| 1 | It is a really rustic dish. |
| 2 | 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. |
| 3 | 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. |
| 4 | 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. |
| 5 | 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 ?tsp oregano scant ?tsp cumin seeds ?cup vinegar 2 tsp salt 6 cloves garlic, peeled ?small onion directions: there will be approximately 6 to 7 pounds of meat. |
| 6 | Slash the meats in several places down to the bone and rub the salt well into it. |
| 7 | Meanwhile, prepare the chili paste. |
| 8 | Heat the comal and toast the chiles lightly, turning them from time to time so that they will not burn. |
| 9 | Remove the veins and seeds. |
| 10 | 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. |
| 11 | Cover the meat thickly with the paste and set it aside to season for about 18 hours. |
| 12 | On serving day: 1 ?cups water the meat flour and water paste 2 pounds tomatoes, broiled 1 cup onion, finely chopped ?tsp oregano preheat the oven to 350 degrees. |
| 13 | 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. |
| 14 | Seal the lid with a paste of flour and water and cook for about 3 ?to 4 hours, by which time the meat should be almost falling off the bones. |
| 15 | Strain off the juices from the bottom of the pan, cool, and skim off the fat. |
| 16 | There should be about 2 cups of juices left- if not, make it up to 2 cups with water. |
| 17 | Blend the tomatoes to a smooth sauce. |
| 18 | Put the sauce and the skimmed juices from the meat into a saucepan and bring to a boil. |
| 19 | Serve each portion of mixed meats in a deep bowl. |
| 20 | Pour ?cup sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the chopped onion and oregano. |
| 21 | Eat with tortillas |
