Birria de Res with Consommé

Cut the Beef shin into big fist-sized chunks and leave the fat on; it gives the consomme its body. Leave the Beef short ribs pieces whole. Pat everything dry.

⚠ Tip: Wet meat steams instead of browning, so dry it well before it hits the pan.

Heat a dry comal or heavy frying pan over medium heat. Lay the Guajillo chillies, Ancho chillies and Chiles de árbol flat and press them down with a spatula for a few seconds each side, until they smell toasty and the skin blisters. Do not let them blacken, or the whole pot goes bitter. Tip all the toasted chillies into a bowl, cover with hot water and weigh them down with a plate. Leave for 20 min until floppy and softened.

⚠ Tip: Burnt chilli is unrecoverable bitterness. Toast in batches and pull each one the moment it smells nutty.

Drain the chillies, keeping the soaking water. Blend them with the Garlic, White onions, Plum tomatoes, Distilled white vinegar, Ground cloves, Ground cinnamon, Ground cumin, Mexican oregano and Dried thyme, adding a splash of the soaking water to get a thick, glossy paste. Push it through a sieve if you want it silky.

⚠ Tip: Sieve it if you have patience: skins and seeds make a gritty adobo that shows in the consomme.

Heat the Neutral oil in a wide heavy pot over high heat until it shimmers. Sear the beef in batches, turning only when it releases, until deeply browned on all sides, roughly 10 min in total. Move each batch to a plate.

⚠ Tip: Crowding drops the pan temperature and the meat grey-steams. Two or three batches is normal for this much beef.

Lower the heat to medium heat, pour in the adobo and fry it in the rendered fat, scraping the browned bits off the bottom, until it darkens to a deep brick red and smells roasted rather than raw, about 5 min.

⚠ Tip: This fry is what turns a raw-tasting chilli paste into a proper adobo. If it starts to catch, splash in a little water.

Return the meat and any juices to the pot with the Bay leaves, Salt and Water. It should just barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil, drop to low heat, cover, and cook until the meat shreds under a fork, about 2 h 30 min.

⚠ Tip: Barely covered is the trick: too much water dilutes the consomme you worked the chillies for.

Lift the meat out and let it cool enough to handle. Pull it apart with two forks, discarding the bones, fat and gristle. Do not throw away a drop of the broth in the pot; that is your consomme.

Skim the fat from the surface of the broth, keeping a spoonful or two for the tortillas if you like. Taste: it should be deep, smoky, gently hot and a touch sour. Correct with Salt and a squeeze of Limes. Reheat the shredded beef in it.

⚠ Tip: The fat carries most of the chilli flavour; skim most of it but leave a little for body.

Warm the Corn tortillas on a dry comal or frying pan over medium heat until pliable with a few charred spots, about 30 sec a side. Wrap them in a cloth so they stay soft.

Pile the shredded beef into bowls and ladle over plenty of hot consomme. Scatter with Coriander and Spring onions, and serve with the warm tortillas and Limes wedges for squeezing. Eat it as a stew, and dip everything in the consomme.

⚠ Tip: Keep the meat in the broth, not on a dry plate: it drinks the consomme back in and stays moist.