Braised Beef Birria-Style.

Do an internet search and you are likely to find endless variations on this speciality from the state of Jalisco. Jalisco is located in west central Mexico and is the epicenter of all that is Muy Mexicano. Land of charros, mariachis, and old world Catholicism. It's also a region known for it's antojitos, and its hearty red chili stews. Most famous of these hot pots are pozole rojo and birria made from mutton.
In order to make this dish both more accessible appealing to the masses, my children included, I used a nice thick chuck roast. I also employed the help of my trusty old crockpot. The crockpot provides a nice even and gentle heat resulting in a perfectly braised roast. It's also uber user-friendly because one can practically set it and forget it. There are a couple of ways to tackle the red sauce that bathes the beef. One option is to leave it rustic and coarse, spooning it au naturale over the chopped meat. The other more refined way is to remove the meat and strain the sauce through a sieve. The latter is better when serving the dish in a bowl as a soupy stew. The choice is up to you. I serve it on slightly charred corn tortillas with plenty of lime, chopped onion, and cilantro. Provecho!

Ingredients;

5 guajillo chilies
4 ancho chilies
4 cascabel chiles
5 cloves of garlic
12 black peppercorns
3 allspice berries
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1 large cinnamon stick broken up
2 bay leaves
1tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
3 whole cloves
3 lbs beef chuck roast
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Direction;
Coarsely grind all of your woody spices in a spice mill. Leave some texture....do not pulverize. Tear the chilies into smaller lengths. Some folks take the extra step to fry or toast the chilies and spices. I did not do this. If you want to go the extra mile please do! Place spices, chiles, and smashed garlic cloves in the bottom of crock pot. Cut roast into large but manageable chunks and liberally salt. Don't skimp on the salt... the meat will not take the salt in if you wait until the end. Add about a 1/2 cup of water to get things going-the meat will release a lot of juices. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or until fork tender. Finish with the little bit of cider vinegar. If at the end your sauce is too thick or concentrated you may thin with hot water or broth.