Birria-Style Beef Tacos

• 10 g Dried ancho or guajillo chili (0.4 oz)
• 450 g Water (2 cups)
• 80 g raw Tomato (2.8 oz raw)
• 70 g raw Onion (2.5 oz raw)
• 6 g raw (2 cloves) Garlic
• 1 g Ground cumin (½ tsp)
• 0.5 g Dried oregano (½ tsp)
• 0.3 g Ground cinnamon (a pinch)
• 0.6 g (1 bay leaf) Bay leaf
• 10 g Cider vinegar (⅔ tbsp)
• 1.5 g Salt (¼ tsp)
• 230 g raw Beef chuck, trimmed of fat (8.1 oz raw)
• 75 g Small corn tortillas (2.6 oz)
• 5 g raw Cilantro (⅓ cup chopped)
• 10 g Lime juice (⅔ tbsp)

You'll need: Medium saucepan with a lid, Blender, Frying pan, Knife, Cutting board, 2 forks, Small bowl for dipping.

Method

1. Soften the chilies

   Pull the stems off the dried chilies and shake out the seeds. Toast them in the dry saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds a side, until they smell fruity, then pour in the water and simmer for 5 minutes until soft.

   Don't let the chilies smoke. Burnt chilies make the whole sauce bitter.

2. Blend the sauce

   Tip the chilies and their soaking water into the blender. Add the tomato, half the onion, the garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, vinegar and salt, and blend until completely smooth.

   Hold the blender lid down with a folded towel. Hot liquid pushes it up.

3. Braise the beef

   Cut the beef into 5 cm (2 inch) chunks and put it in the saucepan with the sauce and bay leaf. Then scrub the board, knife and your hands with soap before you touch anything else. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 70–80 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beef falls apart when pressed with a fork, which is far past the safe 63°C (145°F). Add a splash of water if it gets thick.

   Tough cuts need time. If the beef resists the fork, give it another 15 minutes.

4. Shred and skim

   Lift the beef out and shred it with 2 forks. Throw away the bay leaf. Skim the orange fat from the top of the cooking liquid with a spoon, saving 1 tsp for the pan. Finely chop the rest of the onion and the cilantro.

   The broth is the consommé you'll dip into. Keep every drop.

5. Crisp the tacos

   Heat the frying pan with the saved fat. Dip each tortilla in the cooking liquid, lay it in the pan, fill one half with beef, onion and cilantro and fold it over. Fry for 1–2 minutes a side, until crisp. Serve with the warm cooking liquid in a small bowl, with the lime juice stirred in, for dipping.

   Dip the tortillas quickly. Soaked tortillas tear. A 1-second dunk is enough.

Swaps

• Beef chuck → Beef brisket, trimmedJust as tender after braising.
• Ancho chili → 2 tsp chili powderEasier to find, with a less fruity flavor. Skip the toasting step.