Fifteen or so years ago, a taquero in Tijuana, Mexico, thought to fill tortilla shells with cheese and birria (goat stew), a dish native to Jalisco, Mexico, thereby creating the quesabirria (cheese plus birria) taco. Several thousand social media posts later, the creation—now made with beef and served with a side of consomé (stewing broth) for dipping—has achieved cult status in the United States, according to Eater.
At El Milagro Azteca (4940 Southwest), executive chef Carlos Hernandez, a Michoacán native and 26-year St. Louisan, says that once his customers see it on the menu, they order it. Hernandez says his mother makes the birria from a decades-old family recipe and shares a few secrets to its success.
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The consomé begins with a rich vegetable stock to which whole spices (cumin seed, cloves, black peppercorns, fresh garlic cloves) are added, along with toasted, puréed, guajillo peppers (a mild, dark red variety that gives the broth its ruddy color). A combination of brisket and sirloin is cubed and marinated overnight in the stock then pressure-cooked for at least eight hours, until it’s “so tender that it almost shreds itself,” Hernandez says. Using some of the oil from the broth, Hernandez’s crew heats corn tortillas on a flattop grill along with a mix of jack cheese (for sharpness) and Chihuahua cheese (for creaminess). The birria meat, heated alongside the tortillas, gets added, and the tacos—three to an order—are topped with chopped onion and cilantro.
Hernandez says guests are encouraged to dip the tacos in the consomé and that “some will sneak a sip, then a slurp, and then it’s gone.”
🎧 Hear more about birria tacos and other food trends on the Arch Eats podcast.
