Lamb Tacos Barbacoa Style Recipes

LAMB BARBACOA TACOS

Steps:

• First, pre-heat the oven at 320ºF.
• Next, heavily season the lamb necks with salt then rub them with chilli puree.
• In a steamer, place the lamb necks on a banana leaf and then layer with the same.
• On the bottom part of the steamer, pour the chicken stock, 1/2 an onion, 6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped celery in thirds, roughly cut carrots and the spices.
• Ensemble the steamer and cover with the lid.
• Next, place ensembled steamer in oven - make sure there's adequate room in advance. Cook for 8 hours.
• After 8 hours in the steamer, the meat should fall off the bone, if not cover and place it back in the steamer & oven for an additional 2 hours. A 1 lb neck will take an estimate of 8.5 hours to cook.
• On the meat is ready, place the Barbacoa in a saucepan with the remaining cooking liquid. Add a couple of spoons of chopped onions and cilantro. Bring to boil uncovered for about 3 minutes.
• Lightly oil the onions and pepper. Grill over high heat on the charcoal grill, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with Maldon salt and a pinch of chilli powder.
• Warm up the tortillas on a griddle or flat pan and place them in a napkin to keep them warm.
• Serve tortillas alongside green onions cut in half, sliced Anaheim, sliced avocado, salsa Roja and lime wedges.
• Plate the meat and broth in bowls. Top the meat with fresh chopped onions and cilantro.
• Place them in the centre of the table for your friends/family to build their own tacos, and don't forget to enjoy soaking their tacos in the consommé to make them extra rich and moist.

LAMB BARBACOA TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
• Seed the ancho chiles and boil them in water. Add them to a heavy-duty blender to blend.
• Remove the lamb from the fridge and let sit out for 15 to 20 minutes. Score the fat with a sharp knife, creating a crisscross pattern. Rub thoroughly with salt and pepper, then some of the ancho liquid and chipotle chiles. Place celery, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and 1 onion in a roasting pan along with the beer, stock and chile powder. Put a roasting rack on top of the vegetables and liquid and place the lamb in the roasting pan.
• Roast until the lamb starts to turn deep brown, approximately 4 hours. Cover tightly with foil and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part (do not touch bone) registers 180 degrees F. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the roast from the roasting pan and begin to shred all of the meat off to a bowl with forks and your fingers.
• Strain the liquid from the roasting pan into a blender and blend thoroughly until smooth (this is what I call lamb butter). Pour over the lamb and mix together, adding some water if it becomes too thick.
• Chop your cilantro and remaining onion and mix together in a small bowl.
• Serve the lamb on corn tortillas with homemade Salsa. Top with cilantro-onion mixture, Cotija and radish. Enjoy.
• Heat a grill for cooking at medium heat. Grill or roast the garlic, tomatillos, tomatoes and onions, turning occasionally, until charred. Let cool.
• Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium pot over medium heat, then add garlic, tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, chiles de arbol, anchos, guajillos, cilantro and sugar and boil together for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, and then drop into a blender and blend until pureed, but a little bit chunky. Season to taste.

LAMB SHOULDER BARBACOA

Steps:

• Place chiles in a bowl; pour enough hot water over them just to cover. Let stand until softened, 10 minutes. Reserve 3 tablespoons soaking liquid; drain. Transfer chiles to a blender with brown sugar, chipotle, lime zest and juice, oil, spices, 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, garlic, onion, and reserved soaking liquid. Blend to a fine paste.
• Cut lamb into two equal-size pieces; season both with salt and pepper. Rub prepared chile paste all over both pieces, place in a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before grilling.
• Prepare grill for direct- and indirect-heat cooking. Place a banana leaf on top of two sheets of heavy-duty foil. Lay a piece of lamb in center of leaf, folding leaf up and over to fully cover. Repeat with remaining banana leaf and piece of lamb. Place over indirect heat, cover grill, and cook, maintaining a temperature of 325°F to 350°F, until lamb is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Carefully open parcels and continue to cook, with grill still covered, until juices have reduced and lamb begins to crisp at edges, about 20 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, lightly drizzle poblanos and halved limes with oil and season with salt. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, until charred in places and poblanos are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Just before serving, grill tortillas over direct heat, uncovered, flipping once, until charred in places, about 1 minute.
• Immediately wrap in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and pliable. Remove parcels from grill and shred lamb into large pieces. Serve with tortillas, grilled poblanos, limes, onion, salsa, radishes, and crema.

TACOS DORADOS DE BARBACOA

Steps:

• To make the barbacoa marinade, put all the dried chillies in a bowl with 250ml hot water and leave to rehydrate for 12 hrs. Once soft, drain the chillies into a jug or bowl, reserving the soaking water. Remove the stems. Pour the reserved water into a blender and add the chillies and the garlic. Blend until smooth. Add the salt, balsamic vinegar and avocado leaves and blend again until smooth. Gradually add the grapeseed oil, with the blender running on a low speed, until the sauce emulsifies. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly - the marinade should be on the salty side.
• Pat the lamb shanks dry with kitchen towel and lightly score with a sharp knife. Put the meat in a bowl and coat thickly in the barbacoa marinade. Cover and chill for 12 hrs.
• Wipe the banana leaves and quickly heat in a non-stick pan, or under the grill, until they change colour and turn shiny. Arrange in the bottom of a large, deep roasting tray in a few layers, leaving enough for the sides. You will use them to wrap around the shanks.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the stock, garlic, onions and tomatoes in the bottom of the roasting tray on top of the banana leaves. Put the marinated lamb on top, then wrap tightly in the remaining banana leaves. Cover with two layers of foil to seal the meat in well - this will help keep in all the steam. There should be no holes, gaps or tears in the foil. Cook for 4 hrs.
• Remove the foil and banana leaves covering the meat. Carefully move the lamb onto a tray and leave to cool completely. Strain the remaining stock into a large pot, and put over a high heat to bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium heat and cook the liquid until it has reduced by a third. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly, adding more dry chillies for a spicier broth.
• Meanwhile, make the avocado salsa. Whizz all ingredients except the avocado in a blender with 1 tsp salt until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning and spiciness if needed, then add the avocado and blend again until smooth.
• Shred the cooled meat and mix with a little bit of the cooking juices. Lightly fry the corn tortillas for a few seconds on each side in a dry non-stick pan to make them soft and malleable. Spoon some of the meat into the middle of each tortilla, then roll into a cigar shape. Pin each top and bottom with the toothpicks to hold them together.
• Fry the tacos in a little more oil for 2-3 mins, or until crisp. You may have to do this in batches. Put the cooked rolls onto a plate lined with kitchen paper whilst you finish frying the rest. To serve, arrange them on a plate and top with the Mexican crema or soured cream, the queso fresco or feta and the avocado salsa, finishing with the shredded lettuce.