Instant Pot Beef Birria Empanadas
If there is one thing I love, it is making something delicious one night and turning the leftovers into an entirely different meal or snack the next day. These Beef Birria Empanadas with Melting Cheese are exactly that.
I made my Beef Birria in the Instant Pot for dinner using Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning packets, which you can find at Walmart. Because I work full-time, I am always looking for ways to make recipes easier without sacrificing flavor. Being able to make flavorful, tender beef birria in about 1 1/2 hours in the Instant Pot is absolutely the way to go for me.
We enjoyed the Beef Birria for dinner the first night with rice, beans and corn. The next day, for lunch, I reheated some of the leftover beef, added creamy melting Mexican cheese and turned everything into crispy, cheesy Beef Birria Empanadas.
Why I Make Birria in the Instant Pot
Traditional birria can take hours to slowly cook until the beef becomes tender enough to pull apart. It is absolutely delicious, but during the week I simply don’t always have that kind of time. That is where my Instant Pot comes in.
Pressure cooking gives me beautifully tender beef in a fraction of the time. Using the Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning packets also makes the process even easier because so much of the seasoning work has already been done for me.
For someone juggling a full-time job, family and everything else life throws at us, getting birria on the table in about 1 1/2 hours feels like a win. And even better, I purposely make enough for leftovers.
Save that Birria consommé!
I cannot stress this enough. Save your consommé. Yes, it is amazing for dipping tacos and these beef birria empanadas, but that is just the beginning. Once I have birria consommé in my refrigerator, I start putting it on everything!
I have used it:
- Drizzled over rice
- Tossed in Spanglish Asadero Birria seasoning seasoned chicken wings
- Over mashed potatoes, oh yes, you have no idea how good this is!
- Over grilled chicken and grilled beef after seasoning with Spanglish Asadero’s Birria seasoning
- Over mac and cheese. Drizzling it over your cooked mac and cheese on a baking dish, then mixing some of it with panko and topping the mac and cheese with that panko and baking it in the oven. Truly spectacular!
Think of the consommé as liquid flavor. There is absolutely no reason for it to go to waste.
Other Leftover Birria Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Birria Ramen
Instant Pot Beef Birria Tacos
Beef Birria Ramen
My Beef Birria empanada tips:
- Do not overstuff your empanadas: If you are not overstuffing you can have a good amount of empanadas. I know it is tempting, especially when that birria is sitting right in front of you, but too much filling makes the empanadas harder to seal and more likely to open while cooking.
- Drain excess liquid from the meat. You want juicy birria, but not so much consommé inside the empanada that the dough becomes soggy. Save that extra liquid for dipping instead. Listen to me, I know!!!!
- Add plenty of cheese. The creamy melted cheese balances the rich, seasoned birria beautifully. I cannot add too much because of health issues but you can go to town on cheese! And you should!
- Seal those edges well. After moistening the edges with water, press the empanada closed firmly and then go around the edge with a fork pressing in an outward motion.
- Different sizes of empanadas. I like to make two sizes of empanadas, a full empanada which then becomes a half moon and also a quarter moon. Basically, its a disc cut in half and each half creates a half moon. See below for examples.
- Freeze for later. I save uncooked (not-fried but assembled) empanadas for other times I may want to have them. I store them in a plastic container in layers divided by parchment paper making sure they don’t touch. When I want to have them, I will take the number of empanadas I want out of the freezer about an hour and half before. Place on a plate and wait for them to become a little bit defrosted. I later fry over medium heat in corn or vegetable oil until nice and golden.
- Again, save your consommé! Freeze the leftovers in small containers. Thaw in microwave until hot and dip your empanadas in it. After this, the world is your oyster, just have fun with it!
Beef Birria Empanadas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast cut into 4 pieces
- 2 packs Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning If your roast is just over 2 pounds, 2 packets will work just fine.
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth or enough to come at least halfway up the beef
- water to top off the beef if needed
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
For the empanadas
- 10 frozen empanada discs
- beef birria heated in the microwave, if they are leftovers
- 2 cups Mexican Melting cheese Queso Oaxaca, Asadero, Chihuahua or Quesadilla are best options
- water to seal the empanada
- Corn oil or vegetable oil for frying
- frozen consommé thawed
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast pieces into your slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning evenly over the beef, making sure each piece is well coated.
- Pour in enough beef or chicken broth to come at least halfway up the beef. Be sure you have enough liquid for your Instant Pot to come to pressure.*In my video, I didn't have enough broth so I substituted the rest of the liquid with water. This was a last minute cook for me.
- Add the petite diced tomatoes.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing.
- Cook on High Pressure for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, let the Instant Pot sit for 15 to 20 minutes for a natural pressure release.
- Carefully open the valve to release any remaining steam.
- Remove the beef into a bowl and shred it with two forks. Remove any fat and discard. Add as much of the leftover liquid to it to keep the beef moist.
- Use a strainer to strain the remaining liquid and get rid of any fat or small beef particles left in the liquid, after this, we are calling this liquid Consommé.
To make the empanadas
- Thaw empanada discs as instructed.
- Once empanada discs are thawed, you can make either full empanadas or half empanadas.
- If your you like your empanada crust thinner, then use a rolling pin to thin the disc prior to stuffing it. I honestly cannot tell the difference between the two. I am focused on what is inside.
- If making the empanadas after refrigerating leftover beef birria, heat the beef in the microwave to make them a little warmer than room temperature. About 1 to 2 minutes.*If making the empanadas after just finishing cooking the beef birria, then you can go on to the next step.
- Place a disc over a cutting board or work surface and cut disc in half if making two smaller sized empanadas or keep intact if making a whole empanada.
- Place desired amount of beef and cheese on the center of the empanada dough. The more cheese, the better for most!
- Use your finger to wet the edges of the dough with your reserved water.
- Pull one end of the empanada dough and top it to cover the beef and cheese filling.
- Seal the edges with a fork by pressing firmly all around and creating a sealed empanada. Poke one side with a fork to create some heat escape and to allow some of the oil to penetrate further inside the empanada.
- This is where you can save assembled empanadas and freeze them for future consumption.In a freezer friendly container, place the empanadas in layers separated by parchment paper so they don't stick together and are easy to pull and fry whenever you want.
- When ready to fry, use corn oil or vegetable oil in a frying pan filled up to about 1 1/2 inches over medium heat.
- Defrost leftover consommé in the microwave or in a saucepan.
- Once oil is hot add the empanadas to the hot oil. Flip over in about 2 to 3 minutes. Every stove is different so you want to make sure you are watching the cooking process closely.
- You want the the empanadas to be nice and golden on each side but thoroughly heated through which is why we want to fry them on medium heat. Slowly but surely.
- Serve your Beef Birria Empanadas with a side of consommé for dipping and you are in for a treat!
