Beef birria, served as consomme and queso tacos

Sear the chuck and beef backbones in a big heavy dutch oven, turning once the first side has good color.

Tear open the dried ancho and guajillo chiles, remove the seeds and veins, and rinse them well to remove grit.

Add about 16 cups of water, bring to a simmer and cook gently about 30 minutes, skimming off the foamy impurities.

Put the chiles in a small pot of water with a halved onion, plenty of garlic and three roma tomatoes; boil, simmer about 10 minutes, then leave to steep about 20 minutes off the heat.

Tie a couple of bay leaves, a cinnamon stick and some peppercorns in cheesecloth with kitchen twine.

Lift the chile mixture into a blender, discarding the steeping liquid, which tastes bitter; add about a cupful of the beef cooking liquid and blend smooth.

Strain into the pot, rinsing the blender with a little more broth and straining that too; discard the coarse paste left in the strainer.

Add the spice bundle, chicken bouillon powder and apple cider vinegar; partially cover and simmer low and slow until the meat is very tender, about three hours.

For the salsa, scorch Roma tomatoes, garlic cloves, a halved onion and serrano chilies on all sides in cast iron, then pulse in a food processor with chicken bouillon powder and a handful of cilantro; chill.

Lift out the meat and cool it; skim the fat off the broth and reserve it; discard fat and bones and chop the meat finely.

Serve the consomme in bowls topped with cilantro, raw onion, a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of salsa, with rolled toasted tortillas.

Moisten the chopped meat with a little broth, not so much the tortillas go soggy.

Coat corn tortillas in the reserved fat in a hot pan, fill with Monterey Jack and meat, fold, and cook, flipping several times, until crisp on both sides and the cheese melts; use a splatter guard.

Serve the queso tacos dipped in consomme topped as before without the meat.