What Is Birria and Why Is It So Popular?
Birria is a slow-cooked Mexican stew traditionally made with goat meat (chivo) braised in a rich sauce of dried chiles, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, cloves, and other spices. It originated in the state of Jalisco and was historically considered a humble, working-class dish. Its explosive popularity in the U.S. — driven by birria tacos (tacos de birria or quesabirria) — turned it into one of the most viral foods of the 2020s, but the dish itself has been a cornerstone of Jalisciense cooking for generations.
The Original Birria
Traditional birria is a stew, not a taco filling. It's served in a bowl with a generous ladleful of consomé (the rich, red broth that results from the slow braise), topped with diced onion, cilantro, and lime. It's eaten with tortillas on the side. In Jalisco, birria is a celebration food — served at weddings, baptisms, and large family gatherings, typically prepared in massive pots by the family's designated birria maker.
The dish was born from necessity. According to food historians cited by the Saveur guide to birria, when Spanish colonizers introduced goats to Mexico, the meat was considered undesirable by the colonizers due to its strong flavor. Indigenous and mestizo cooks in Jalisco turned that "inferior" protein into something extraordinary by slow-braising it with local chiles and spices until the gaminess became richness.
Why It Went Viral
The quesabirria — a birria taco dipped in consomé, griddled until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese melts — became a social media sensation around 2019-2020. The visual of the red-stained tortilla, the cheese pull, and the cup of consomé for dipping proved irresistible on Instagram and TikTok. Birria trucks and pop-ups multiplied across Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and New York practically overnight.
But birria's popularity isn't just about aesthetics. The flavor delivers. The consomé is deep, complex, and warming. The meat falls apart. The combination of crispy tortilla, melted cheese, and rich braising liquid hits every pleasure point. It's comfort food with centuries of technique behind it.
Beef vs. Goat
Most birria served in the U.S. uses beef (usually chuck roast) rather than goat, partly because goat is harder to source and partly because American palates are more familiar with beef. Purists argue that real birria requires goat; others argue that the technique and the chile base are what make birria birria, not the specific protein. In Jalisco itself, you'll find beef birria alongside the traditional goat version — the debate is older than the viral moment.
Making Birria at Home
The process is straightforward but slow. You toast and rehydrate dried chiles (guajillo, ancho, and sometimes árbol), blend them with tomatoes, garlic, and spices, coat the meat, and braise it low and slow for 3-4 hours until it shreds with a fork. The consomé is skimmed of excess fat (some is essential — it's what gives the tortilla its red color when you dip and griddle). The barrier isn't skill; it's patience.
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