INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

It is a really rustic dish. Usually a whole goat or lamb, although in
some places just the offal, is seasoned with a paste of ground spices
and chiles and cooked in a pit barbecue. As you wander around
Guadalajara at night, you can see that tacos of birria head the list
of antojitos on the street-side stands and always appear prominently
on the Sunday menus of the smaller regional restaurants. Here is a
family version of birria, with the variety of chiles used in
Zacatecas, rather than the plain chilacate or ancho used in Jalisco.
One day ahead: 2 lamb shanks A veal breast A lamb breast 3 pounds  loin
of pork 2 tbs salt 6 chiles anchos 3 chiles guajillos 10 chiles
cascabel 18 peppercorns                    4 whole cloves 1/4 tsp
oregano Scant 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 cup vinegar 2 tsp salt 6 cloves
garlic, peeled 1/2 small onion Directions: There will be  approximately
6 to 7 pounds of meat. Slash the meats in several  places down to the
bone and rub the salt well into it. Meanwhile,  prepare the chili
paste. Heat the comal and toast the chiles lightly,  turning them from
time to time so that they will not burn. Remove the  veins and seeds.
Put the chiles to soak in hot water for about 20  minutes, then
transfer with a slotted spoon to the blender jar, add  the rest of the
ingredients, and blend to a smooth sauce. Cover the  meat thickly with
the paste and set it aside to season for about 18  hours.  On serving
day: 1 1/2 cups water The meat Flour and water paste 2  pounds
tomatoes, broiled 1 cup onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp oregano  Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Put the water into the bottom of a  large
Dutch oven or casserole with a tightly fitting lid and place  the meat
on a rack so that it is just above the water. Seal the lid  with a
paste of flour and water and cook for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours,  by which
time the meat should be almost falling off the bones. Strain  off the
juices from the bottom of the pan, cool, and skim off the  fat. There
should be about 2 cups of juices left- if not, make it up  to 2 cups
with water. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth sauce. Put the  sauce and
the skimmed juices from the meat into a saucepan and bring  to a boil.
Serve each portion of mixed meats in a deep bowl. Pour 1/2  cup sauce
over the meat and sprinkle with the chopped onion and  oregano. Eat
with tortillas.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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