The Secret To The Best-Tasting Birria Tacos Boils Down To The Chiles

Birria tacos were first popularized in the United States in the early 2000s. But in the last couple of years, they've become one of the trendiest taco varieties. The slow-cooked beef and salty consommé pair up for the ultimate savory dish. But there's another element to birria tacos that make or break their flavor: chiles. They're arguably the most important ingredient in preparing perfect birria. And to prep them properly, the chiles need to be carefully boiled, or they could turn bitter.

Birria, put simply, is a cooking method of preparing meat low and slow in a broth known as consommé. But to get the most flavorful birria, that broth needs to come equipped with plenty of ingredients — the most pertinent being chiles. Numerous types of chiles go into birria broth, from Guajillo to Ancho and arbol, though others, such as cascabel, can be used as well. 

But you can't just pop them into the broth without any preparation. The chiles should be boiled, but only for a specific amount of time.

Birria is a time-consuming dish to prepare, and there's no sense in going through all the trouble if you're not going to use the correct methods. When it comes to prepping the chile peppers, boiling them is the biggest part because this allows the chiles to soften. However, over-boiling chiles can lead to creating a bitter flavor. Though recipes vary, most call for soaking them in the boiling water for less than 10 minutes.

Chef Claudette Zepeda prepares chiles in adobo for her birria, and she says not to boil the chiles for more than eight minutes when preparing the adobo. From there, the chiles in adobo are paired up with the broth to create the perfect birria consommé. 

Heating chiles for too long, including grilling or scorching them too much, can lead the peppers to lose their sweetness and become bitter. Watch the peppers carefully, and set a timer so as to not overcook them.

The chiles used for birria will depend on the desired heat, but a combination is likely your best bet. Guajillo chiles are abundant in Mexican food; you'll find them in plenty of dishes, including birria. They have more of a sweet heat with a distinct flavor that makes them the chile pepper of choice in many recipes. 

Ancho chiles are popular as well; these are dried poblanos with a sweet heat flavor that almost resembles chocolate. Cascabel chiles, another birria variety, have a nutty flavor with mild spice that gives them just a hint of heat. For more spice, some prepare birria with chiles de àrbol, which has a heat more than twice that of a jalapeño; it should be used in moderation when preparing the broth, unless you're looking for ample spice.

To prepare these chiles for birria, they should be grilled for several minutes before boiling. The roasting process brings out a chile's flavor because it breaks its cell walls, releasing flavor compounds and creating a stronger profile. Plus, placing the chiles on heat helps their natural sugars caramelize, which builds a deeper flavor before they're plunged into water.