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Tacos de barbacoa

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Barbacoa de borrego, Barbacoa de hoyo, Barbacoa hidalguense

Tacos de barbacoa are tacos of lamb or goat that has been wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked overnight in an earth oven, a weekend tradition of central Mexico most closely associated with the state of Hidalgo. They are typically eaten in the morning with a cup of the consomé collected beneath the meat.

Contents
  1. Etymology and origins
  2. Preparation
  3. Serving and customs
  4. Recipe
  5. Where to try it
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Etymology and origins

Larousse Cocina explains that the word barbacoa comes from the Caribbean, where it named a framework used to roast fish and meat outdoors; the same root gave English the word barbecue. The Mexican dish combines that borrowed name with a much older practice of cooking food in pits, which sources associate with the Maya pib and other earth ovens of Mesoamerica.

Barbacoa in its present form took shape only after the Spanish introduced sheep and goats, which were then cooked in the indigenous manner. Excélsior describes Actopan, in Hidalgo's Mezquital Valley, as the self-styled cradle of the dish, a place where pre-Hispanic technique met European livestock and where conditions favor sheep raising.

Preparation

A pit is dug in the ground and, in many family operations, lined with brick or stone to hold heat. Firewood and sometimes dried maguey leaves are burned inside until the stones are very hot. The pit is then lined with fresh maguey pencas, which have been softened over the fire; the meat goes in and is covered with more pencas, a lid and earth. Cooking takes eight to ten hours, typically overnight.

A Hidalgo barbacoyero interviewed by the federal consumer magazine Revista del Consumidor described the pencas as the essence of the dish and noted that he reuses them because a maguey takes years to mature. The juices released during cooking are gathered and made into consomé, a broth served alongside the meat. Many Hidalgo cooks also bake ximbó in the same pit: a parcel of chicken or mixed meats with pork rind and nopales, seasoned with chile and wrapped in maguey.

Serving and customs

Barbacoa is sold by the kilo or in tacos at markets and roadside stands, mostly on weekends and early in the day. In Actopan the 8 de Julio market and El Arenal are cited as places to try it, and the town holds a July barbacoa fair at which dozens of local barbacoyeros compete; Ixmiquilpan hosts a barbacoa and pulque fair of its own. Lamb remains the preferred meat in central Mexico, though chicken and pork are also cooked this way. Tacos are usually eaten on fresh corn tortillas with chopped onion and cilantro, salsa and lime, accompanied by a bowl of hot consomé.

Outside Hidalgo the tradition is strongly rooted in Tlaxcala, the State of Mexico, Puebla, Querétaro, Morelos and Mexico City. In northern Mexico and South Texas the word barbacoa usually refers instead to slow-cooked beef head; see barbacoa de res.

Recipe

Makes About 30 tacos · Time: Marinate 2 hours; 5 to 6 hours cooking

Ingredients

  • 2.5 kg bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces
  • 1 tbsp coarse salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, mashed
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles, toasted (optional, for a lightly seasoned rub)
  • 4 to 6 banana leaves or 2 large maguey leaves, softened over a flame (or parchment)
  • For the consomé: 1 cup chickpeas (soaked), 1 carrot, 1/2 onion, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 litre water
  • 30 corn tortillas
  • Chopped onion and cilantro, limes, salsa borracha or salsa verde

Steps

  1. Rub the lamb with salt and garlic, and with blended guajillo paste if using. Let it stand 2 hours.
  2. Put the consomé ingredients in the bottom of a large steamer pot or tamalera, with a rack set above the liquid.
  3. Line the rack with the leaves, add the lamb and fold the leaves over it. Cover with foil and a tight lid.
  4. Steam over low heat for 5 to 6 hours, adding hot water to the bottom as needed, until the meat falls from the bone.
  5. Shred the meat. Season the consomé in the bottom of the pot with salt and serve it in cups with chopped onion and cilantro.
  6. Serve the lamb on warm tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa, with consomé on the side.

A home steamer imitates the moist heat of the pit; for smoke, finish the wrapped meat on a covered grill.

Where to try it

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Barbacoa". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Platillo sabio: Barbacoa". Revista del Consumidor (PROFECO, gob.mx). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "No te pierdas la Feria de la Barbacoa 2026 en Actopan, la cuna de este platillo". Excélsior. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  4. "Barbacoa, un manjar mexicano: ¿Dónde comerla en Hidalgo?". UnoTV. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  5. "Todo sobre la barbacoa mexicana". Matador Network. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Breakfast tacos Goat tacos Hidalgo cuisine Lamb tacos Pit-cooked dishes Taco types