Mexican Pit Barbecued Lamb Barbacoa Recipes

BBQ GOAT OR LAMB: BARBACOA DE CORDERO

Steps:

• Toast chiles, cover with boiling water in a deep bowl, and set aside for 20 minutes. Grind cumin, cloves, allspice, and oregano in coffee grinder. Drain soaked chiles, puree in blender the chiles, ground spices, thyme, garlic, onion, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Process until smooth Push mixture through a sieve, season goat with salt and pepper. Rub paste all over the meat. Arrange in a bowl and allow to marinate for 4 hours, refrigerated.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a deep roaster pan scatter half of the avocado leaves on the bottom, place meat on top of the avocado leaves and scatter the remaining leaves over the meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook the goat 6 to 7 hours until meat is falling off the bone. If using lamb shoulder cook for 4 hours.

MEXICAN PIT-BARBECUED LAMB / BARBACOA

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the adobo. Stem the chiles, tear open, and remove the veins and seeds. Soak in water to cover until soft and pliable, about 20 minutes. Drain the chiles and place in a blender with the garlic, onion, oregano, cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon, salt, vinegar, and water. Process to a smooth paste.2. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a series of slits in the lamb, 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Smear the chile paste all over the lamb, working it into the slits, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 4 to 8 hours (the longer the better).3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low.4. Assemble the consommé. Combine the onion, carrots, zucchini, calabaza, cabbage, tomato, potato, corn (if using), herb bundle, and water in a large fire-proof pot. 5. You're now ready to assemble the barbacoa. Place the consommé pot in the center of the grate that holds the charcoal, or if using gas, the grill grate (away from the heat). Place a metal rack, like a sturdy cake rack, on top and layer with half the avocado leaves, if using (see Special Equipment) if not using, oil the rack. Place the lamb on top of the leaves, fat side up, and carpet it with the remaining avocado leaves. Cover the grill tightly.6. Cook the barbacoa until the lamb is fall-off-the-bone tender, 3 to 4 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side every hour. When the lamb is done, the internal temperature will be about 170°F.7. To serve the barbacoa, discard the top layer of avocado leaves and transfer the lamb and bottom layer of leaves to a platter. Let sit for 5 minutes, then thinly slice the meat or cut it into chunks. Remove the herb bundle from the consommé, then, using a ladle, skim off any fat floating on the surface of the soup. Stir in the chopped cilantro, chipotle, and salt and pepper the soup should be highly seasoned. Serve the consommé first, then the meat. Accompany both with tortillas and salsa.Serves 8

LAMB BARBACOA FROM THE BACKYARD GRILL: BARBACOA DE BORREGO

Steps:

• Preparing the grill and the soup ingredients: About 30 minutes before cooking, prepare a charcoal fire, letting the coals burn until they are covered with a gray ash and are medium-hot. Bank the coals on 2 sides of the lower grate to prepare for the indirect cooking that follows.
• In a 12 by 9-inch, heavy-duty aluminum-foil pan (or something similar), combine the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, garbanzo beans, and epazote. Position the pan in the center of the lower grate and surround with the coals. Pour water into the pan to about 1-inch from the top (it'll take about 5 cups). Position the cooking grate 8 inches above the coals and set an oven thermometer on it, if you have one.
• Grilling the meat: Sprinkle the lamb liberally with salt. Lay the roast in the center of the cooking grate directly over the soup, cover the grill, and cook, maintaining a moderately low temperature (between 250 and 300 degrees F), checking every 30 minutes and adding coals as needed. The lamb will be beautifully smoky-roasted, it'll register about 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer and be fall-apart tender in about 2 1/4 hours. Be sure to check the slow-simmering soup that's capturing all those lamb juices periodically, to ensure the liquid level remains more or less the same, adding more water if it's needed.
• Finishing the dish: With a couple of meat forks or spatulas, remove the roast to a platter. Sprinkle with salt and let rest, tented with foil, in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, with the precision of a steady-handed circus performer, carefully remove the pan of soup from the bottom of the grill. Skim off the fat that is floating on the surface, then taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon. Stir in the cilantro and finely chopped chipotle and ladle into small, warm soup cups.
• Scrape the salsa into a serving dish and sprinkle with cheese. Remove the string from the lamb. Slice the lamb into good, thick slabs and arrange on a warm platter that's lined or decorated with parsley, banana leaves, or lemon leaves. Strew the olives around the platter and carry to the table with a flourish. Serve each guest a cup of soup, and pass the meat, salsa, and lots of warm tortillas for everyone to make delicious soft tacos.

MEXICAN PIT-BARBECUED LAMB / BARBACOA

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the adobo. Stem the chiles, tear open, and remove the veins and seeds. Soak in water to cover until soft and pliable, about 20 minutes. Drain the chiles and place in a blender with the garlic, onion, oregano, cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon, salt, vinegar, and water. Process to a smooth paste.2. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a series of slits in the lamb, 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Smear the chile paste all over the lamb, working it into the slits, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 4 to 8 hours (the longer the better).3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low.4. Assemble the consommé. Combine the onion, carrots, zucchini, calabaza, cabbage, tomato, potato, corn (if using), herb bundle, and water in a large fire-proof pot. 5. You're now ready to assemble the barbacoa. Place the consommé pot in the center of the grate that holds the charcoal, or if using gas, the grill grate (away from the heat). Place a metal rack, like a sturdy cake rack, on top and layer with half the avocado leaves, if using (see Special Equipment) if not using, oil the rack. Place the lamb on top of the leaves, fat side up, and carpet it with the remaining avocado leaves. Cover the grill tightly.6. Cook the barbacoa until the lamb is fall-off-the-bone tender, 3 to 4 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side every hour. When the lamb is done, the internal temperature will be about 170°F.7. To serve the barbacoa, discard the top layer of avocado leaves and transfer the lamb and bottom layer of leaves to a platter. Let sit for 5 minutes, then thinly slice the meat or cut it into chunks. Remove the herb bundle from the consommé, then, using a ladle, skim off any fat floating on the surface of the soup. Stir in the chopped cilantro, chipotle, and salt and pepper the soup should be highly seasoned. Serve the consommé first, then the meat. Accompany both with tortillas and salsa.Serves 8

GOAT IN CHILE MARINADE, PIT-BARBECUE STYLE

Steps:

• Wash and griddle-dry the chiles by the directions below. Place in a deep bowl and cover generously with boiling water. Let soak for at least 20 minutes.
• Grind the cumin, cloves, allspice, oregano, and dried thyme (if using) together in an electric coffee or spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
• Drain the soaked chiles. Working in batches as necessary, place them in a blender with the ground herbs and spices (add fresh thyme at this point if using), garlic, onion, vinegar, salt, and about 1/2 cup water (or enough to facilitate the action of the blades). Process to a smooth purée (about 3 minutes on high), stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. With a wooden spoon or pusher, for the purée through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl. It should have the consistency of a thick but still moist paste.
• Season the pieces of goat or lamb with salt and pepper. Slather the seasoning paste all over the meat. Arrange in a large bowl (or any non-reactive container that's large enough), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 2 hours before beginning the cooking, to let the meat come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Choose a deep roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold the meat snugly. Scatter half of the avocado leaves across the bottom of the pan and arrange the meat on them. Scatter the remaining leaves over the meat. Cover the pan (wrapping very tightly with several layers of foil if there is no lid) and bake 6 to 7 hours (4 to 4 1/2 hours for the lamb). The meat should be almost falling off the bone.