Barbacoa Is Style Of Mexican Barbecue That Goes Back Centuries
If it wasn’t already pretty clear from the spelling, the origins of the word barbecue come from from the word barbacoa, found in many Amerindian languages spoken by indigenous people throughout modern-day Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and eastern Venezuela. While there isn’t one specific historical definition of barbacoa it's often referred to some aspect of cooking outside, whether it be the act itself or in other cases, the wooden racks used in cooking. So it's no surprise that the modern day Mexican tradition of roasting meat outdoors is called barbacoa.
What is barbacoa?
In Mexico today, barbacoa is most notably recognized as a term to describe meat, often whole lamb, mutton or goat, that's cooked over an open fire or, more traditionally, in a fire-pit covered with maguey (agave) leaves.
In this more traditional method, the first thing that goes in the fire pit is a grill placed over a pot filled with a little liquid (like water or pulque, an alcohol distilled from the sap of the maguey plant). The meat is placed onto the grill and covered with maguey leaves and then the whole pit is covered with a lid and sealed. While the meat roasts, it's steamed and braised by its own juices and infused with the flavor of the maguey leaves. As a result, you're left with otherworldly levels of tenderness and fall-off-the bone meat.
Preparation varies depending on the region, but typically the meat is very simply seasoned. As a result, a huge part of eating barbacoa is how you eat it, often on some type of tortilla with different salsas.
Can I make barbacoa if I don’t have a fire pit?
Of course! Like many traditional forms of outdoor cooking, people have adapted recipes to use traditional ovens, grills and even Instant Pots to make barbacoa that can approximate the real deal.
When is barbacoa eaten?
Throughout Mexico, and now the world, you can find barbacoa 24/7 from restaurants and taco stands. However, barbacoa is not something that people tend to just cook for a casual weeknight dinner. It's a labor of love, and a dish often cooked by an entire family or community for holidays or celebrations. Preparation begins late at night or early in the morning, so that after hours of roasting, it's ready to eat by midday at the latest.
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