Birria estilo Jalisco (red adobo goat, overnight clay pot)

Ingredients

• For the goat
• 2.5 kg goat pieces (shoulder, ribs, leg), bone-in
• For the adobo
• 6 guajillo chiles, toasted separately, soaked in hot water, drained
• 3 ancho chiles, toasted separately, soaked in hot water, drained
• 3 pasilla chiles, toasted separately, soaked in hot water, drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cinnamon stick, or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 whole cloves
• 60 ml white vinegar
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• For the pot
• 2–3 banana leaves, or heavy-duty foil, to line and seal the clay pot
• 150 g masa (or foil strip), to seal the pot lid completely
• To serve
• 2 limes, quartered
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 20 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. 1
   Toast each dried chile individually in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing it flat for 10–15 seconds per side, until fragrant and the skin blisters slightly. Do not toast them together; the oils release at different rates. Transfer each toasted chile directly into hot water and soak until fully pliable, about 20 minutes. Drain. The chiles are ready when they are soft throughout with no dry, brittle core.
2. 2
   Blend the drained chiles with the cumin, cinnamon, cloves, vinegar, and garlic to a smooth, thick paste. Pass through a medium sieve if the skins remain coarse. The finished adobo should coat a spoon thickly and smell of deep, earthy spice with the clove and cinnamon clearly dominant.
3. 3
   Coat the goat pieces thoroughly in the adobo. Pack them into the clay pot, pour any remaining adobo over the top, cover tightly, and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, or overnight. The marinade does not penetrate goat in under 8 hours; this step is the foundation of the dish. The meat is ready to cook when the surface has deepened to a uniform mahogany and smells of the full adobo, not of raw goat.
4. 4
   Line the clay pot with banana leaves or heavy-duty foil, covering the base and sides with overhang. Arrange the marinated goat pieces inside. Pour the reserved adobo marinade over the meat — this liquid becomes the consomé during cooking. Fold the banana leaves or foil over the surface to enclose the meat completely, then set the lid in place and seal the entire perimeter of the lid with a rope of masa dough or a double layer of foil crimped tightly. Not one thread of steam must escape during cooking. This seal is where the dish lives or dies: an unsealed pot loses its steam and the meat dries before it yields.
5. 5
   Place the sealed pot in an oven set to 150–160 °C (or over a low, steady fire) and cook for 3 to 4 hours without opening. Do not raise the heat to hasten the process; high heat chars the exterior before the interior cooks through in a sealed vessel. The pot is done when a skewer pressed against the exterior near the base meets no resistance and the clay itself is too hot to touch without cloth.
6. 6
   Remove the pot from the heat and rest it, still fully sealed, for 20 minutes. The collagen and goat fat redistribute through the braising liquid during this rest. Break the seal at the table or in the kitchen; the interior should release a long, deep breath of spiced steam. The braising liquid — now the consomé — should be brick-red, glossy, and visibly fatty on the surface.
7. 7
   Ladle the consomé into cups or shallow bowls as the first course. Add a squeeze of lime directly to each cup. Serve the pulled or portioned goat meat separately, accompanied by chopped white onion and coriander. The consomé must be served hot enough that the goat fat shimmers on the surface.