Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef:
- 4 lbs chuck roast
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, cut in half and peeled
- 2 carrots, quartered
- 1 garlic bulb, cut off the top to expose cloves
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 12 oz shredded melting cheese (Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F/148C.
- Pat the roast dry and cut it into 4 or 5 large chunks. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large stockpot with an oven-proof lid. Add the beef cubes and sear all over.
- Throw the onion, carrots, garlic, and dried chiles into the pot. Next, add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, chili powder, oregano, salt, and bouillon cube.
- Pour in the broth and water. It should just cover all the ingredients in the pot. If not, add a little more water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, lower, and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft.
- Using tongs, remove the chiles from the pot and cut off the stems. Dump out any seeds. Place the chiles in a blender along with 1 cup of liquid from the pot and blitz until it is a dark red paste. It won’t be perfectly smooth.
- Add the blitzed chili paste back to the pot, along with the tomato paste, and stir. Cover with an oven-proof lid and place the pot in the oven. Cook for 3 hours or until the beef is falling apart tender. Alternatively, you can let this simmer covered on the stovetop for the same amount of time.
- Remove the beef from the pot and place it on a cutting board or large platter. Shred the beef with two forks into bite-sized pieces. Season with additional salt, if needed.
- Assembles the tacos by heating a skillet over medium heat. Quickly dip a corn tortilla in the oil at the surface of the broth then place it into the hot skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes, then flip over. Sprinkle the tortilla with the cheese and meat then fold it in half. Cook until the bottom is slightly charred, then flip over and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Carefully open the tacos and add garnishes such as onion and cilantro. Serve tacos with a small bowl of broth from the pot. Dip the tacos into the broth and devour.