Recipes that make you say wow!

• 4 to 5 pounds beef chuck or lamb cut into large 4-inch chunks
• 1 – 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2.5 oz)
• 5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2 oz)
• 5 árbol chiles, rinsed and stemmed (about 0.1 oz)
• 2 large Roma tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 4-inch Mexican cinnamon stick*
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• water, as needed
• 2 cups beef broth
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• 5 – 8 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Generously the meat with salt and pepper on all sides.

Add olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.

2. Working in batches, (do not crowd the pot!) add the meat and

sear on all sides until browned. Remove the pot from the

heat, add the seared meat and juices back into the pot, and

set aside.

3. Meanwhile, to a medium stockpot, add the guajillo chiles,

ancho chiles, arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick,

bay leaves, and peppercorn. Add enough water to cover and

bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover,

and cook for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

4. Transfer the softened and still warm peppers and aromatics

to a large blender, leaving the liquid in the pot.

5. Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked cooking water, the beef broth,

white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Blend on

high for a few minutes until completely smooth. Don’t work

with this stage if the mixture it too hot, and do in batches.

6. Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into

the pot with the seared meat. Discard any solids left behind.

7.Stir the meat and chile sauce together to combine and bring

to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover with

foil or a tight lid, and simmer for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat

is fall-apart tender. Check liquid levels and make sure it does

not run dry.

8. Transfer the meat to a large bowl and shred it with 2 forks. If

this is a main dish, add the meat back into the sauce and

serve as a stew in bowls with diced onion and chopped

cilantro. If serving tacos, add the sauce to desired juiciness

and serve with fresh tortillas with shredded Oaxaca cheese,

cilantro, and diced onions.