Birria-Braised Beef Pappardelle

Steps

1. Season. Pat the beef dry and season it with the salt only; the pepper goes in after searing so it doesn’t scorch.
2. Toast and soak the chiles. Toast the guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat 30–60 seconds per side, until fragrant and pliable, without burning. Cover with hot water and soak 20 minutes.
3. Char the aromatics. Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic over a gas flame or in a very hot dry cast iron skillet until blackened in spots, 6–8 minutes.
4. Blend the adobo. Drain the chiles, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid. Blend the chiles, charred vegetables, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, vinegar and reserved liquid on high until completely smooth, 2–3 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
5. Sear. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or a pressure cooker on high sauté, fully preheated) over medium-high until shimmering. Sear the beef in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Set aside.
6. Build the braise. Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat. Add the adobo and fry it, stirring, until it darkens and thickens, 4–5 minutes. Add the broth, bay leaves and pepper, scraping up the browned bits, and nestle the beef back in with its juices; the liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up.
7. Braise. Oven: cover and braise at 325°F for 3–3½ hours, until the meat shreds easily, checking at 2½ hours and adding ½ cup water if the liquid has reduced too far. Pressure cooker: make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom, then cook on high pressure 50 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
8. Make the dough. While the beef braises, mound the flour, make a well, and add the eggs, yolks, olive oil and salt. Beat with a fork, gradually pulling in flour from the walls, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest at least 30 minutes.
9. Roll and cut. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, keeping the rest wrapped. Roll each through a pasta roller from the widest setting down to 5 or 6, leaving it slightly thicker than tagliatelle. Flour the sheets, cut them into 12 in lengths, and cut by hand into 1 in ribbons. Toss with semolina and set in loose nests under a towel.
10. Finish the sauce. Lift out the beef, discard any bones and the bay leaves, and shred the meat with two forks. Skim the fat from the liquid and taste for salt. If it’s thin, simmer uncovered 10–15 minutes, until loose but coating, like a thinned ragù. Return the meat.
11. Cook the pasta. Boil the pappardelle in well-salted water 2–3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
12. Toss. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss over medium heat 1–2 minutes, adding pasta water as needed, until glossy and coated rather than swimming.
13. Serve. Top with cotija, cilantro and onion, with lime wedges for squeezing.