Quesa Birria Tacos
(Wild Game Edition)

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves: 8 people

Chef’s Notes

Quesa Birria Tacos have become a staple in our house since the first time we made them. They’re built for more than one kind of table — perfect for a weekend get-together, feeding a crowd at a party, or cooking once on Sunday and eating well through the week.

Pay attention to the extra credit here. You don’t need the pickled red onions or the avocado crema to make this recipe work — but for the half-hour it takes to pull them together, they’re worth every second. Both toppings carry over into other meals throughout the week, so you’ll find yourself reaching for them more than once.

A few months back, we had the chance to enter the Wild Game Cook-Off with the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. We served close to 250 people, and these tacos brought home the People’s Choice Award.

So fire it up for a backyard BBQ, a company gathering, or as a pre-hunt prep meal you can reheat after coming out of the blind. However you serve them, these tacos have a way of sticking around — they haven’t gotten old in our household, and I doubt they will in yours either.

Ingredients

For the Meat & Consommé

• 3–4 lbs red meat game of choice — cuts that shine with long cooking like moose shank, elk shoulder, venison neck, or similar (cut into 3"x4" chunks)
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp (12 g) tomato paste
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2.5 quarts (2.25 L) beef stock
• 4 ½ oz (125 g) guajillo chilies (about 16), stemmed & seeded
• 7 morita chilies, stemmed & seeded
• 2 ancho chilies, stemmed & seeded
• 2 tsp Dominican oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 dried bay leaves
• 4 cups (1 L) water
• 1 piece cheesecloth & kitchen twine (for making a spice sachet)

For the Tacos

• 1 lb (454 g) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (27.5 oz | 780 g) package corn tortillas
• 1 bunch cilantro, minced
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• Lime wedges

Extra Credit (Toppings That Take It Over the Top)

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Method: Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour over onions in a jar, press down until submerged, cool, and refrigerate. Ready in an hour, better after a day.

Avocado Lime Crema

• 1 ripe avocado
• ½ cup sour cream
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Method: Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust with more lime or salt if needed. Chill until serving.

Pro Tip: Add these before dunking — the onions cut through the richness, the crema cools it down, and together they make every bite hit harder.

Method

Step 1: Sear the Meat

• Season the meat generously with kosher salt.
• Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add a good layer of oil to the bottom, and wait until it’s shimmering or almost smoking. The hotter the better here for the sear.
• Brown the meat in batches, about 2–3 minutes per side. Don’t crowd the pot. Move browned meat to a tray and keep going until all are done.

Pro Tip: Don’t rush the sear. That crust builds the deep, smoky flavor that carries through the consommé.

Step 2: Build the Base

• Add a little more oil to the pot if needed, then sauté onions until softened.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the color deepens.
• Add the garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant.
• Deglaze with beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pot to pull up all the browned bits.

Step 3: Work in the Chiles

• Add guajillo, morita, and ancho chilies to the hot broth. Simmer about 10 minutes until they soften.
• Transfer broth, onions, tomato paste, garlic, and chilies to a blender in batches.
• Blend until smooth, adding oregano, cumin, and a splash of vinegar (optional). You’re looking for a rich, red sauce.

Step 4: Braise

• Pour the sauce back into the pot and add the meat back into the sauce.
• Stir in 4 cups water so everything’s covered.
• Wrap peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in cheesecloth, tie it off, and drop it into the pot as a spice pouch.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook about 3 hours, until the meat is fall-apart tender.

Step 5: Finish

• Remove the meat and the spice pouch. Discard the pouch.
• Shred the meat with two forks (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook).
• Moisten the shredded meat with consommé to keep it juicy.
• Taste the consommé, add salt if needed, and keep warm.

Pro Tip: Store shredded meat in consommé if you’re making it ahead — it stays juicy and reheats perfectly.

QuesaTaco Assembly

• Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium and lightly oil.
• Dip a tortilla in hot consommé, let excess drip, and place in the skillet.
• Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Once melted, add shredded meat to one side.
• Fold the tortilla, press lightly, and cook until crisp, flipping every 20–30 seconds.
• Repeat until you’ve made the desired number of tacos.

Pro Tip: Don’t skimp on the cheese. It crisps up on the edges and helps seal the taco shut for dunking.

Serving

• Serve tacos hot with onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
• (I like to pull them apart and sprinkle in the pickled red onions and cilantro at this point — or just raw onion if you didn’t go for the extra credit toppings.)
• Ladle consommé into cups or bowls, top with onion and cilantro.
• Dunk tacos into consommé before each bite and enjoy.

Field Notes

• Best Cuts: Tougher cuts are your friend here. Moose shank, elk shoulder, and venison neck break down beautifully over a long cook and give the consommé the richness it needs.
• Make-Ahead: Birria only gets better with time. Cook it on the weekend, store the shredded meat in consommé, and it’ll stay juicy in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer Friendly: Portion the meat and consommé into quart freezer bags. Lay them flat to freeze, then reheat gently in a pot of simmering water or thaw and warm on the stove.
• Serving Hack: Quesa Birria Tacos are the showstopper, but don’t stop there. Use the shredded birria in breakfast burritos, over rice, or even in grilled cheese sandwiches. The consommé doubles as an incredible base for chili or stew.
• Gear Tip: A Dutch oven is the gold standard, but any heavy-bottomed pot works. If you’ve got a smoker with a pot-safe grate, try giving the consommé an hour of smoke before simmering — it adds a whole new layer.