Easy Homemade Beef Birria and Quesabirria Tacos

In a pot with 2 tbsp hot vegetable oil, sauté 10 chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped white onion, and 12 garlic cloves over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp allspice, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin, 1.5 tsp thyme, 1.5 tsp oregano, 0.5 cinnamon stick, and 3 bay leaves. Add 5 seeded ancho chiles and 8 seeded guajillo chiles. Stir well for 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Pour 2 tbsp white vinegar and 1 liter of water, bring to a boil for 8 minutes until chiles and vegetables are soft and hydrated.

Transfer the cooked mixture with all its hot cooking liquid into the blender jug. Start blending at low speed to release steam, then gradually increase to maximum speed until smooth, silky, and rich red.

Pour the blended adobo into a large pot containing 4 liters of water. Rinse the blender with a little water and add it to the pot. Add 3 tbsp of salt and stir. Submerge 2.5 kg of bone-in beef short ribs in the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours until the meat is extremely tender and falling off the bone.

In a small pot with boiling water, place 15 chile de árbol and 2 pasilla chiles. Add 10 green tomatillos and cook for exactly 3 minutes until color changes. Turn off heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Transfer tomatillos and chiles to blender with a splash of cooking water, 3 garlic cloves, 0.25 white onion, 1 tsp salt, and 0.5 tsp ground pepper. Blend at medium speed for a few seconds to get a coarse texture with visible seeds. Serve in a bowl.

Remove all tender beef pieces from the hot broth using tongs into a bowl. Discard loose bones and chop the beef finely on a cutting board using a cleaver.

Pass all the hot broth through a fine mesh strainer into another pot to discard tomato skins and chile residues. Cool the strained consommé to room temperature and refrigerate overnight (8 hours). The next day, remove the hard layer of solidified red fat from the surface using tongs and set it aside in a bowl to fry the tortillas.

Place the chopped beef on a warm griddle over low heat to warm up. Melt a spoonful of the reserved red fat on the griddle. Coat the bottom of 12 corn tortillas in the melted fat. Top each tortilla with chopped beef and 300 g of shredded cheese. Fold tortillas in half with a spatula and griddle on both sides until crispy golden with melted crusted cheese.

Reheat the strained consommé in a pot until piping hot. Ladle into cups and add chopped beef, 1 chopped white onion, 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro, and juice of 2 limes to taste. Serve quesabirrias on a plate with tomatillo salsa, onions, cilantro, and the hot consommé cup for dipping.