Instant Pot beef birria con consome features tender beef braised in a chili-spiced broth. Serve the shredded beef with warm corn tortillas, diced cilantro and onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Craving more like this? Try Instant Pot pozole rojo or Venezuelan carne mechada!
What is Birria Con Consome?
Are you looking for a hearty meal that’s perfect for any occasion? Beef birria con consomé is a traditional Mexican dish. The hearty stew features seasoned meat, like beef, lamb, or goat, that’s been slow or pressure-cooked with spices, peppers, and herbs until fall-apart tender.
The consomé, or broth, is an integral part of this dish. Like Filipino beef pares, you serve it alongside the meat for even more flavor. I prefer making birria in the Instant Pot (so I can get it to the table faster), but make this authentic birria recipe if you want to try a slow cooker version.
What is Birria de Res Made of?
Traditionally, birria con consome is made with goat, but you can also find versions using lamb, chicken, or beef, depending on the region. When you include beef, the dish is called birria de res. Here’s everything you need to get started.
- Oil: Sear the chuck roast and sauté the aromatics in oil.
- Peppers: Dried chiles are necessary for authentic birria flavor. Toast and rehydrate dried arbol, guajillo, and ancho chiles, and blend them into a chili-spiced broth for the beef to braise in. You can also add dried chipotle peppers or a spoonful of canned chipotle in adobo for a smoky heat.
- Aromatics: Sauté white onions and a handful of whole garlic cloves to deepen the flavor of the broth.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A splash of vinegar adds acidity to balance the savoriness of the meat.
- Spices: Season with a blend of black peppercorns, Mexican oregano, coriander seed, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper for classic birria flavor. And don’t forget to add bay leaves and a cinnamon stick for an extra hint of warmth as the beef cooks.
- Beef: Birria is traditionally prepared using beef, lamb, or goat. I prefer to use well-marbled chuck roast. Chuck is naturally tough, so it’s perfect for pressure or slow cooking until it becomes tender.
Additions and Substitutions
- Adjust the heat of the consomé. Customize the spice level by adjusting the number of dried chiles. For a spicier birria, add more arbol chiles or toss in a few dried piquin or habanero peppers. Want a milder broth? Use fewer spicy chiles and lean on guajillo peppers for a more balanced heat.
- Consider add-ins. Include beef shanks or beef bones to increase the flavor of the broth.
How to Make Birria Con Consome
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the dry chiles and saute until they blister. Then, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Transfer them to a blender with 3-4 cups of HOT water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to allow the chiles to rehydrate.
Step 3: Add apple cider vinegar, black peppercorns, Mexican oregano, coriander seeds, and ground cumin to the blender, and process until smooth.
Step 4: Cut the chuck roast into 3-inch pieces and generously season the meat with salt and black pepper.
Step 5: Sear the chuck roast in batches in the Instant Pot. Add the beef in a single layer and let it brown for 3-4 minutes.
Step 6: Return all the beef to the pot and pour the chili mixture over the top through a mesh strainer. Use the remaining 1 cup of HOT water to help strain the chili mixture.
Step 7: Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and Beef Better than Bouillon to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
Step 8: Remove the beef from the Instant Pot and shred it using two forks.
What does natural release mean?
Natural release on the Instant Pot means allowing the pressure inside the pot to gradually decrease on its own after cooking finishes, without manually opening the pressure release valve. This process takes 10–30 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid inside the pot.
As the pressure decreases, the float valve will drop, signaling that it’s safe to open the lid. Natural release is ideal for soups, stews, or liquid-heavy recipes to prevent splattering.
Step 9: Spoon some of the shredded beef into a shallow bowl and ladle the consomé on top. Serve the shredded beef birria with warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and onions, lime wedges, and more consomé on the side.
Expert Tips
- Stem and deseed the chiles. While you don’t need to remove every single seed, I recommend taking the time to deseed the dried chiles. It’s an extra step, but it really helps cut down on bitterness and gives the sauce a cleaner, more balanced flavor.
