Lamb Tacos Barbacoa Style Food

LAMB TACOS (BARBACOA STYLE)

Steps:

• Rehydrate the anchos and chipotles in a bowl and cover with hot, boiling water. Soak the chiles until they are soft, about 20 minutes.
• Add the chiles, paprika, oregano, cinnamon and garlic to a food processor. Pour in the oil and process until smooth. If the puree is too thick, add a tablespoon or 2 of the chile soaking liquid to thin to desired consistency.
• Place the lamb in a roasting dish and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Pour the puree on top, cover and marinate in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Thaw the banana leaves (if frozen) by running them under warm water. Line a turkey roaster or braising dish with the banana leaves, slightly overlapping them on one another.
• Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on the banana leaves. Wrap up the lamb with the banana leaves, tucking in the edges so it is completely covered. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the baking dish, then cover the entire pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake until the meat is tender and falling apart, 4 hours. Remove the foil and open the banana leaves. Shred the lamb with a fork and season with salt and lime juice. Serve with the warm flour tortillas, cilantro leaves, queso fresco, radishes and onions and pair with the Malbec.

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

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 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 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.