Ingredients
- short ribs (bone in)
- chuck roast
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 7 whole cloves
- 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
- chicken broth
- white onion, halved
- garlic clove
- guajillo peppers
- 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- corn tortillas
- quesadilla cheese
- chopped cilantro
- fresh limes, wedged
Method
To a large pot, add meat, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, and oregano. Cover with chicken broth so mixture is 2 inches below the surface. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover.
In a second pot, add guajillo peppers (cleaned; stems removed), half a white onion, and one garlic clove. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Remove ingredients from water and add to a blender with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and crushed tomatoes. Blend until smooth. Add to the first pot and continue to simmer, stirring every 30 minutes until the meat falls off the bone, approximately 3 hours.
Once meat is tender, remove it from the pot and place it in a separate bowl. Shred.
Skim the grease off the top of the stew and save it to fry tortillas. Remove cinnamon stick, bay leaves and cloves. Skim out imperfections.
Add a few spoonfuls of the stew into the shredded birria meat and stir until meat is saturated. Set aside.
Dice remaining onion half.
Place corn tortillas on a flat skillet on medium heat. Brush the entire top of each tortilla with reserved grease and sprinkle with cheese. Fry tortillas 1-2 minutes or until cheese melts. Flip. On one half, add birria beef, cheese, and a sprinkle of cilantro and onion. Fold it over as it fries, pressing with a spatula to flatten. Fry both sides until the taco is crisp. Add stew to a small bowl for dipping and top with fresh lime juice, cilantro, and chopped onion.
Dip birria tacos in the hot stew and enjoy.