Beer Braised Lamb Tacos With Charred Green Tomato Salsa Recipes

BRAISED LAMB TACOS

Steps:

• Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the pan, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, brown sugar, chile powder and tomatoes; whisk to combine. Put the lamb in a large nonreactive container and add the marinade; cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry; reserve the marinade. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the lamb and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the reserved marinade, the beer and jalapeno and bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and braise until very tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Skim off any excess fat. Remove the lamb and pull the meat off the bone, discarding the bones and fat. Strain the liquid into a smaller pot and keep warm. Shred the meat with your fingers and transfer to a bowl. Pour the warmed braising liquid over the meat and toss to coat. Divide among corn tortillas and top with cilantro. Photograph by Charles Masters

APRICOT-SMOKED CHILE GLAZE LAMB TACOS WITH TOMATO-CUCUMBER SALSA

Steps:

• Heat a gas grill to high.
• For the tomato-cucumber salsa: Combine the tomatoes, serrano chiles, cucumbers and onions in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the dill and mint.
• For the lamb: Mix together the apricot preserves, vinegar, chipotle puree and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Brush the lamb with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, until nicely charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, brush with the apricot glaze, cover and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 125 degrees F for medium rare, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, brush with more glaze and let rest 10 minutes.
• While the lamb rests, grill the tortillas for a few seconds on each side; keep warm. Slice the lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush each tortilla with a little of the glaze, put a few slices of lamb into each, top with the salsa and serve immediately.

BEER-BRAISED LAMB TACOS WITH CHARRED GREEN TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• If the lamb joint is tied, remove the string and discard. Put the lamb in a large roasting tin, skin-side down. Use a sharp knife to slash into the meat a few times. Mix the orange juice and zest and lime juice with the spices and a good pinch of salt then rub all over the flesh. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate overnight.
• The next day, heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Flip the lamb so it is skin-side up. Season the skin with salt and lots of pepper. Pour the beer into the bottom of the tin. Cover with a double layer of foil, then cook for 4 hours.
• To make the salsa, heat a griddle or heavy-based frying pan (or you can do this on the BBQ). Griddle the jalapeños until blackened on all sides, then drop onto a large sheet of foil and seal to make a parcel. Do the same with the onion, garlic and tomatoes, one by one, adding to the foil parcel (then resealing to keep the heat in) as they are charred. Let everything cool completely then de-stalk the chillies, remove the skin from the garlic cloves and cut the cores out of the tomatoes (and discard) and roughly chop. Put everything in a blender with the sugar, coriander and lime juice, and whizz until blended.
• To finish the lamb, remove the foil, turn up the heat to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and cook for another hour. Check the liquid in the roasting tin - it should be quite reduced by now. If not, put the lamb on a plate to rest and reduce the liquid on the stove until glossy. Return the lamb and pull into large chunks, tossing through the sauce.
• Toss the salad ingredients and serve with tortillas, lamb, salsa, soured cream and extra coriander.