Barbacoa Don Panchito

Barbacoa Don Panchito is a family barbacoa business in Actopan, Hidalgo, that won the town's annual barbacoa contest for the fifth time in 2024.

Overview

Actopan calls itself a cradle of barbacoa and holds a Feria de la Barbacoa y el Ximbó each July, with a barbacoa contest on 8 July that has run for nearly half a century. Local barbacoa is cooked in earth ovens over mesquite wood, wrapped in maguey leaves and covered with palm petates.

At the 53rd contest in July 2024, Barbacoa Don Panchito, represented by Francisco García Badillo, took first place among 17 entrants. It was the family's fifth victory, and it had also placed second and third in earlier years. Judges scored flavor, appearance, texture, color, cooking and seasoning. Barbacoa Don Chava, represented by Andrés Alejo García, finished second.

Barbacoa in Actopan

Barbacoa in Hidalgo is typically lamb, eaten in tacos with consomé made from the drippings collected beneath the meat, and often accompanied by pulque. Actopan is also known for ximbó, a pit-cooked bundle of meat, nopales and chiles wrapped in maguey leaves.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de barbacoa
• Barbacoa pit
• Tacos in Hidalgo
• Francisco García Badillo

References

1. "Esta es la mejor barbacoa de Hidalgo: Don Panchito y Don Chava, son los 'reyes del sabor'". Excélsior. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Lugares para comer barbacoa en Hidalgo". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.