Cola Shredded Beef Tacos

Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients

• 3 medium dried ancho chiles
• 2 large dried guajillo chilies
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 cup canned diced tomato (i save the remainder from the 14 oz. can to make rice)
• 1 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (if using table salt, use half as much)
• 2 -3 lbs chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups cola (mexican preferred-not diet)
• 12 -24 warm corn tortillas (6-in. size, use 24 if they're thin and floppy)
• chopped avocados, red onion, and cilantro, thinly sliced pickled jalapenos, and crema mexicana* or regular sour cream

Recipe

• 1 make sauce for beef: wipe chiles clean with a damp cloth, stem and seed, and tear into pieces. heat 1 tablespoons oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. sauté onion and garlic until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. add chiles and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. add 1 1/2 cups water, the cumin, tomatoes, oregano, and 1 teaspoons salt. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chiles are softened, about 10 minutes. purée sauce in a blender until very smooth. (i forgot to blend my sauce, and my meat still came out wonderful although there were large pieces of chile in the sauce).
• 2 meanwhile, season beef with the remaining teaspoons salt. heat the remaining tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. brown beef, turning occasionally, 10 to 14 minutes. discard fat, if any.
• 3 pour sauce into pot and add bay leaf, cola, and a little water if needed to barely cover meat. cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beef is very tender, 3 hours.
• 4 with a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a plate. let cool slightly, then tear into shreds, discarding any fat or gristle. meanwhile, boil sauce over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3 cups, 10 to 30 minutes. stir in beef and heat a few minutes until hot. remove bay leaf.
• 5 make tacos: with a slotted spoon, transfer beef with some sauce to a bowl. spoon beef into tortillas (double tortillas if they're thin), tuck in accompaniments, and serve with remaining sauce if you like.
• 6 make ahead: through step 3; chill, covered, up to 2 days.