- Strain the chile mixture. For a smooth, flavorful broth, pour the blended chile mixture through a mesh strainer. It makes a big difference in the final texture.
- Sear the beef. Take a few minutes to brown the chuck roast before pressure cooking. Searing helps lock in moisture and adds depth to the flavor of the birria con consomé.
If you enjoy birria con consome, try more Mexican-inspired favorites!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the juicy, tender shredded beef in a shallow bowl with the cooking juices, also called consomé, alongside fresh corn tortillas or tostadas. Garnish the stew with diced onions, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and salsa verde.
Thanks in large part to social media and taco trucks, birria de res has gained popularity. In addition to serving it as a stew, food enthusiasts use the flavor-rich beef birria as a filling for tacos and quesadillas or a topping for birria nachos or fries. Birria ramen is also a thing, so the possibilities are endless.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: If you don’t plan to consume the birria within a few days, freeze it for longer-term storage. Let it cool completely, and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Birria con consome freezes for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the beef in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Gently warm the beef and consomé on the stovetop in a saute pan or warm individual servings in the microwave.
- Repurpose: Repurpose the leftovers to make tacos, quesadillas, birria nachos, or enchiladas, or add shredded potatoes and home fries to make a hash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does birria de res mean?
While birria de res, pronounced bee-rryah, loosely translates to “beef stew,” traditional Mexican birria embodies a rich culinary heritage with intricate flavor and cooking technique.
Birria de res refers to the beef version of birria. In this flavorful and spicy stew recipe, beef pressure cooks with chiles and warm spices, resulting in tender, succulent beef that is shredded and served with various toppings and corn tortillas.
So, while ‘beef stew‘ is a general translation, it doesn’t capture the flavor and cultural significance of birria de res.
What part of meat is birria?
If using beef as I do in this recipe, chuck roast is the most common choice. Chuck is naturally tough, so it benefits from being slow or pressure-cooked. Select a roast with a good amount of marbling for even more flavor.
What is birria consomme made of?
The consomé in birria con consome is usually made from the drippings and cooking juice of the birria, which are seasoned and strained into the dish to create a rich and savory broth.
Serve it in a separate bowl or cup alongside the birria meat. You can either sip on the broth or use it to dip the birria meat or corn tortillas.
More Instant Pot Recipes:
Birria con Consome
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 12 dried arbol chiles, stemmed and deseeded
- 8 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and deseeded
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and deseeded
- 1 medium white onion, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 5 cups hot water, divided
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 pounds chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon beef Better Than Bouillon
- ½ large white onion, finely diced
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Warm oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the dry chiles and saute until they blister. Then, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Transfer them to a blender with 3-4 cups of HOT water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to allow the chiles to rehydrate.
- Add apple cider vinegar, black peppercorns, Mexican oregano, coriander seeds, and ground cumin to the blender, and process until smooth.
- Cut the chuck roast into 3-inch pieces and generously season the meat with salt and black pepper.
- Sear the chuck roast in batches in the Instant Pot. Add the beef in a single layer and let it brown for 3-4 minutes.
- Return all the beef to the pot and pour the chili mixture over the top through a mesh strainer. Use the remaining 1 cup of HOT water to help strain the chili mixture.
- Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and beef Better than Bouillon to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Remove the beef from the Instant Pot and shred it using two forks.
- Spoon some of the shredded beef into a shallow bowl and ladle the consomé on top. Serve the shredded beef birria with warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and onions, lime wedges, and more consomé on the side.
- Stem and deseed the chiles. While you don’t need to remove every single seed, I recommend taking the time to deseed the dried chiles. It’s an extra step, but it helps reduce bitterness and gives the sauce a more balanced flavor.
- Strain the chile mixture. For a smooth, flavorful broth, pour the blended chile mixture through a mesh strainer. It makes a big difference in the final texture.
- Sear the beef. Take a few minutes to brown the chuck roast before pressure cooking. Searing helps lock in moisture and adds depth to the flavor of the birria con consomé.