Barbacoa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Slow-cooked lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and traditionally cooked in an underground pit for hours until impossibly tender. This ancient Mesoamerican cooking method produces meat that falls apart at the touch of a fork.

Ingredients

2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
6 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
4 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
Corn tortillas for serving
Fresh cilantro and diced onion for garnish

Instructions

1 Toast the dried guajillo and ancho chilies in a dry skillet for one minute per side until fragrant, then soak them in hot water for twenty minutes until completely softened.
2 Blend the softened chilies with garlic, cumin, oregano, vinegar, cloves, salt, and water into a smooth, rich adobo paste that will coat and flavor the lamb.
3 Season the lamb shoulder generously with the adobo paste, rubbing it into every crevice, and place it in a large Dutch oven with bay leaves and any remaining sauce.
4 Cover the pot tightly with foil and a heavy lid, then cook in a 150-degree oven for three and a half hours until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender and deeply flavored.
5 Shred the tender meat with two forks, mix it with the cooking juices, and serve piled high on warm corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, diced onion, and a squeeze of lime.

Did You Know?

The word barbacoa is the origin of the English word barbecue, tracing back to the Taino people of the Caribbean who used a similar slow-cooking technique over wooden frames.