The perfect tacos for your Super Bowl party

Lets face it, we’re not in it for the game, commercials or even half time show. The main event during Super Bowl Sunday is the players on the table — the dining table. We’re talking the finger-licking wings, cheesy potato skins and creamy dips we love to indulge in on game day. So it’s no surprise that the sporting event is the second most popular food holiday in the US — apparently American’s spent more than $1 billion on food during last year’s big game.

Meaning the stakes are high on what you’re bringing to the party this year.

Chef Aarón Sánchezof Food Network’s “Chopped” and Cooking Channel’s “Taco Trip” knows his way around tacos. So we turned to him for his smoky, spicy taco recipe— the perfect dish to wow the crowd Super Bowl Sunday.

Touchdown Tacos with Mezcal-LimeColeslaw
Createdby Chef Aarón Sánchez of Paloma and JohnnySánchez

Makesapproximately 20 tacos.

Ingredients
FortheTacos:
8 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1½ tablespoons cacao powder (or no-sugar-added cocoapowder)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, more if needed
1 cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup celery, coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup red wine, preferably Madeira
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
10 tablespoons (1, 5-oz bottle) Tabasco Original Red Sauce
Corn tortillas (soft or hard)
Chopped onions, for garnish
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

For the Mezcal-Lime Coleslaw:
¼ cup mezcal (or orange liqueur)
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
¼ cup orange juice
1 pound (16-ounce package) store bought coleslaw mix
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
For the Tacos:
Preheatthe oven to 325°F.

Lightlytoast the chiles in a dry, heavy skillet over mediumheat for 30 seconds oneach side, just until they becomefragrant, but not blackened.Transfer to a plate and setaside.

Seasonbeef with salt and cacao powder.Heat 2tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven, or other heavy pot, witha lid overmedium-high heat.Once the oil is hot,add meatand sear for approximately 3 minutes on each side,working in batchesto avoid crowding if necessary, until thepieces have formed a uniformly browncrust.Add more oilto the pot, asneeded, to prevent burning.As thepieces areready, set aside on a plate.

Reducethe heat to medium.Using the same pot,add theonion, celery and carrots and cook for approximately 5minutes.Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, thenaddthe tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pourin the wine and stock to deglaze the pan, making sureto scrape any bits offthe bottom of the pan.Add thetoastedchiles and turn the heat to low.Simmeruncovered,stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes, until thechileshave softened and are pliable.

Addthe cumin, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco Sauce.Return the meat to the pot andcover.Transfer to the ovenand cook forapproximately 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

For the Coleslaw:
Heatthe mezcal in a sauté pan on medium heat until itflames (be careful becausethe flame can get pretty high!)and the alcohol burns off.Once the flame dies down, addthe sugar andheat until dissolved.Add the lime andorange juices; bring to a boil and reduce by half.Removefrom heat and let it cool.

Ina large bowl, combine juice mixture with apple cidervinegar and cilantro, thentoss in coleslaw mix and seasonwith salt and pepper to taste.Set aside.

NOTE:If you are using orange liqueur, combine all liquidingredients and sugar andreduce by half, then follow theremaining steps.

To Assemble:
Removemeat from sauce with tongs.Using the tongsorforks, shred the meat.Strain thesauce, and once the meathas been shredded, incorporate some of the sauce backinto the meat.Taste and add salt, ifnecessary.

Buildtacos, adding the meat first and then coleslaw.Finishwith chopped onions and cilantro.Serve with lime wedge.