Lamb barbacoa: a special spring treat
Is there a reason why we Texans don’t eat much lamb? It’s tender, it’s flavorful, it’s not too expensive and yet you seldom see it. Heck, I even heard a statistic that said we eat less than a half a pound of lamb a year.
So imagine my surprise when I was in El Paso and saw listed on a menu lamb barbacoa with the added note, “For a special treat.”
I was tempted, but I went with the regular barbacoa—the kind made from a cow’s head. You can’t get that in New York City as the barbacoa found here is made with goat instead.
But I’ve been thinking about that lamb barbacoa ever since. And because Easter is coming up and lamb is one of the traditional dishes to serve, I decided to try making some on my own.
My father has always enjoyed lamb and I remember on one vacation we had dinner in a charming New England lodge where they served leg of lamb with mint jelly. He offered me a bite, and while I enjoyed the lamb I wasn’t a fan of the mint jelly—its color seemed unnaturally green and I couldn’t figure out how it could possibly compliment the meat.
It wasn’t until I was 21 that I again had lamb. I was having Easter lunch with my boyfriend’s family in a small Texas town’s finest restaurant and on offer was a choice of either ham or lamb. Ham was my family’s preferred Easter meat, but I decided to go with the lamb as it felt exotic and sophisticated.
I was served a thick pink slab crusted in black pepper that was cut from a lamb roast. On the side was the requisite mint jelly, but I ignored that and just ate the lamb unadorned. I was surprised at how tender and juicy the meat was, and the flavor had hints of earth and grass but it wasn’t overpowering. I enjoyed it—its flavor was refreshing like spring.
Since spring has finally arrived and Easter is next Sunday, here is my take on lamb, and easy lamb barbacoa. It makes for wonderful tacos, tostadas or just served on its own. Though you don’t have to be celebrating Easter to enjoy this lamb barbacoa—for any occasion it will still be a special treat.
Lamb barbacoa
Ingredients
- 6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 3 guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder
- Salt
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into slivers
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into rounds
- Tortillas, for serving
- Cilantro, for serving
- Diced onions, for serving
- Salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Toast the ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry cast iron skillet on medium heat for a few minutes on each side and then turn off the heat and fill the skillet with water. Let the chiles soak for 20 minutes or until soft.
- Cut the lamb into 3-inch cubes and rub the meat with salt.
- Drain the chiles from the soaking water, rinse, then place in a blender. Add to the blender the garlic, the coffee, the water, the cinnamon, the oregano, the cumin, and the agave nectar. Puree until smooth.
- Coat the lamb with the chile puree, and let it marinate covered in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Heat the oven to 250° F.
- In a roasting pan, coat the bottom with some of the marinade. Place the onions and carrots on top of the marinade and then top this with the lamb.
- Tightly cover the pan with foil, and then cook in the oven covered for 4 hours or until fork tender.
- Shred meat with forks and serve in tortillas with cilantro, onions and salsa.
On Sundays, the real Mexican places sell barbacoa de borrego by the pound, here in Richmond. Good stuff. And try to get your lamb at halal butchers, or better yet, if you are out in the boonies (like Highland County Virginia) you may be able to find grass-fed hogget (a large lamb, not yet mutton) for sale. Wonderful stuff.
And I just thawed some lamb shanks from Highland County.. maybe I’ll do them in the Queretarense style tonight. I think Ihave guajillo chiles at the house.
Ted
I grab up a leg of lamb whenever I find it at my local HEB, ’cause you never know how long it’ll be until they have it again. It’s our favorite Spring Celebration (i.e., Easter) feature.
To go along with one of your comments, I once asked a friend who owned a restaurant here in town why he never had lamb on the menu. He said he just couldn’t sell lamb in beef country.
David
Frank–Lamb fat is indeed decadent and delicious!
Miss Meat and Potatoes–Lamb shoulder is pretty inexpensive, compared to chops or the legs. And it folds out flat, like skirt steak, so you could cut chop-sized portions if you wanted.
Chris–Give it a try, it’s a good change.
Greg–I bet it would–goat is next on my list!
CB–If you’d like to modify this recipe for the grill and link back to this recipe, I would be cool with that. Thanks for asking!
Shratter–I was thinking of next time making a fresh mint salsa to go with it.
Emily–It think it would be fine with a leg of lamb.
Carrie Oliver–That’s a good question. I bought mine at Whole Foods and are usually pretty forthright when something is grass fed/finished, so I think mine was not.
Jeju–I have friends that have cooked with one, but I don’t have an outdoor space so I don’t think it’s something I’ll be getting any time soon.
Nikki-Go to Carnitas Queretaro–they have lamb. And I loved all the good eating I did in El Paso so I hope to return!
Ellen–Y’all do eat a lot of lamb down there, don’t you? You’re always hearing about New Zealand lambs here, and how excellent they are.
Maggie–Aw, thank you!
Catherine–Thanks! Though I have to admit I love iceberg lettuce in the summer–it’s so cool and refreshing.
Farmer Jen–Thanks! And I’ll have to try searing it next time with those ingredients–sounds delicious.
Zarah Maria–I wasn’t either but was pleasantly surprised. Give it a try!
TBSamsel–Hogget–that just sounds too cute to eat!
Pelle–Yay! I’m glad y’all enjoyed it. If there was one of those here in NYC, I’d eat there all the time.
David–That was my thought–we just love our beef too much.
Love your blog & have made many of your recipes, as well as steered lots of friends to your site! I hope it isn't sacrilege to suggest, but your lamb preparation sounds like it would be well-translated to a slow cooker recipe. I'm gonna try it this weekend & will let you know how it turns out.
Not a fan of lamb, but make it with pork and we’re talkin’! Happy Easter!