Birria tacos have exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming a staple menu item at many taco trucks and Mexican restaurants across the United States. While traditional birria tacos are made with shredded beef birria, a newer variation called queso birria tacos has emerged, made with melted cheese instead of beef. But what exactly is the difference between queso birria and regular birria tacos? Here’s a deep dive into these two popular taco styles to understand their origins, ingredients, flavors, and how they are enjoyed.
What is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican meat stew that originated in the state of Jalisco. It’s made by slowly braising meat, traditionally goat, lamb, or beef, in a chile-infused broth seasoned with herbs and spices. The key distinguishing characteristics of birria are:
- The use of chiles – Ancho, guajillo, and other dried chiles are used to make the deeply flavored and colored broth.
- Long braising time – The meat is cooked slowly for hours until ultra tender and infused with flavors.
- Spices – Common seasonings include garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves.
- Accompaniments – Birria is typically served with corn tortillas, lime, chopped onion, cilantro.
The cooked, shredded birria meat soaks up all the complex flavors of the broth during braising. Birria can be eaten on its own as a stew or used as a filling for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more.
Origin of Birria Tacos
While birria as a stew dates back centuries, birria tacos are a more modern preparation. Birria tacos originated in the Mexican city of Tijuana in the state of Baja California. They were likely first made by food vendors as a way to utilize leftover birria from stews.
The key characteristics of traditional birria tacos are:
- Small corn tortillas
- Filled with shredded birria meat
- Topped with chopped white onion and cilantro
- Served with a side of hearty birria broth for dipping
Dipping the tacos in the zesty broth adds another layer of flavor. Birria tacos became popular with late-night foodies and were originally considered “drunk food” in Mexico before catching on in taco spots north of the border.
What is Queso and How is it Used in Queso Birria Tacos?
While birria tacos are traditionally made with shredded beef, a new variety has emerged using queso instead – literally translated to just mean “cheese”. Queso here refers to melted cheese, often a blend of cheeses like cheddar, asadero, Monterey jack, or Oaxaca cheese.
To make queso birria:
- Grating or shredding cheese ensures it melts smoothly.
- The cheese is melted down into a dip consistency.
- Broth can be added to the melted cheese for more flavor.
- The liquid cheesy queso is then used as the taco filling.
The gooey melted cheese takes the place of shredded meat in the tacos. Queso birria tacos are totally vegetarian but emulate the indulgent texture of meaty birria tacos.
Differences Between Queso Birria and Regular Birria Tacos
While both are served on small corn tortillas and often dipped in birria broth, here are the key differences between queso birria tacos and regular beef birria tacos:
| Queso Birria | Regular Birria |
|---|---|
| Cheese filling | Shredded beef filling |
| Vegetarian | Meat |
| Thick, gooey melted cheese consistency | Shredded meat texture |
| Milder in flavor | Deep, savory meaty flavor |
Making Queso Birria Tacos
To make queso birria tacos at home:
- Grate cheese – use a blend like Monterey Jack, asadero, and cheddar. Around 8 ounces of cheese per serving.
- Melt the cheese in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring regularly until fully melted to a dip consistency.
- Add in desired amount of beef or chile broth to boost the flavor.
- Heat small corn tortillas on a griddle or pan.
- Fill tortillas with the gooey queso birria.
- Top with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, cilantro.
- Serve with extra birria broth for dipping.
Oven-roasting or air frying the tortillas first helps them hold up to the melted filling. The queso birria filling can be made ahead and reheated as needed.
Customize Queso Birria
Add unique flavors to the cheese filling:
- Sautéed onions
- Fire-roasted peppers
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Chopped jalapeños for spice
Switch up the cheese blend – try pepper jack, Gouda, or queso fresco.
Making Regular Birria Tacos
To make beef birria tacos:
- Start with homemade or store-bought beef birria.
- Shred the cooked beef.
- Briefly fry the shredded meat in its own fat or oil to crisp it up.
- Heat small corn tortillas on a griddle or pan.
- Fill tortillas with the hot shredded birria.
- Top with onions, cilantro.
- Serve with birria broth for dipping.
Getting crispy edges on the meat helps maximize the contrast of textures. Try other meat fillings like pork or chicken.
Customize Birria Tacos
Take birria tacos to the next level by:
- Adding cheese like Oaxaca or queso fresco
- Drizzling with crema
- Topping with avocado slices
- Using homemade handmade tortillas
Enjoying Birria and Queso Birria Tacos
Here are some tips for enjoying birria and queso birria tacos:
- Dip in broth – Don’t forget to dip each taco in the accompanying broth before taking a bite. The broth takes the tacos to the next level.
- Use two tortillas – Layer two tortillas per taco to prevent ripping and drips.
- Eat right away – Birria and queso birria are best hot and fresh before the tortillas get soggy.
- Load up on salsas and garnishes – Give each bite a punch with salsa roja, verde, habanero, and fresh toppings.
- Make it a meal – Order birria tacos as an appetizer or make it a complete meal with sides like consomme, rice, beans, and esquites.
Where to Find Birria and Queso Birria Tacos
Birria and queso birria tacos can be found in taco trucks, Mexican restaurants, and casual taquerias in areas with large Mexican-American populations like Los Angeles, theMission District in San Francisco, San Diego, Tucson, Albuquerque, and other Southwestern cities. Look for spots focused on Jalisco-style cuisine.
On social media, search #birria or #quesobirria to find local restaurants serving these tacos in your area. Be on the lookout at farmers markets too – they are often home to vendors making hot, fresh birria tacos.
Birria and queso birria have also been popping up more on mainstream restaurant menus and as limited time specials as they grow in popularity nationwide.
Make Birria Tacos at Home
While the tacos are traditionally made with time-intensive, from-scratch birria, there are shortcut versions available to make satisfying homemade birria tacos:
- Use store-bought birria seasoning packets – just add to broth and meat.
- Cook bone-in short rib or brisket in chile-based broth.
- Use leftover cooked shredded beef or pork.
- Top meat tacos with extra lard or beef fat.
For queso birria, grab a few bags of shredded cheese from the store along with corn tortillas. With just 10-15 minutes of active cooking time, you can enjoy hot homemade birria tacos any night of the week.
Conclusion
While both types of tacos feature small tortillas dipped in flavorful broth, queso birria and regular birria tacos differ in their key ingredients – melted cheese versus braised beef. Traditional beef birria has a long history as a Mexican stew, while queso birria is a more modern, vegetarian interpretation using just melted cheese. Both make for an indulgent taco experience with crispy tortillas encasing flavorful fillings and zesty dipping broth. Birria tacos in their many forms have proven to have universal appeal and are a fun, interactive meal perfect for sharing and customizing.