Birria Quesa Tacos

For the sauce: Remove the stem, seeds and veins from the guajillos, ancho and puya. Heat a comal over medium heat, and toast the dried peppers. Turn continuously to prevent them from burning. As soon as they start to release their aroma, remove from the heat, rinse and drain. Place them in a large bowl and cover them completely with hot water until fully hydrated and soft, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside until needed. 

Toast spices: Place a large pan over medium heat. Toast the cumin until aromatic and slightly darker in color. Next, toast the allspice, cinnamon stick and cloves. Remove from the heat as soon as they release their fragrance. 

Lower the heat to medium-low. Using the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil. When the onion begins to soften, add the tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes are completely soft. Turn off the heat. Then, transfer the tomato mix into a blender. 

Blender: Also add in the toasted spices. Measure out 2 cups of the liquid the chilis were soaked in and add into the blender together with the hydrated peppers. Finally add in the Mexican oregano and vinegar. Cover and blend until completely smooth. Strain if needed. Set aside momentarily. 

The meat: Generously season all of the meat with salt and ground black pepper. 

Instant pot:  A. Select SAUTE on HIGH. I’ll set it to 25 MINUTES, we can always add more time if needed. Press START.  B. Once hot, add oil, sear the cuts of beef until all sides have browned. Do it in batches to prevent over crowding the pot. Once done, transfer all of the cuts back into the pot and pour in the 6 cups of water plus the red sauce. Pour 1 cup of water into the  blender, swirl it around in order to get the last bit of sauce, and pour into the pot. Add in the mint sprigs, bay leaves and 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Give it a quick stir. Then, select CANCEL.  C. Cover the instant pot and secure the lid.   D. Select PRESSURE COOKING. Set to HIGH for 40 MINUTES with a 10 MINUTES NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. Select START. 

Meanwhile: grate the cheese or you can shred it by hand. 

Instant pot: After the NATURAL PRESSURE RELASE is done, QUICK RELEASE the remaining pressure. Press CANCEL. Open the pot. 

Discard the bones. Remove the meat and shred it apart. Use a knife to cut into small pieces and transfer into a bowl. Strain the consome into a large pot. Spoon out the layer of fat on the surface and reserve, we will use it later. Keep the consome warm on the stove, until ready to serve. Taste it and add more salt if needed. 

Pour 1 cup of the consome over the shredded meat and mix to combine. 

Make the quesa tacos: Place a comal or pan over medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the fat we reserved, coating most of it with the flavored fat. Place over the hot comal and when pliable, flip. Add the cheese and shredded meat. Close the tortillas in half, to create a half moon shape. If you need to, lower the heat. That way, the tortilla doesn’t burn and the cheese has enough time to melt. When the underside turns golden brown and crispy, flip so the other side does the same. When both sides are crispy, have the color desired, and the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat its ready! Keep making the rest of the tacos following the previous steps.

Serve: Plate the quesa tacos. Top with onion, cilantro and a Mexican salsa. Pair them with a warm bowl of consome, topped with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy! Feel free to dip the quesa taco in the consome. 

Alternative: You can substitute the corn tortillas for Almond flour tortillas.