No ill effect on searing the meat since I did it in more
batches and this similarly did not affect the reduction of sauce; - I used beer instead of water in the chili paste (per Joe Yonan's Texas Bowl O» Red from Serve Yourself); - I threw in some Mexican Oregano from Rancho Gordo because I had it; - I used a mix of chiles sourced from Rancho Gordo, my local Whole Foods and a taqueria / market in the boonies: chipotle, California,
arbol and pasilla.