Birria

How to make it

1. Snap the stems off the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles and shake out the seeds. Tear the large chiles open lengthwise so they lie flat and toast evenly.
2. Toast the chiles in a dry, hot skillet — seconds, not minutes — until they smell sweet and smoky and turn pliable. Turn them constantly and don't let them get dark spots, as burnt chile will make the whole adobo bitter.
3. Put the chiles in a bowl, pour boiling water over them until covered, and press a plate down on top. Let them soak for 20 minutes, until they're soft all the way through and can be mashed between your fingers. ⏱ 20 min · passive
   Chef's tip Taste the soaking water before you measure out the 3 dl. Older chiles and any scorched edges leach bitterness into it — if it tastes sharp rather than fruity, blend with fresh warm water or stock instead.
4. Toast the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon stick in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until the spices smell warm and the cumin seeds begin to crackle and jump.
5. Blend the soaked chiles with the toasted spices, garlic cloves, Mexican oregano, dried thyme, apple cider vinegar, salt, and 3 dl of the soaking water until completely smooth and deep red. Then press it through a sieve and discard the skins and husks, so the adobo turns velvety smooth. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Blend it a couple of minutes longer than you think you need to, and press down with a spoon in the sieve: chile skin never goes truly smooth, and any that stays in will make the consommé feel gritty on the tongue. What's left in the sieve should be almost dry.
6. Pat the goat meat dry with paper towels and rub the strained adobo into all sides and between the meat and the bones. Pack the pieces tightly into a bowl with a lid and refrigerate overnight (see Advance prep). ⏱ 10 min
7. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
8. Pack the marinated meat tightly into a heavy pot with all the adobo from the bowl and tuck the bay leaves in between. Pour in the 6 dl beef stock so the liquid reaches halfway up the meat — the rest of the meat should steam, not boil, to give a concentrated cooking liquid.
   Chef's tip Choose the smallest pot the meat actually fits in. In a wide pot the same 6 dl barely covers the base and you are tempted to add more, which is how the consommé ends up tasting thin and stocky rather than of chile.
9. Put on a tight-fitting lid and braise the meat in the oven for 3½-4 hours, until it falls off the bone on its own with a light press of a fork. ⏱ 3 h 30 min–4 h · passive
   Chef's tip The fork decides, not the clock — bone-in goat can easily need an extra hour beyond the four. Collagen only melts into gelatin slowly at low heat, so meat that still clings to the bone needs more time, never a hotter oven.
10. Meanwhile, char the plum tomatoes and the halved onion in a dry skillet over high heat for 8 minutes. Turn them a few times along the way, until the skins are blackened in spots and the tomatoes have collapsed and released their juice.
    Chef's tip Keep the char patchy — blistered black spots across maybe a third of the skin, not an evenly blackened surface. Fully carbonised tomato skin turns the blended consommé acrid and slightly ashy.
11. Take the pot out of the oven and lift the meat onto a cutting board. Pull it apart into coarse shreds with two forks while it's still hot — the meat comes apart most easily then. Discard the bones and sinew. ⏱ 10 min
    Chef's tip Return the shreds to a little of the cooking liquid right away. Left sitting on the board, the surface dries out, and goat is lean enough to go stringy.
12. Strain the cooking liquid from the pot through a fine sieve into a clean pot and skim the clear, red fat off the surface with a spoon until only a thin sheen remains. The consommé should taste deep, not greasy.
13. Blend the charred tomatoes and onion with 2 dl of the strained cooking liquid until completely smooth, and stir the mixture into the rest of the liquid. Top up with the last 4 dl beef stock.
14. Let the consommé simmer uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, until it smells deeply of chile and has reduced just enough that it tastes concentrated rather than thin. Season to taste with salt. ⏱ 10 min · passive
15. Finely chop the onion for serving, roughly chop the cilantro, and cut the limes into wedges. Divide them among three small bowls so each element can be served separately at the table.
16. Warm the corn tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, about 30 seconds per side, until soft and lightly spotted. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel so they stay warm and pliable.
17. Divide the shredded meat among four deep bowls and ladle the hot consommé over, so the meat is just covered. Place the bowls of onion, cilantro, and lime along with the warm tortillas in the middle of the table. Each diner builds their own tacos from meat, onion, cilantro, and lime, dipping them in the consommé between bites.