What we eat and how we eat is a big part of a culture. So diving deep into a specific dish from a country — its history, role in a culture and how it’s made and consumed — is a great place to start when you want to get a better understanding of a place. This is The Latch’s Taste the World series.
‘Barbacoa’ has two meanings. To many Spaniards, it refers to any meat cooked on an open flame — what we’d call “barbecue” in Australia. In Mexico, it also refers to meat cooked on an open flame but with a few extra steps.
The meat is marinated with herbs and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and simmered in an earthen pit oven until tender and juicy. The most common meats used for barbacoa are lamb, beef and pork. This is the meaning most relevant in Australia as the dish pops up on more menus, including restaurants Santa Catarina, Mesa Verde, Alegre and The Butler.
It’s widely thought the barbacoa method originated in the West Indies where the native Taino people used fire-resistance branches from bearded fig trees [type of tree native to the area] for cooking meat. They marinated it in herbs and spices to enhance its flavours and preserve it after cooking. The methods were great for making meat last longer.
“The cooking method makes the meat incredibly tender and flavourful often with a smoky taste,” says Mexican-born Ivan Castillejos, sous chef at Alegre which serves a 14-hour slow-roasted lamb barbacoa with pickles, salsa and tortillas.
“The meat is typically shredded and served in tacos, often accompanied by onions, salsa and a squeeze of lime. It can also be served with rice, beans or broth, depending on the [Mexican] region. In some areas, it’s a daily meal but for me, it was typically reserved for weekends or special occasions.”
If barbacoa is served with a broth, the liquid is usually made with drippings of the cooked meat. It’s also often served with warm tortillas. At The Butler, the lamb barbacoa is cooked in avocado and banana leaves and served with white onions, cucumbers, radishes, kalamata olives, yoghurt and green salsa.
“It’s cooked in a convection oven but we try to mimic the original taste of barbacoa by adding traditional spices and wrapping the lamb in leaves before cooking,” says Patrick Friesen, culinary director at Applejack Hospitality which owns The Butler.
Mesa Verde serves goat barbacoa with salsa, onions and coriander. The dish is made with goat shoulder and leg, marinated in garlic, spices, vinegar and chillies overnight before it’s wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked for several hours.
“I’m sure many restaurants like at Mesa Verde have had to modernise the cooking process, opting for gas ovens instead of a fire in an earthen pit,” says Jacob Green, the restaurant’s executive chef. “Aside from cooking it in a modern gas oven though we stick closely to the traditional techniques I learnt while working in Oaxaca.”
In Mexico, barbacoa is eaten on weekends, usually Sundays, as part of a family gathering or special occasion. It’s also a popular dish at celebrations and festivals, says Mexican-born Pablo Galindo, culinary director at Santa Catarina. In Mexico City, barbacoa vendors sell it in the morning, often alongside handmade tortillas and salsas. The dish is mainly a breakfast meal in Mexico.
“Lamb barbacoa holds a special place in Mexican culture as a dish that brings people together,” says Galindo. “The preparation itself can be a communal activity and the rich, tender meat is something many Mexicans associate with a cultural experience.”
Castillejos agrees Mexico City’s best barbacoa is from street stalls. Many barbacoa vendors are from Hidalgo, a small state north of Mexico City, known for its barbacoa traditions. The vendors travel two hours to the city to sell their barbacoa.
“Growing up with my grandma gave me the chance to experience her incredible cooking,” says Castillejos. “When it comes to making barbacoa at home, she knew exactly what she was doing. Even without a traditional pit or open fire, she always made it taste incredible though she reserved it for special occasions.”
Later in life, Castillejos says he enjoyed barbacoa when he was hungover, pairing it with a cold, long-necked Mexican beer. He considers his barbacoa recipe at Alegre one of his favourite creations and says it’s been hugely popular among diners.
Galindo thinks barbacoa’s newfound popularity in Australia is a byproduct of Mexican food here becoming more authentic. Though the versions of barbacoa at Australian Mexican restaurants he’s seen are often adapted to local tastes and available ingredients. As of yet no Australian restaurants serve barbacoa cooked in underground pits.
Barbacoa isn’t too different from the underground cooking method Indigenous cultures in New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa use, points out Friesen. People from many of those cultures cook meat and veggies with spices in underground ovens and serve them to groups of people.
“It’s amazing how we have these incredible techniques that have been around for ages and we still get to celebrate them today,” says Friesen.
Related: Tastemakers: Toby Wilson on Sydney’s Best Tacos — Other Than Ricos’
Related: Could This French Dish Created By Monks Go Mainstream?
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