Beef birria

Cut three short ribs once down the middle to the bone, and cut the chuck into three to four inch pieces, following any natural seams.

Put the meat in the stew pot and season with kosher salt at about a teaspoon per pound, freshly ground black pepper, plenty of dry oregano, cumin, a touch of cinnamon and a little ground clove.

Massage the seasoning in by hand two or three minutes until it feels awkward, cover, and refrigerate at least overnight so the meat takes in the salt and spices.

Next day, snip the stems off the dried chilies over a plate, slit them open and shake or scrape the seeds out. Six to nine of them by size; seven here.

Toss the chilies in a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat for 30 to 45 seconds, to wake them up, without burning them.

Add chopped onions, peeled garlic cloves and a one inch piece of peeled ginger sliced into five or six, and toss, keeping the chilies off the bottom.

Add fresh tomato and 2 cups cold water, raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer. A few dried-out cayenne peppers can go in here too.

Drop to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Off the heat, puree very smooth with a stick blender. This is what most people would call an adobo sauce.

Strain the adobo into the pot of meat through a relatively coarse strainer, leaving the tomato and pepper seeds and the tough dried chili skins behind.

Add bay leaves, an optional spoon of honey, a very large splash of white vinegar and about a quart of chicken broth.

Bring to a boil on high, then back down to medium-low and simmer three to four hours, until the meat is falling apart tender. Twice the liquid gives a soup instead of a stew.

Skim some of the fat off the top during cooking and keep it; it is a key ingredient in the taco recipe.

Check the seasoning, then serve chunks of beef with plenty of sauce ladled over, in a wide shallow bowl for the thicker stew version, garnished with white onion, cilantro and lime.