Slow Cook La Piña en la Cocina's Lamb Barbacoa

Lamb barbacoa alongside onion, cilantro, limes, radishes, and salsa.
September 16, 2024

Masienda's September Chef en Residencia, Sonia Mendez Garcia, grew up eating beef barbacoa (a slow-cooked meat dish typically prepared in an underground pit covered with agave leaves). The Sunday tradition of eating barbacoa with consommé (a broth made from the delicious juices of the stewed meat) is popular across different regions of Mexico. In Northern Mexico, where Sonia's family hails from, beef barbacoa is king, but lamb or goat are traditional in other regions of Mexico.

Because her husband is more accustomed to lamb barbacoa (barbacoa de borrego), Sonia often prepares this easy, one-pot barbacoa using a steamer pot and banana leaves, that yields tender lamb slow-cooked with a blend of spices, chiles, and herbs, as well as a richly flavored consommé with rice and chickpeas. Because lamb's flavor tends to become gamier with time, this dish is best enjoyed on the day you cook it or the next day.
Barbacoa de Borrego (Lamb Barbacoa)

Barbacoa de Borrego (Lamb Barbacoa)

Sonia Mendez Garcia

Servings

8

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

5 hours

Ingredients

    blank

    • 10-12 sections of fresh banana leaves (approximately 24 inches long each)

    • 6 ½ - 7 lbs. of boneless leg of lamb, sliced into 8-10 pieces

    • 4 sprigs fresh cilantro

    • 4 sprigs fresh mint

    • 4 sprigs fresh oregano

    • 5 fresh epazote leaves

    • 3 chile morita, stems removed

    • 3 chile guajillo, stems and seeds removed

    • 3 chile de arbol, stems removed

    • 1 large carrot, sliced thick

    • 1 small onion, sliced in half

    • 1 head whole bulb garlic

    • ½ lb dried garbanzo beans, previously soaked overnight

    • ½ cup uncooked jasmine rice

    • ¾ tsp dried marjoram

    • ¾ tsp dried thyme

    • Salt, to taste

    • Pepper, to taste

    blank

    • Onion, chopped

    • Cilantro, chopped

    • Radishes, thinly sliced

    • Lime

    • Avocado, sliced

    • Salsa Macha

    • Corn tortillas

    Directions

      blank

      1. Preheat a comal or large flat griddle to medium heat.

      2. Place one banana leaf at a time on the hot comal. Press with a metal spatula until softened and shiny. Set softened leaves aside.

      blank

      1. Rinse sliced leg of lamb under cold water and set aside.

      2. In the bottom of a steamer pot, add cilantro, mint, oregano, epazote, chile morita, chile guajillo, chile de arbol, carrot, onion, garlic, garbanzo beans, rice, marjoram, and thyme. Cover with water to the indicated level in the steamer pot. Season with 1 ½ tsp of salt. Add the steamer insert.

      3. Arrange banana leaves around the inside edge of the pot, overlapping to cover the meat. Place all the meat in the center, season with salt and pepper, then fold the banana leaves to cover the meat completely. Secure the lid.

      4. Steam on high heat until it begins to steam rapidly, then reduce heat to below medium. Cook for 4 hours or until the lamb is tender.

      blank

      1. Once the lamb is tender, transfer it to a covered dish, letting juices fall to the bottom of the pot. Keep warm in a low temperature oven.

      2. Discard banana leaves and remove the steamer insert. Discard the solid ingredients except for garbanzos and rice. Keep warm.

      3. Taste consommé for salt.

      blank

      1. For tacos: Serve barbacoa on a fresh tortilla topped with salsa, onion, cilantro, radishes, like, and avocado.

        For barbacoa bowls: Ladle consommé into shallow bowls, add barbacoa, and garnish with onion, cilantro, radish, lime, and serrano chiles. Serve with warm tortillas.

      Leave a comment

      Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

      Read More

      A Guide to Masa Harina

      A Guide to Masa Harina
      How to Get Your Tortillas to Puff Every Time

      How to Get Your Tortillas to Puff Every Time
      Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms

      Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms