Guajillo Enchilada Sauce

Heat a dry comal or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Working one at a time, press each guajillo and ancho chile flat on the dry surface with a spatula for 10 to 15 seconds per side. Guajillos have thin flesh and toast quickly — watch for the color to shift from flat brick-red to a deeper reddish-brown with a few blistered spots. You are listening as much as watching: a properly toasting chile makes a faint papery crackling sound as the moisture in the flesh volatilizes. The ancho is thicker and more forgiving — 15 seconds per side, until darkened and pliable. The instant you smell a clean, sweet dried-fruit and mild smoke aroma — like dark raisins warming on a stove — remove the chiles from the heat. Transfer immediately to a heatproof bowl and pour over 2.5 cups of very hot (not boiling) water. Weigh the chiles down with a small plate so they are fully submerged. Soak for 20 to 25 minutes. The water will turn a brilliant brick-red. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.

On the same dry comal over high heat, char the tomato halves cut-side down until the surface is deeply blistered and black — do not move them while they char, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and char the skin side for 2 to 3 more minutes. The tomatoes will collapse and their juices will caramelize on the pan. Char the onion quarters until their cut faces are deeply blackened, and char the unpeeled garlic cloves until their skins are black and the flesh inside is soft and golden. All this char is intentional — it provides the deep color and complex, rounded flavor that distinguishes a cooked enchilada sauce from a raw one. Remove from heat. Peel the garlic from its charred skins. Transfer everything, including all accumulated juices and any caramelized tomato solids, to the blender.

Combine the drained soaked chiles (use 3 tablespoons of the reserved soaking liquid), charred tomatoes, charred onion and garlic, stock, toasted cumin, dried oregano, vinegar, and salt in a blender. Blend on high for 2 full minutes until completely smooth. The sauce will be very thick and a vivid brick-red-orange. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to extract all liquid. Taste the strained sauce: it should be bright, fruity, moderately spicy, and faintly tannic, with the charred vegetables providing a round, deep undertone. This blended, strained base is ready to fry in oil to deepen its flavor and round out its rawness.

Heat the lard or oil in a wide saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Stand back and pour the blended guajillo sauce into the hot fat all at once — it will spatter aggressively and make a loud, sustained hissing sound as the moisture hits the hot fat. Stir immediately and cook, stirring frequently with a long-handled spoon, for 5 to 8 minutes. During this time the sauce will darken in color, thicken slightly, and the raw, sharp notes will transform into something deeper and more rounded. The fat will begin to separate at the edges — a ring of glossy red-tinted oil appearing at the perimeter of the sauce. This is the moment to stop: the sauce is ready when the fat separates and the aroma has shifted from raw chile to a deeper, more complex roasted smell. The finished sauce is ready to use as an enchilada sauce: dip rolled tortillas briefly in it, pour it over assembled enchiladas, or use it as a braising liquid for chicken or pork.