StewsHardFree

Lamb Barbacoa

Name: Lamb Barbacoa
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 300 min
Total time: 330 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 Ancho chilli; 3 Morita chilli; 6 Hojas de maguey o de Banana; 400 g Garbanzos cocidos; 1 tsp Cumin; 4 Clove; 8 granos Black pepper; 6 cloves Garlic; 3 Avocado leaf; to taste Salt; 8 Guajillo chilli; 3 kg Pierna de borrego (cordero)

330 min (30 prep + 300 cook) Hard 12 servings Hidalgo

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 11 Mar 2026 · Updated: 19 Mar 2026

Lamb slow-cooked in maguey leaves with chiles and spices.

About this recipe

Lamb barbacoa is an ancestral Mexican dish consisting of lamb slowly cooked for hours, traditionally in a pit oven lined with maguey leaves. The meat is seasoned with a blend of dried chiles, spices, and herbs, wrapped in maguey leaves, and steam-cooked indirectly over a pot of water, chickpeas, and chiles that becomes a magnificent consomme. After 5 hours of cooking, the meat shreds effortlessly and has a smoky, earthy, and deeply savory flavor. It is served in tacos with chopped onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa borracha, accompanied by the chickpea consomme as a first course. This is the quintessential Sunday dish in central Mexico.

History & Origin

Barbacoa is one of the oldest cooking methods in Mesoamerica. The word comes from the Taino "barbacoa" which described a wooden frame for cooking over fire. In central Mexico, the Otomi people of Hidalgo's Mezquital Valley perfected the technique using underground ovens lined with pulque maguey leaves. Before the Conquest, it was made with deer, rabbit, or turkey; lamb arrived with the Spanish and adapted perfectly to the technique. Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, and the State of Mexico all claim the best barbacoa. In Actopan, Hidalgo, the annual Barbacoa Fair attracts thousands of visitors. Barbacoa makers prepare their ovens Saturday night, burying the meat along with the consomme to unearth it at Sunday dawn. This nocturnal ritual has been passed down for generations. Barbacoa is inseparable from pulque and salsa borracha made with pasilla chiles and pulque.

Estimated cost

£55.00

Total cost

£4.58

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

320

Calories

32g

Protein

Carbohydrates

18g

Fat

Fibre

560mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Soak the guajillo chillies and ancho in hot water for 20 minutes. Blend them with the garlic, cumin, clavo, pepper, leaves of avocado tostadas and salt until you get a sauce thick.
💡 Toast slightly the chillies before of remojar for intensificar its flavour.
2
Spread the meat of borrego generously with the sauce of chillies. Marinate in the fridge at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
3
Pasa the leaves of maguey or banana for heat directo for suavizarlas. Forra a large pot (tipo vaporera) with the leaves, leaving enough for envolver the meat.
💡 If using leaves of maguey, ásalas well for eliminar the baba and suavizarlas.
4
En the fondo of the vaporera, place water, the garbanzos cocidos and algunos chillies. Esta will be the base of the consommé.
5
Place the rejilla of the vaporera and acomoda the meat marinada on the leaves. Wrap well with the leaves remaining and cubre with aluminium foil and the cover.
6
Cook over low heat for 4-5 hours, verificando ocasionalmente that has enough water in the fondo. La meat will be lista when deshebra with facilidad.
💡 No levantes the cover innecesariamente for not perder the vapor.
7
Shred the meat and serve in tacos with chopped onion, coriander, lime and sauce borracha. Serve with the consommé of garbanzos in bowls aparte.