Mexican🥩 Meat

Traditional Lamb Barbacoa

Name: Traditional Lamb Barbacoa
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: ~4-5 lb Lamb shoulder; 2 Lamb shanks; ~3-4 lb Lamb leg; ~2-3 lb Lamb bones; ~2-3 tbsp Salt; ~1.5-2 cups Orange juice; ~2-3 cups Water; ~1½ tbsp Coriander seeds; ~1½ tbsp Cumin seeds; ~1 tbsp Oregano; ~4-6 whole Dried Mexican peppers (ancho and homemade chipotles); ~3-4 large leaves Banana leaves

An authentic Mexican lamb barbacoa cooked in a homemade fire pit using slow-roasted coals. This recipe showcases the traditional underground pit-cooking method, with salt and citrus-marinated lamb cuts wrapped in banana leaves, aromatic spices and herbs, slow-cooked for hours with smoke and heat.

Adapted from a video by LifebyMikeG

I made Lamb Barbacoa the REAL way.

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder~4-5 lbest.
Lamb shanks2
Lamb leg~3-4 lbest.
Lamb bones~2-3 lbest.
Salt~2-3 tbspest.
Orange juice~1.5-2 cupsest.
Water~2-3 cupsest.
Coriander seeds~1½ tbspest.
Cumin seeds~1½ tbspest.
Oregano~1 tbspest.
Dried Mexican peppers (ancho and homemade chipotles)~4-6 wholeest.

Steps

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1
Dig a circular pit in your yard large enough to hold your pot, then line the walls and bottom with bricks for heat retention, creating a flat cooking surface.
2
Prepare the lamb by coating all cuts evenly with salt, then drizzle with orange juice to help tenderize the meat.
3
Place a rack in the bottom of a large pot to allow broth to collect underneath. Add a small amount of water to the pot and line it with banana leaves.
4
Add spices to the banana leaves: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, oregano, and dried Mexican peppers (ancho and homemade chipotles).
5
Stack all the prepared lamb cuts and bones on top of the spice layer, then cover the top with banana leaves to seal in the flavors.
6
Build a fire in the pit and let it burn for one to two hours until it burns down to coals.
7
When the coals are ready, carefully place the pot containing the meat into the pit. Cover the pot with a wooden lid or suitable material, then cover all gaps with sandy soil excavated from the pit to seal everything in.
8
Allow the meat to slow cook in the pit for approximately 18 hours or longer, using a thermometer to monitor progress if available.
9
Dig up the pot and check the meat. If it hasn't fully broken apart yet, transfer it to an oven and continue cooking at 350°F for 1-2 hours covered to maintain the steamed texture and developed flavors.
10
Prepare toppings: make fresh salsa (roasted tomatillos, jalapeños, green onions), pickled onions, homemade corn tortillas, and optionally prepare the consomé broth with chickpeas.
11
Serve the cooked lamb on warm corn tortillas with salsa, pickled onions, and fresh garnishes. Optionally drizzle with the reduced broth or serve the consomé as a side soup.

Traditional Lamb Barbacoa

Ingredients

Steps

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