French Birria Tacos (Taloa)
Ever had a dish that you just can’t stop talking about? Well, that was me after trying Taloa in Bayonne last month. It was so good that I knew I had to recreate it the moment I got back home.
Taloa is a traditional Basque wrap made from corn flour (aka masa harina).
Think of it like a Basque tortilla, but with a little extra heart and soul. While the classic version has all sorts of fillings, I decided to go all out with shredded beef—and I’m not mad about it!
As you can guess, the key to nailing this recipe is the beef itself. Yes, it does take a little while on the stove, but trust me—it’s absolutely worth every minute. The slow-cooked, tender shredded beef is perfect for a hearty filling, and the best part? You can make a big batch, and have leftovers for days!
❗️Tip: If you're short on time, a pressure cooker will work wonders for this recipe and cut your cooking time significantly. I personally don’t have one (yet!), but I’ve heard from others that it makes life in the kitchen a lot easier when you’re making pulled meats or slow-cooked dishes.
I had a blast making (and eating) these “French Birria Tacos”, and I know you will too. They’re packed with flavour, super fun to make, and way easier than they look. It’s like bringing a little slice of the Basque Country right into your own home.
THE RECIPE
SERVES 10 TALOA WRAPS
Ingredients
For the wrap:
200g corn flour/masa harina (you can get it at Cold Storage, Le Petit Depot, iHerb or Redman Shop)
60g AP flour
200ml warm water + 1 pinch of salt
For the meat filling:
Spices:
½ tbsp hot paprika
1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
½ tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground all-spice
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Beef:
1 tbsp olive oil/neutral oil with a high smoke point
1.5 kg beef brisket, cut into 4 pieces
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
185ml orange juice
3 tbsp lime juice
400g crushed tomatoes
500ml stock of your choice (I used bone broth)
125ml water
A pinch of salt and pepper
To assemble:
50g ossau-iraty cheese (or any other cheese of your liking)
5 sprigs flat leaf parsley
2 tsp espelette pepper (or smoked paprika)
5 tbsp sauerkraut
10 tsp kewpie mayo
Directions
For the wrap, I followed this recipe:
Mix the corn flour and AP flour in a bowl and gradually add the water. Mix well and knead until you have a smooth dough. Leave the dough to rest for at least 1 hour. Cover it with a slightly damp towel as it rests.
Once you’re ready to prepare the wraps, take a handful of dough and roll it out into a circle. To keep the shape and size consistent, I use the circumference of a small soup bowl as my guide.
Cook it on a lightly-oiled frying pan at medium heat. Cook till it has coloured spots and has turned a light golden colour.
For the pulled beef (cooked on the stove):
I used RecipeTinEat’s Mexican Shredded Beef as my guide – it was really simple to follow and pretty fool-proof. You just need time!
Combine all the spices, and coat the beef chunks with it.
In a large pot, heat some oil and add in the beef to brown on all sides. Remove this and set it aside.
If the pot is dry, add some cooking oil before the next step.
Add the garlic and onion and cook till fragrant and softened.
Then, add the orange and lime juice, scraping the bottom of the pot so the brown bits mix into the liquid (this is where all the flavour is!)
Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, and water. Mix well, and return the beef into the pot.
Place the lid, bring to a simmer, then turn the stove down so it is bubbling gently, not rapidly.
Cook for 2 hours covered, then remove the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes until the beef is tender enough to shred.
Remove the beef from the sauce and shred it up with 2 forks.
Leave the sauce to simmer with the lid off for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken to your taste. Stir it occasionally.
Place the beef back into the sauce and season to taste if needed (mine was okay at this stage!)
Assembling:
To prepare the taloa, spread 1/2 tsp of kewpie mayo on the base.
Then, pile on the beef, sauerkraut, grated ossau-iraty, parsley, and finish off with a sprinkling of espelette pepper.
Notes
To my surprise, the taloa wraps were delicious the following day! I heated it up on gentle heat in the air fryer for just a couple of minutes to warm them up.
Remainders of the pulled beef would do really well as a pasta sauce!
Nutrition
Coming Soon!