Homemade Birria Grilled Cheese Recipe
🌮🧀 Homemade Birria Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
For the Birria
- 2 lb (900 g) beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 1 lb (450 g) beef short ribs or beef shank, optional but highly recommended
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2–3 dried árbol chiles, depending on how spicy you like it
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp oil
For the Grilled Cheese
- 8 slices thick-cut sourdough, brioche, or white bread
- 2–3 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
- ½ cup cooked shredded birria
- 4–6 tbsp softened butter
- ½ cup birria consommé, for dipping
Optional Toppings
- Finely diced white onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced jalapeños
- Lime wedges
- Extra consommé for dipping
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the dried chiles
Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles.
Place the chiles in a dry skillet over medium-low heat.
Toast them for about 20–30 seconds per side.
Be careful not to burn them. Burnt chiles can make the birria taste bitter.
Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl and cover them with hot water.
Let them soak for approximately 15–20 minutes, until they become soft.
2. Prepare the birria sauce
In the same skillet, lightly roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until they develop some browned or charred spots.
Add the softened chiles to a blender along with:
- Roasted tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Black pepper
- About 1 cup of beef broth
Blend until completely smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little more broth.
For an extra-smooth consommé, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
3. Season the beef
Pat the beef dry with paper towels.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the beef in batches.
Sear each piece for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, until nicely browned.
Don’t overcrowd the pot because the beef will steam instead of sear.
4. Cook the birria
Pour the blended chile sauce over the browned beef.
Add the remaining beef broth and bay leaves.
The liquid should come roughly halfway to two-thirds of the way up the meat.
Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.
Cook for approximately 3–3½ hours, or until the beef is extremely tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.
You can also cook it in a slow cooker on LOW for 7–8 hours.
5. Shred the beef
Remove the tender beef from the pot and place it on a large plate or bowl.
Use two forks to shred the meat into small pieces.
Return some of the shredded beef to the consommé.
Taste the broth and adjust the salt if necessary.
Important: Skim some of the flavorful red fat from the top of the consommé and save it. This fat is perfect for making the grilled cheese extra crispy and flavorful.
🧀 Making the Birria Grilled Cheese
6. Prepare your bread
Take four slices of bread and spread softened butter generously over one side of each slice.
For an even more intense birria flavor, mix a little of the reserved birria fat into the butter.
This gives the bread an amazing reddish-golden crust.
7. Build the sandwich
Place a skillet over medium-low heat.
Put one slice of bread in the pan with the buttered side facing down.
Immediately add:
- A layer of Oaxaca or mozzarella
- A generous amount of shredded birria
- More cheese
- Optional diced onions and cilantro
- Another slice of bread, buttered side facing up
Don’t overfill the sandwich. Too much meat can make it difficult to flip and prevent the cheese from melting properly.
8. Cook slowly
Cook the sandwich for about 3–5 minutes on the first side.
Don’t use high heat.
The goal is to get the bread deeply golden and crispy while allowing the cheese to melt completely.
When the bottom is golden brown, carefully flip the sandwich.
Cook the other side for another 3–5 minutes.
You can gently press the sandwich with a spatula, but don’t smash it too hard or all the delicious filling may escape.
9. Make sure the cheese is melted
If the bread is browning before the cheese melts, reduce the heat to low.
You can also cover the skillet with a lid for about 30–60 seconds.
The trapped steam helps melt the cheese without burning the bread.
Once both sides are crispy and the cheese is gooey, remove the sandwich from the pan.
10. Rest and slice
Let the grilled cheese rest for 1–2 minutes.
Then slice it diagonally.
You should have:
crispy golden bread → stretchy melted cheese → juicy shredded birria → more melted cheese → crispy golden bread.
🌶️ The Best Part: Birria Dip
Pour some hot consommé into a small bowl.
Top it with a little diced onion and fresh cilantro.
Squeeze in some fresh lime juice.
Dip each bite of the grilled cheese into the consommé.
The crispy bread absorbs the rich, spicy broth while the melted cheese and tender birria make every bite incredibly rich.
🔥 Extra Tips for the Best Birria Grilled Cheese
- Use two types of cheese. Oaxaca + Monterey Jack gives you excellent stretch and flavor.
- Don’t rush the grilled cheese. Medium-low heat gives you crispy bread and perfectly melted cheese.
- Use birria fat on the bread. It adds incredible flavor and color.
- Keep the birria relatively dry for the sandwich. Too much consommé inside will make the bread soggy.
- Serve immediately. Birria grilled cheese is at its best while the bread is crispy and the cheese is still stretchy.
- For extra heat, add pickled jalapeños or árbol chile sauce.
- A squeeze of fresh lime right before eating balances the richness beautifully.
⏱️ Approximate Timing
Preparation: 30 minutes
Birria cooking: 3–3½ hours
Grilled cheese: 10 minutes
Total: about 4 hours
This recipe makes approximately 4 large grilled cheese sandwiches, with leftover birria depending on how generously you fill them.
