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Three crispy birria tacos on a wooden board with a bowl of consommé.

Smoked Tri-Tip Birria on the Traeger

thisjewcanque
This smoky twist on traditional birria uses a marbled Snake River Farms tri-tip, slow-smoked on the Traeger and braised in a rich chile consommé. Perfect for cheesy tacos, grilled quesadillas, or birria ramen.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Course beef, braised, main, Main Course, meat
Cuisine American, fusion, Mexican
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill
  • Cast iron Dutch oven (or deep cast iron pan)
  • Cast iron skillet or Traeger Flat Rock griddle
  • Blender or food processor
  • Instant read meat thermometer
  • Cutting board
  • chef’s knife
  • Tongs
  • Heatproof gloves (optional, for shredding)

Ingredients
  

Tri-Tip & Rub:

  • 1 Snake River Farms tri-tip 2.5–3 lbs
  • 2 tablespoons Bear & Burton’s W Sauce or Worcestershire
  • 3 tablespoons Little Town Griller Champ’s Choice Rub or birria-style seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon beef tallow for searing

Birria Sauce:

  • 3 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and deseeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and deseeded
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 small white onion sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeño optional, for heat
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • Salt to taste

For Serving:

  • Corn tortillas
  • Shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
  • Chopped onion and cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • Reserved consommé for dipping

Instructions
 

  • Season the tri-tip by rubbing it with W Sauce, then coat it generously with the dry rub. Let it sit while you fire up the grill.
  • Preheat your Traeger to 225°F. Smoke the tri-tip until it reaches an internal temp of 160–165°F (about 2 hours).
  • While the meat smokes, toast your dried chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant, then rehydrate them in hot water. Blend all sauce ingredients until smooth.
  • Heat a skillet or the Traeger Flat Rock and sear the tri-tip in beef tallow for 2–3 minutes per side to build a crust.
  • Pour the blended sauce into a Dutch oven. Add the tri-tip and cover. Braise on the Traeger at 300°F for 2–3 hours, until the internal temp hits 202°F.
  • Let the meat rest 15 minutes, then shred it and return to the consommé to soak up all the flavor.
  • To make tacos, dip tortillas in the consommé and cook on a griddle with cheese and birria meat. Flip until crispy and golden. Serve hot with toppings and a side of consommé.

Notes

This birria tastes even better the next day — save the leftovers!
Store meat and consommé separately for best results.
Use leftover birria for nachos, quesadillas, tortas, grilled cheese, or birria ramen.
Keyword birria, birria recipe, birria tacos, Traeger birria recipe, Traeger braised beef recipe, tri tip recipe