Beef Birria

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2 pound) beef chuck
• 3 (8 ounce) beef short ribs
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 7 dried guajillo chilies
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons finely diced white onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 medium lime, sliced

Directions

1. Cut beef chuck in half; cut each half into 3- to 4-inch pieces. Cut each beef short rib through the middle, all the way down to the bone.
2. Place beef chuck and short ribs into a soup pot; season with kosher salt, oregano, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Toss thoroughly until meat is evenly coated with spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to overnight.
3. Prep guajillo chiles by snipping off stems with scissors; slice open and scrape or shake out seeds onto a plate to discard.
4. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add guajillo chiles and toss in hot oil, about 30 seconds. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; toss to combine. Add tomatoes and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to purée mixture as smooth as possible, or use a countertop blender, working in batches as needed.
6. Remove the soup pot with meat from the refrigerator. Strain puréed chili mixture into the pot using a large mesh strainer. Add chicken broth, vinegar, bay leaves, and honey to the pot.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until meat is fall-apart tender, 3 to 4 hours. Skim fat off of the top and reserve for future birria queso tacos.
8. To serve, place a few chunks of beef into a soup bowl and spoon some cooking liquid on the top. Sprinkle with some white onion and cilantro; squeeze lime juice over the top.