Barbacoa pit

The barbacoa pit, or hoyo, is the earth oven of central Mexico in which lamb or goat wrapped in maguey leaves is slow-cooked over hot stones, with a pot underneath to catch the juices for consomé.

Description

Larousse describes central Mexican barbacoa as meat wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked in an earth oven, a method it traces back to the Maya pib; it took its modern form with lamb or goat after those animals were introduced. México Desconocido describes meat wrapped in maguey and cooked in a pit with coals and hot stones.

Process

Chilango's account of barbacoa describes a long wood fire heating volcanic stones in a dug pit or, in many modern operations, a brick oven. A clay pot holding chickpeas is set at the bottom to collect the dripping juices, which become the consomé, and the salted lamb is laid between maguey leaves above it. Traditionally the meat goes in by about midnight and comes out between five and six in the morning, in time for the early crowds.

Etymology

The word barbacoa is of Caribbean origin and originally named a frame of sticks for roasting meat or fish; Chilango links it to the Nahuatl tapextle. Larousse also notes that butane-heated ovens with lava stones are now used for some barbacoa.

Regions

Larousse names Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Querétaro, Puebla, the State of Mexico, Morelos and Mexico City as the heartland. Chilango singles out Capulhuac, Texcoco, Actopan and Villa del Carbón, whose summer barbacoa fairs draw visitors. Barbacoa is commonly eaten with salsa borracha.

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de barbacoa
• Tacos de barbacoa de res
• Pib
• Salsa borracha
• Mixiote leaf

References

1. "Barbacoa". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Historia de la barbacoa". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "Los tacos (primera parte)". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.