Red Chile Braised Beef Shanks

Ingredients

• Rumba Meats® Beef Cross-Cut Hind Shank (2 packages (4 shanks))
• 4 cups water
• 12 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, deveined
• 4 chile de arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded ,deveined
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¼ white onion, cut into large pieces
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or lard, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Heat water in a stockpot until boiling; remove from heat. Add guajillo chiles, chile de arbol chiles, garlic and onion, cover and let sit for 30 minutes or until peppers are hydrated.
3. Strain water and transfer chile peppers, garlic and onion mixture to a blender. Add chicken broth and blend until smooth. Strain chile sauce.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet; add strained chile sauce, oregano, cumin and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
5. Season beef hind shanks with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat; add hind shanks and brown on both sides.
6. Add 1 cup red chile sauce, cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise for 2½ to 3 hours until hind shanks reach an internal temperature of 160ºF and meat is tender.
7. Serve braised beef shanks topped with remaining red chile sauce.
8. Accompany with Mexican rice, black beans and salad, if desired.
9. For red chile braised beef tacos; slice or shred beef shank meat and layer on warm corn tortillas with red chile sauce, pickled red onions and crumbled cotija cheese.