Old Texas Recipe

Lightly brown the beef using the olive oil in a heavy skillet; then transfer to cooking pot along with the garlic, and jalapeqo. Drain any fat from skillet and deglaze with water or broth. Turn off the heat, and add the stemmed and seeded chile pods. Cover and allow the chile pods to soften for 20 - 30 minutes.
Transfer some of the chile pods and some liquid to a blender. Start blending on low speed and increase to higher speed gradually. Add pods one at a time adding more liquid only as necessary to keep the puree moving until smooth.
Pour the puree over meat, add water or broth to just cover. Partially cover the pot and simmer until tender; the longer the better, 3 - 4 hours. Add ground cumin and oregano approximately 1 hour before serving to maintain their flavor.

Add crushed chilepiquin or de Arbol if more heat is desired.
Thicken, if required, with 2 tablespoons of masa harina or flour added to a little water and cook uncovered an additional 20 minutes.