Want to take your taco game to a higher level? Swap steak or shrimp for lamb barbacoa, simmered low and slow. Yes, you read that correctly: lamb barbacoa tacos.
“Every part of Mexico has its own style of barbacoa,” says Mexico City chef Rodney Cusic, co-owner of Meroma, in the capital’s hip Roma neighborhood. “In Oaxaca, they wrap the lamb in plantain leaves; in Texcoco, they use maguey.”
Fortunately, you don’t need tropical foliage (or an underground pit) to make delicious, falling-off-the-bone barbacoa. Parchment paper, a sturdy pot, and your stovetop work perfectly for an at-home version. At Meroma, Cusic makes it for a staff meal because it’s good for a crowd. A whole bone-in shoulder yields about four to six pounds of meat, so invite your friends. And serve it the traditional way—alongside a bowl of the rich, flavorful braising liquid, or consomme, loaded with chickpeas. “The possibilities,” Cusic says, “are endless.”
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Makes 8 to 12 servings
Ingredients
- For the adobo:
- 2 dried guajillo chilies
- 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- For the lamb:
- 1 bone-in lamb shoulder, 6–8 lbs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 white onions, cut in 6 pieces each
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 dried guajillo chilies
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, toasted and cooled
- Lamb or chicken stock to cover
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
How to make it
