Description
Delicious Birria Quesadillas featuring tender slow-cooked chuck roast in a rich, spicy chili broth, layered with queso fresco and crisped to perfection. This traditional Mexican fusion recipe delivers bold flavors and a satisfying cheesy bite, perfect for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Broth
- 1 pound chuck roast
- 2 cups beef broth
Chilies and Spices
- 3–4 dried mixed chilies (such as guajillo, ancho, and pasilla)
Vegetables and Herbs
- 1 medium onion
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
Tortillas and Cheese
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup queso fresco
Instructions
- Toast Chilies: Heat a skillet over medium heat and toast the dried chilies lightly until fragrant and slightly darker, about 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
- Prepare Chili Paste: Remove stems and seeds from the toasted chilies, then blend them with spices and beef broth until smooth to create a rich chili sauce for the birria.
- Coat Chuck Roast: Thoroughly coat the chuck roast with the chili paste, ensuring it is well-covered on all sides to infuse flavor during cooking.
- Slow Cook Meat: Place the coated chuck roast in a slow cooker or a covered pot and cook on low heat for 3 to 4 hours until the meat is tender enough to shred easily.
- Shred Meat: Remove the roast from the cooking liquid, let it cool slightly, then shred it thoroughly using two forks.
- Dip Tortillas: Heat the cooking liquid from the meat. Quickly dip each corn tortilla into the broth to soften and add flavor before layering.
- Assemble Quesadillas: On each dipped tortilla, layer shredded meat and queso fresco evenly.
- Crisp Quesadillas: Heat a hot skillet over medium heat and place the assembled quesadillas on it, frying until the bottom is crisp and golden brown.
- Flip and Finish: Flip the quesadillas carefully and cook the other side until it too is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the quesadillas hot with extra dipping sauce made from the cooking liquid, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and diced onions.
Notes
- Use a mix of mild and medium dried chilies for balanced heat and flavor.
- To speed up cooking, use a pressure cooker to reduce cook time to about 1 hour.
- Queso fresco can be substituted with Monterey Jack or mozzarella for meltier texture.
- Leftover birria meat is great for tacos or nachos.
- For extra richness, add a bit of beef fat or oil when frying quesadillas.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Birria Quesadillas, Mexican, Slow Cooked Beef, Queso Fresco, Corn Tortillas, Comfort Food, Spicy Meat, Cheese Quesadillas
