Barbacoa de Borrego
Hidalgo-style lamb rubbed with a gentle guajillo adobo and steamed for hours over a pan of garbanzo consommé — banana leaves standing in for the maguey and the earthen pit. The meat collapses into shreds; the drippings become the soup.
- Time
- 6 hr
- Heat
- Yield
- 14 tacos
- Region
- Hidalgo
Ingredients
Lamb & wrap
Consommé
To build
Method
Toast the guajillos on a dry comal until fragrant, soak until pliable, then blend with the garlic, vinegar, cumin, and a pinch of salt into a light adobo.
Salt the lamb shoulder all over and rub it with the adobo, tucking the avocado leaves against the meat if using.
Pour the water, garbanzos, rice, carrot, onion, and chipotle into a deep roasting pan and set a rack over it — the drippings will build your consommé.
- Advertisementslot: recipe-midsteps
Line the rack with banana leaves, set the lamb on top, wrap the leaves over it, and seal the whole pan tightly with foil.
Steam in a 300°F oven for about 5 hours, until the lamb falls off the bone — resist opening the seal before the 4-hour mark.
Rest the package unopened, then unwrap, shred the lamb, and season the consommé below with salt.
Warm the tortillas, pile on the barbacoa with onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime, and serve each plate with a cup of consommé.
Build the plate
