Step 1 - Make the cherries, if you have sour cherry preserve you can skip this step. In a large pot spread out the cherries, then pour your sugar over them, and finally add a lot of water over them enough water so it's about inch of water over the cherries.

Step 2- Cook the cherries down until you have a syrupy mixture, be careful not to cook it down too much so that the syrup is too thick.

Step 3- Once the cherries are ready, strain the juice (keep it for drinks), and pull out the cherries.

Step 4- Now make your meatballs, mix the ground beef with the onion, form them into quarter sized balls and bake them in the oven covered with tin foil at 350 for about 30 minutes, until cooked).

Step 5- Once the meatballs are cooked, leave them covered in the oven at a low heat.

Step 6- Now prepare your rice.

Step 7 - Pour the rice into a large nonstick pot, cover with 4 cups of water.

Step 8- With the rice cooking on high heat, have a mesh colander ready to strain the water.

Step 9 - Once the rice grains have elongated, strain the rice of all it's water.

Step 10- Once you strain the rice, add your butter to the pot and now carefully add about 2 handfuls of rice grains to the pot. Then add a layer of cherries, saffron and meatballs to the rice. Repeat this for several layers.

Step 11- Take a clean towel and wrap the lid with it, then reduce the heat to low and allow the rice to cook for 30 minutes at least until you have tahdig.

Step 12- Once you have tahdig, serve, be careful because this tahdig can burn due to the sugar in the cherries.

*You can sub in chicken instead of meatballs or none at all*