I know that Birria was all the rage last year, so I’m bringing it back and this time we’re making some Birria Cheese Fries! I slowly braised short ribs in a savory Chile sauce. Then I shredded the tender beef and served them on top of some crispy fries drizzled with melted cheese. Don’t forget the FYR RED hot sauce to top it all off!
This recipe does take a while to pull off. You’ll need to save 45 minutes for prep and 5 hours for cooking in order to serve six people. That being said, it’s totally worth it, so let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Cheesy Birria Fries
Last year, birria was rediscovered by the grilling world and we went crazy with it. We Smoked Birria Burgers and put it in Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I was glad to see such delicious food gain new life and appreciation.
If you’re up for learning how to make birria, just know it’ll help you elevate a plethora of dishes in your cooking arsenal. Even a simple Baked Potato can be taken to the next level with this delicious meat.
And don’t even get me started about the Campfire Birria Tacos I made, because that stuff was insane!
This recipe will be a hit as well! We elevated the Baked Potato, now it’s time to elevate some crispy fries!
Ingredients for Beef Birria Fries
To make your birria, you will need some beef short ribs and season them with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and FYR RED Hot Sauce.
Next, you’ll need some ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, Chipotle in Adobo, sliced white onion, garlic cloves, and water. These are the mainstays of the chile sauce, they provide the flavors that really bring this recipe to life.
For seasoning and braising, grab some beef broth, Mexican oregano, black pepper, sea salt, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves.
Finish off the recipe with some cooked french fries, liquid queso, chopped red onions, fresh cilantro, and sour cream.
I didn’t make the queso in this recipe, but if that’s something you’d like to do then check out my Smoked Chorizo Queso or this Skillet Choriqueso. You could modify the queso I made in those recipes to fit for this recipe.
How to Make Cheesy Birria Fries
Birria:
To make your mouth-watering birria, preheat your fire to medium high temperature (around 375F). Then, add a dutch oven over the fire to preheat for 3-4 minutes.
Next, add your ancho chile, guajillo chile and garlic cloves to your dutch oven and let them char for 30-45 seconds per side. Once charred, add your water to the skillet. That water is going to start boiling when it hits the hot dutch oven, so brace for impact. After all the water is added, let it simmer with the chiles over the fire for 7-8 minutes.
Once simmered, pull the dutch oven off of the heat. Add your chiles, garlic and the water plus your chopped onion and chipotle in adobo to a food processor. Then blend it all together until completely smooth. Pour your paste (note, it’s called a paste but it’s got a thick broth like consistency) into a bowl.
Short Ribs:
Now, let’s talk beef for these birria fries. Start by slathering your beef ribs with FYR Red Sauce and liberally season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place your cleaned dutch oven over the fire and sear off each side of the beef until it’s browned. Do this in batches as needed.
Finally, add all your seared short ribs back to the dutch oven along with the chile paste, beef broth and all of the braising seasonings. Cover the dutch oven and let simmer over medium high heat until the beef is fork tender (about 3.5-4.5 hours). Make sure to skim the top of the sauce of fat as needed.
Once the beef is tender, pull it off, dispose of the bones, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Strain your braising sauce from the meat until it is a clean consomme. Add the consomme to a new bowl. Begin to shred your beef.
Fries:
Cook up your favorite fries, and then place them on a large tray. You can use premade fries, or make your own by following my Beef Tallow Fries or Grilled Fries recipes!
Drizzle your queso over the top of the fries, then add some of your birria beef. Garnish with chopped cilantro, diced red onions, sour cream and some of the consume.
Serve the fries up and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
Don’t skimp out on your fries! The quality and quantity matter as they’re the foundation of this recipe!
To make the best queso for these beefy cheese fries, use liquid cheese and melt some shredded cheese on top!
And in general, make sure to leave an ample amount of time for this recipe. The cook is 5 hours long, and there are a lot of moving parts. If it’s your first time making birria fries and you’re hosting guests, give yourself extra margin to make sure the meal will be ready in time!
For more with Fries
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
Store the fries separately from leftover queso and birria. Keep all components in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat queso in a saucepan on the stove, and fries and birria on a baking sheet in the oven. Assemble all the ingredients and enjoy!
What to Serve with Cheesy Birria Fries
These delicious fries go perfectly with any traditional Mexican sides– chips and salsa, refried beans, or Mexican rice. Shake up some margaritas and serve with some lime wedges on the rim for a perfect party experience.
Recipe FAQ’s
You can definitely cook the meat in a slow cooker or instant pot. Just make sure to do your research to find the ideal time and temperature to make your birria tender and ready to load up on some fries!
Although this recipe includes chopped cilantro, diced red onions, sour cream and some of the consumme on the fries, feel free to add your choice of toppings if you have a specific flavor profile in mind. The birria is the only must-have ingredient– the rest is up to you.
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
Birria Fries
Ingredients
Beef:
- 5-6 Beef Short Ribs
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
- FYR RED Hot Sauce
Chiles:
- 3 ancho chiles stemmed & seeded
- 3 guajillo chiles stemmed & seeded
- 2 tbsp Chipotle in Adobo
- 1/2 white onion sliced
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 2 cups of Water
Braising + Seasonings:
- 2-3 cups beef broth
- 1.5 tablespoons mexican oregano
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
Fries:
- Cooked French Fries
- 2 cups Liquid Queso
- ½ cup red onions chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- Sour Cream
Instructions
Birria:
- Preheat your fire to medium high temperature (around 375F). Add a dutch oven over the fire to preheat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add your ancho chile, guajillo chile and garlic cloves to your dutch oven and let char for 30-45 seconds per side.
- Once charred, add your water to the skillet and let simmer over the fire for 7-8 minutes.
- Once simmered, pull the dutch oven off of the heat.
- Add your chiles & garlic in the water plus your chopped onion and chipotle in adobo to a food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Pour your paste into a bowl.
- Slather your beef ribs with FYR Red Sauce and liberally season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Place your cleaned dutch oven over the fire and sear off each side of the beef until browned. Do this in batches if needed.
- Finally, add all your short ribs to the dutch oven along with the chile paste, beef broth and all of the braising seasonings.
- Cover the dutch oven and let simmer over medium high heat until the beef is fork tender (about 3.5-4.5 hours).
- Make sure to skim the top of the sauce of fat as needed.
- Once the beef is tender, pull it off, dispose of the bones, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
- Strain your braising sauce from the meat until it is a clean consomme. Add the consomme to a new bowl.
- Begin to shred your beef.
Fries:
- Cook up your favorite fries, then place on a large tray.
- Drizzle your queso over the top of the fries, then add some of your birria beef.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, diced red onions, sour cream and some of the consume.
- Serve the fries up and enjoy!
