: For my birria recipe, I use a combination of three types of dried red chile peppers—guajillo peppers, pasilla chiles, and ancho chiles. You should be able to find them in the international aisle at most grocery stores.
• Tomatoes: Any medium to large fresh tomatoes, like vine tomatoes or Roma tomatoes, will work well.
• Chicken Broth: For a more deeply rich and savory birria stew, feel free to use beef broth instead. Regardless of which one you choose, I always opt for the low-sodium variety.
• Garlic: You can double up on the garlic if you want an extra garlicky flavor. Make sure to use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Want to make the best-ever Birria de Res? Here are some of my top tips and recipe variations to help you do just that:

• If you’re worried about the heat, feel free to omit the ancho chiles or simply reduce the amount you use. Even with the ancho chile peppers, this dish is not overly spicy. As long as you can handle a little bit of spice, you’ll be fine.
• While I like to use chicken broth (there’s already plenty of beef flavor), you can absolutely substitute vegetable broth or beef broth if you want.
• Make sure to save the broth you use to rehydrate the dried chile peppers—this is going to be a key component of the red chile sauce that we cook the meat in.
• There are plenty of delicious toppings you can add to slow cooker Birria de Res before serving it. Some of my favorite choices include chopped cilantro, lime wedges, diced red onions, and queso fresco.
• Try adding a little more flair to the dish by tossing a little of your favorite Mexican beer into the slow cooker with the red chile sauce.

Ways to Serve Birria de Res

Looking for great ways to serve this dish? Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy birria beef:

• Make birria nachos by adding the beef to tortilla chips along with melted cheese, fresh cilantro, and chopped green onions.
• Whip up burrito bowls with a base of brown rice or cauliflower rice, followed by your beef and any other toppings you like.
• Serve your beef over warm corn tortillas with queso fresco and pickled onions for delicious birria tacos.
• Load up this dish into tortillas and bake a drool-worthy beef enchilada entree that works great for serving large groups.
• Lighten it up with a birria taco salad by serving this dish over a bed of leafy greens with corn, black beans, queso fresco, and avocado chunks.
• To lock in tons of extra flavor, brown the beef before adding it to the slow cooker with the sauce.