The Beef:

Marinate the beef. Add beef to a large bowl, add a liberal amount of salt and pepper, and rub in. Drizzle with vinegar. Toss to combine. Set aside at room temperature.

The Chile Mixture:

Add the cinnamon and cloves to blender and pulse to break down.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Ancho and Guajillo chiles and toast, turning often, until fragrant and beginning to puff. (Some older chiles may not puff but will become more pliable.) Add the chile de arbol and toast for just a quick minute. Remove immediately if any of the chiles are in danger of burning.

Place in a bowl, cover with 2 1/2 cups of very hot water, and add a weight to submerge them. Leave for 15 minutes, then add to the blender along with the soaking water and blend.

In the meantime, place the onion, tomatoes, and garlic on a foil-lined sheet pan and place under broiler. Broil, turning as necessary, removing each item when softened and slightly charred. Remove the skins from the garlic. Add onion, tomatoes, and peeled garlic to the blender, along with any juices from the pan.

Add the remaining spices and herbs (salt, oregano or marjoram, pepper, and cumin) and blend again. The mixture should look homogeneous.

Strain the sauce.

To Cook:

Add 1/4 cup of oil to the Instant Pot liner. Set to saute, high heat. Working in batches, brown the beef, removing as each batch is finished. Turn off heat, and while the pot is still hot, add one cup of broth or water. Scrape the bottom of the pot (and sides if needed), loosening any browned residue (fond) until the bottom looks clean.

Add the beef, along with any accumulated juices back to the Instant pot. Add two more cups of broth or water, and top with the chili mixture. Do not stir.

Seal, set on high, 40 minutes, then use a natural release.

To Serve Birria:

• If serving as Birria (stew), serve the stew with tortillas on the side, along with lime wedges, onion, cilantro, and radish.

To Serve Quesobirria Tacos:

• If making Tacos, shred or chunk beef as desired and use the cooking liquid first to dip the tortillas (below) and serving the remainder as a dipping sauce (consomme). If desired, after dipping, thin the sauce with a little water or broth.
• Dip one side of tortilla in the fat accumulated on the top of the stew; if there’s not much fat and the sauce is thick, remove any exess on the tortilla. (Clean fingers work best.) Add tortillas, coated side down to a griddle set to medium-low heat.
• Add the cheese (be generous) across the top. Add beef (shredded or in chunks) in a line just off-center. Once the taco begins to brown on the bottom, use a spatula to flip the half without beef over the top of the beef, forming a taco. Continue to cook slowly until the bottom half is crispy and browned, then turn over and cook the other side.
• Serve warm with some of the juices from the Birria (the consomme) as a dipping sauce, sprinkled first with the diced onion and cilantro, and serve lime.wedges and radish on the side.

Nutrition per taco, using about 1 ounce cheese