Birria Tacos

Cut the beef chuck roast into large 2-3 inch chunks and season generously with freshly ground black pepper.

Heat neutral oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks on all sides until well-browned.

While the beef sears, roughly chop the onion and quarter the tomatoes.

Add the chopped onion, tomatoes, and whole peeled garlic cloves to the pot with the seared beef.

Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles and add them to the pot.

Pour in enough beef broth to cover all the ingredients.

Add the chili powder, Mexican oregano, ground cloves, and salt. Stir everything together to combine.

Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it braise for 3 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.

After 3 hours, stir in the Taco Bell sauce packets if using.

Carefully remove the cooked beef chunks from the pot and place them in a large bowl.

Pour the remaining liquid and solids from the pot into a blender and blend until completely smooth.

Strain the blended sauce (consommé) through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids left in the sieve.

Shred the beef in the bowl using a whisk or two forks. Pour a few ladles of the consommé over the shredded beef and mix to moisten it.

To assemble the tacos, dip a corn tortilla into the warm consommé, coating both sides.

Place the dipped tortilla onto a hot, lightly oiled skillet. Top one half with shredded cheese and a generous portion of the shredded beef.

Sprinkle with diced onion and chopped cilantro, then fold the tortilla over.

Fry on both sides until the tortilla is crispy and golden brown, and the cheese is fully melted.

Serve the tacos immediately with a side of the remaining consommé for dipping, garnished with more fresh onion and cilantro. Offer lime wedges on the side.