Now, let’s get our hands dirty! The process of making birria tacos is simple but rewarding.

Start by trimming any excess fat from your beef chuck and oxtail. This will give you a tastier final product. Season the meat with salt and set it aside.

Next, let’s focus on that sauce. In a pan over medium heat, dry roast the chiles de árbol, ancho chiles, and guajillo chiles for a couple of minutes. You just want to enhance their flavor without burning them.

Then, combine the roasted chiles, tomatoes, onion, oregano, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, vinegar, black peppercorns, and 1 1/2 cups of beef broth in a blender. Blend until smooth.

In a large pot, heat the neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and sear it until browned on all sides. This step adds a depth of flavor that you won’t want to skip. Pour the blended sauce over the meat, add enough broth to cover everything, and toss in the cinnamon stick, star anise, and bay leaves.

Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for about 3 hours, or until the meat becomes tender and falls apart easily.

Once your meat is tender, remove it from the pot and shred it using forks. Can you smell that? It’s pure bliss! Return the shredded meat to the pot so it can soak up more sauce while you prepare the tacos.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly fry a corn tortilla for a few seconds on each side. Start layering: add meat, then top with Oaxacan cheese, minced onions, and cilantro. Fold the tortilla and cook on each side until the cheese melts and the taco crispifies a bit.