Birria Short Rib Nachos

For the Birria Short Ribs:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 5 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 oz dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 1 oz dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 1.5 quarts beef stock
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves

For The Nachos:

• 16 oz bag tortilla chips
• 8 oz The Fresh Market Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
• 12 oz The Fresh Market Guacamole
• 8 oz The Fresh Market Pico de Gallo
• 8 oz Queso fresco, crumbled
• Pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high. Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and sear, turning to brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Remove short ribs to a plate and set aside.

Discard excess oil and fat from the pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Return pot to medium high heat, add onions and cook, stirring to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot, until onions are soft and lightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir well, cooking another 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander and cumin and cook for another minute, stirring well. Add the beef back to the pot along with the dried chiles, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and add the beef stock. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 2.5-3 hours until short ribs are falling-apart tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Remove short ribs from broth, transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Remove the bones and cartilage from the beef and shred the meat. Set aside shredded beef and discard bones and cartilage.

Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the broth and discard. Blend the chiles and onions into the broth using a blender or immersion blender. Add 1-1 ½ cups blended broth to the short rib meat and stir well to combine. Reserve 1 cup birria broth for serving.

To make the nachos: Preheat oven to 350F. Place the tortilla chips on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Evenly distribute Mexican Blend cheese over chips and add the shredded short rib meat on top. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted but not brown. Remove from oven and top with pico de gallo, dollops of guacamole, crumbled queso fresco, jalapenos and cilantro to taste. Arrange lime wedges around the edges of the sheet pan and serve immediately with warm birria broth on the side.