Welcome to From Taylor’s Kitchen, where the recipes are good, the shortcuts are encouraged, and there’s a solid chance I started dinner before heading to the boutique for the day.
Owning a boutique means some days I get home ready to cook and other days I get home and realize I’ve been thinking about clothes, customers, permanent jewelry, social media, inventory and 14 other things since 7 a.m.
So when I find an easy dinner that actually feels like a GOOD dinner, it goes into the rotation.
These Aldi Crockpot Birria Tacos are exactly that.
Aldi sells a preseasoned birria chuck roast, which means someone else already did most of the work for us. Toss it in the Crockpot in the morning, shred it when you get home, and make crispy, cheesy tacos.
Perfect.
What You'll Need
For the Crockpot:
- 1 package Aldi preseasoned birria chuck roast
- ½ cup beef broth, plus more if needed
- ½ onion, sliced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ lime
For the tacos:
- Flour tortillas
- Shredded Oaxaca, Chihuahua, quesadilla cheese or Monterey Jack
- Diced white onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Step-by-Step
1. Get the Crockpot going
Before you head out for the day, put the entire Aldi birria chuck roast into your Crockpot, including all of the seasoning and juices from the package.
Add ½ cup beef broth, sliced onion and minced garlic.
That's your morning contribution to dinner. You're basically done until you get home.
2. Let it cook
Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours.
If you're getting a later start, you can also cook it on HIGH for 4–5 hours.
Either way, you want the beef tender enough that it easily pulls apart with a fork.
3. Shred the beef
Take the roast out of the Crockpot and shred it with two forks.
Do not dump out the liquid in the Crockpot!
That's going to keep our beef juicy, help crisp up the tortillas AND become our consommé for dipping.
4. Put the beef back in
Return the shredded beef to the Crockpot and spoon some of the cooking liquid over it.
Squeeze in about half a lime and give everything a stir.
At this point, dinner already smells like you put in significantly more effort than you actually did. My favorite kind of recipe.
5. Get your tortillas ready
Heat a skillet over medium heat.
You'll probably see some reddish fat sitting at the top of the Crockpot liquid. Spoon a little onto a plate and lightly dip or brush your flour tortillas with it.
You don't need to completely soak them. A little goes a long way with flour tortillas.
6. Build your tacos
Place a tortilla in your hot skillet.
Add shredded cheese and a good scoop of birria beef, then fold the tortilla in half.
I am not measuring the cheese for you. Follow your heart.
7. Get them crispy
Cook for about 2–3 minutes per side until the tortilla is golden and crispy and the cheese is nice and melty.
Repeat until you've made enough tacos for everyone. Or until you get tired of standing at the stove.
Also, yes, traditional birria tacos are generally made with corn tortillas. I used flour because I like flour tortillas. We're making dinner, not competing on Top Chef.
8. Don't skip the dipping broth
Pour some of the leftover Crockpot liquid into a small bowl and top it with diced onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
If it's a little too concentrated or salty for your liking, add a splash of beef broth.
9. Eat
Serve the tacos hot with your little bowl of consommé and start dipping.
Crispy tortilla. Melted cheese. Tender birria. Broth everywhere.
Worth it.
Busy-Girl Dinner Rating
Effort: Low
Actual hands-on time: About 20 minutes
Feels like you tried way harder than you did: Absolutely
Would I make it again after a full day at the boutique: 100%
That's basically the goal of From Taylor's Kitchen. I love cooking, but I also own a business and occasionally would like to sit down before 9 p.m.
If Aldi wants to season the roast for me, I'm going to let them.