Instant Pot Birria Tacos: Tender Meat in Rich Consommé

Instant Pot birria captures the deep, complex flavors of traditional Mexican birria in a fraction of the time. Traditionally made with marinated goat simmered for hours, this birria de res adapts the dish to more widely available beef and a countertop electric pressure cooker to dramatically shorten cook time and reduce cleanup.

The finished beef is versatile: serve it as a stew in its consommé, shred it for quesabirria tacos or quesadillas, or crisp it in a skillet and pile it over a salad for a satisfying lunch. While the recipe uses a few ingredients that may be unfamiliar, the steps are straightforward. Using an electric pressure cooker eliminates the need for a long marinade and gets you tender, fall-apart beef in under two hours total.

Birria Instant Pot

Whole dried chiles—ancho and guajillo—are central to the authentic flavor. Toasting and soaking them before blending yields a rich, layered paste that gives the birria its characteristic depth. If you prefer extra heat, add a canned chipotle in adobo when blending. Otherwise, the chiles add complexity without excessive spice.

Ingredients

1. 3 to 4 pounds beef shoulder or chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 3-inch chunks
2. 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
3. 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
4. 4 dried ancho chiles
5. 4 dried guajillo chiles
6. 2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
7. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
8. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
9. 1 whole cinnamon stick
10. 2 whole cloves
11. 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
12. 8 garlic cloves, peeled
13. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
14. 2 cups beef stock
15. 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each)
16. 2 teaspoons dried oregano
17. 2 bay leaves
18. Optional for serving: chopped onion, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Choose a tougher cut such as beef shoulder or chuck roast for the best braise-friendly texture; short ribs, beef shank, rump roast, or brisket also work well. Avoid substituting powdered chili; for authentic flavor, use whole dried chiles that are toasted, soaked, and blended into a paste. If you can only find one variety of dried chile, using all ancho or all guajillo is an acceptable substitute.

Equipment

1. 6–8 quart electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
2. 2-quart saucepan
3. Tongs
4. Immersion blender or standard blender
5. Measuring cups and spoons

Using the pressure cooker reduces steps and dishes: you can brown, simmer, and pressure cook in the same pot, and the pressure eliminates the need for an overnight marinade while still producing rich, tender meat.

Instant Pot Birria Tacos

To make quesabirria tacos, reserve the fat skimmed from the cooked birria. Dip corn tortillas briefly in that fat, lay them on a lightly oiled skillet, add shredded birria and a melting cheese like Oaxaca or Monterey Jack, then fold and crisp until golden on both sides. Serve with warm birria consommé for dipping.

Instant Pot Birria — Method

1. Season the beef with 1 teaspoon of salt and all the black pepper. Set the pressure cooker to Sauté to heat while you prepare the chiles.
2. Trim the stems from the dried chiles and shake out seeds. Split each chile lengthwise. Toast chiles in batches in the hot pot or a dry pan, flipping occasionally, until fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.
3. Transfer toasted chiles to a saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let soak, covered, 10 minutes until tender.
4. While chiles soak, add oil to the pressure cooker and brown the beef in batches. Transfer the browned pieces to a plate.
5. Using the Sauté function, cook the onion wedges in the cooker until browned, about 4 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
6. Stir in cumin, ground ginger, the cinnamon stick, and cloves and toast for about 1 minute. Pour in beef stock and vinegar, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.
7. Drain the softened chiles and discard the soaking water. Add the chiles to the pot with the canned fire roasted tomatoes, oregano, and the remaining salt. Use an immersion blender to purée the sauce until smooth. If using a standard blender, blend the chiles and tomatoes until smooth and return the purée to the cooker.
8. Return the browned beef to the pot and tuck in the bay leaves. Seal the lid and set the pressure cooker to HIGH for 45 minutes.
9. When the cook cycle ends, release pressure according to your cooker’s instructions. The beef should be fork-tender; if not, reseal and cook 10 more minutes on HIGH.
10. Once tender, shred the beef directly in the stew with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Let the mixture rest briefly, then skim the fat from the top and reserve it for frying tortillas if making tacos.
11. Serve the shredded beef in the flavorful consommé, garnished with chopped onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

This Instant Pot birria delivers classic flavor with far less time and effort. The consommé is rich and aromatic, the meat falls apart tender, and the reserved fat creates irresistibly crisp quesabirria tacos. Serve with simple garnishes—chopped onion, cilantro, and lime—for an authentic finish.