Slow Cooker Birria Beef Tacos

- 2 Pounds of Good Ranchers Steak Tips

- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil, (vegetable, canola, or avocado)

- 1 ½ tsp. coarse ground pepper

- 1 ½ tsp. salt

- 4 dried Guajillo chiles

- 7-8 dried arbol chiles

- 5-6 Chipotle chiles in adobo, from a can

- 1 white onion, thinly sliced

- 8 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

- 32 oz. beef stock

- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

- 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

- 2 Tbsp. lime juice

- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin

- 1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano

- 1 tsp. dried thyme

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 2 dry bay leaves

- 1 tsp. ground cloves

- 1 tsp. smoked paprika

- 1 tsp. ground coriander

- 1 tsp. dried minced onion, or ½ tsp. onion powder

 

 

For Serving:

- Corn tortillas

- Cilantro

- Diced red onions

- More oil for frying tacos

 

 

Instructions:

 

1. Season all sides of the steak tips with salt and pepper and preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

 

2. Add the oil and once hot, sear the meat for 4-5 minutes on all sides.

 

3. Next, add guajillo chiles, arbol chiles, chipotle peppers, onion, garlic, beef stock, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, thyme, oregano, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves, paprika, minced dried onion, and coriander to the crock pot. Stir to combine.

 

4. Place Steak Tips into the crock pot and cover. Cook for 9-10 hours on low.

 

5. Remove the Steak Tips from the crock pot and place into a bowl. Shred using 2 forks.

 

6. Remove and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Take the stems off the peppers and discard. 

 

7. Next, use an immersion blender to blend sauce until smooth. (Use a food processor or stand blender if you do not have an immersion blender and return to the slow cooker or transfer to a large bowl.)

 

8. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bowl with the shredded meat and stir to coat.

 

 

Assembling the Tacos

 

1. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and once hot, add cooking oil to the pan.

 

2. Using a pair of tongs, dip each side of the tortilla in the sauce and then double them for frying.

 

3. Place the dipped, now doubled tortillas into a frying pan flatly and fry for about two minutes.

 

4. Flip, add a bit of sauce, the meat, onions, and cilantro to one-half of the tortilla, fold it in half and fry each side of the now shaped taco for up to 2 minutes per side. Spoon a bit of sauce over each side of the tortilla after it’s been fried.

 

5. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a bowl of pureed sauce for dipping. Add additional diced onions and cilantro as a garnish if desired.