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Shanna's Tamale Chili Gravy

3 oz Dry red chiles (about 1 --
    Dozen ancho or New M Chiles)
4 cup Unsalted beef stock
1 lb Chili grind ground beef
1 med Onion -- chopped fine
2 x Garlic cloves -- minced
2 tbl Bacon drippings
2 tsp Cumin seeds -- toasted and
    Ground
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbl Masa harina

 Method :
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Break the stems off the chile pods and discard the seeds. Place the pods in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast them for 5 minutes at 300 degrees. Watch carefully as they scorch easily. Break each chile into several pieces and put them in a blender with the stock. Puree until it is a thick smooth liquid. In a medium saucepan or skillet, brown the meat with the onion and garlic. Drain the meat of excess fat and add the bacon drippings for flavor. When melted, add the cumin oregano, salt and pureed chiles. Simmer the mixture for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the meat is tender and the liquid has thickened slightly. In a small bowl, mix the masa harina with 2 tbsp. of the liquid and stir back into the gravy. Cook 5-10 minutes longer. You can skip the meat if desired, and you can speed up the process by using 1/2 C chili powder instead of the chiles. If you use chili powder, reduce the oregano and cumin by half.