Barbacoa

Ron_L said:

Thanks! Is there an acceptable alternative to cheek meat? I haven't looked for it, but I'm not sure that is readily available around here.

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I lived in Texas for 40 years and have had really good barbacoa although I have never made it. Living in Mizzou now and I really miss it and thought I could try to make my own. Couldn't find cheek meat here either.

My sis back in Texas is married to a Mexican who's parents still live in Mexico and she says that Barbacoa is ALL about the cut of meat and once you change that it becomes something else. Apparently cheek meat has some rather unique connective tissue etc that get broken down and really makes the dish what it is. A butcher mite be able to point you towards a similar cut I guess.

Pretty much what has already been stated. Barbacoa must be cheek meat. People will use other cuts (whole packer brisket/chuck roasts) and prep em the same way and call it barbacoa, but it it actually desebrada (pulled beef).
Sam's has the best deal on it. I'd try checking to see if they could order you some. Wal Mart has it as well, but the cost/amount ratio is not as good as what Sam's will sell.

Ag76 said:

Not to my knowledge. Barbacoa is a Mexican dish, and can be found at meat markets catering to that clientele. It is readily available in Texas, but not sure about where else.

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According to Steve Raichlen, barbacoa originated in South America, on one of the islands.

Interestingly enough, and you guys may have thought I was kidding (I wasn't)... modern BBQ, i.e., the use of charcoal, is a Motor City (Detroit) invention, by Mr. Henry Ford.

No one gives us credit... it's just one of the lies they tell about my people. :becky:

Let's not confuse the style of cooking with the dish, which is what this thread is about. The style refers to cooking meat over a wood fire/coals or in hole in the ground. You can cook goat, beef heads, pig head, lamb, and if cooked over wood fire or in a hole in the ground, is also called barbacoa due to the style it was cooked. Kalua pig is cooked using the barbacoa style, but just goes by a different name.
Barbacoa also refers to the Mexican dish(which traditionally is beef cheek meat) which can be cooked several ways, but for the most part requires a long steaming period to break it down.
It can be done on a stove top using a long boil process, the oven, or even just wrapped up in many layers of foil and tossed in a grill, smoker and done indirectly.

My wife and I just got back from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The resort we stayed at had several Ala Carte restaurants, one had a sign out front "Barbacoa" on the left side and "BBQ" on the right. They did serve a pretty good suckling pig obviously done over an open fire and they had a nice built in charcoal grill with all you can eat Filet Mignon's. I put a hurt on them that night.

Scott

btcg said:

Interestingly enough, and you guys may have thought I was kidding (I wasn't)... modern BBQ, i.e., the use of charcoal, is a Motor City (Detroit) invention, by Mr. Henry Ford.
:becky:

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Not entirely true. Ford and Edison improved the process, but the patent rights were first granted in 1897 to an Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer of Reading, PA. Ford didn't make any briquettes until the 1920's.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/features/articles/summergrilling/charcoal.php

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5254994_invented-charcoal-briquette.html

Ford mainly did it because he wanted to find a use for the wood scraps from his shipping containers. The man was an efficiency genius!
And this is only briquettes we're talking about here. Charcoal (lump) has been around WAY longer

We now return this thread to your usual programming....:becky:

Ag76 said:

Someone asked about how to cook barbacoa yesterday. I don't remember who it was, but I replied that a friend of mine has cooked it a lot, and that I would check with him. Here is how he does it:

Take 10 LB. of beef cheek meat and heavily season it with chili powder, black pepper, comino and salt.

lay the meat directly on the racks in a barbeque pit preheated to 350 degrees and cook for 4 hours at 300 to 350 degrees.

transfer the fully cooked meat to a 1/2 sized aluminum steam table pan (2 3/16" deep. Pour in most of a can of beer(either pour out the rest or drink it, your choice), one can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chilis and the juice from one lime.

Seal the pan with foil and put in an oven preheated to 200 degrees. Braise for about 4 hours. If the meat doesn't fall apart with a fork then braise it longer.

Eat on tortillas with fresh Pico de Gallo and Cilantro or for breakfast with scrambled juevos.

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Never tried the chili powder, cumin, or actually smoking first then braising. This is on my list to try.

Our standard, is wrapped in layers of foil with fresh minced garlic, onion, bay leaves, a jalapeno or two and salt and pepper. Basically becomes a big barbacoa BOMB. It then goes into a grill or even the UDS and we let it go for hours. Turning and rotating the bombs every hour or so.

Funny story, my dad one time made a few of these bombs. Probably 20 lbs or so and put em in late at night. He said he could smell it cooking all night long. Well, the fire got away from him. What he smelled was the barbacoa burning. He went out early in the morning to pull them off and when he went to grab the first bomb, he was expecting some weight and heft to each one. Well, the foil collapsed inward. All that was left was the foil shell. Nothing was left inside except burnt, black, mush. He was devasted. :heh:
He's never left it unattended ever since.

Ag76 said:

Bob:

I will pass along your recipe for barbacoa to the friend who supplied the above recipe. His barbacoa is very good. I am sure yours is too, and we will try it soon. Thanks.

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I look forward to giving his method a try as well. I can see how smoking it first adds a whole nother dimension of flavor to it.
Almost forgot, the beer is an essential step in the process. It's not the same without it.:thumb:

Bob

Saw this method on line:
Throughout Mexico, traditional barbacoa is often made in the same way it was for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. In this original, Indian pit-cooking process, the meat is seasoned, wrapped in either maguey or banana leaves, then placed on a grill over a cauldron of water that is set over glowing coals in a pit about three feet deep. Often, beans, other vegetables, and spices are added to the pot, and will later be served as a soup with the meat. The pit is then covered and sealed with damp earth. The result is that the meat cooks in a unique process combining smoke and steam. Through the magic of culinary alchemy it emerges falling-apart tender, and infused with the flavor of smoke. In the United States, barbacoa is often made with only half the process. Usually, meat from the cow’s head is steamed in special steel vessels rather that smoked over water in the traditional manner, (although it should be noted that some commercial producers in Mexico have also forsaken the traditional pit).
http://lomexicano.com/barbacoa.htm

Paulmark said:

Saw this method on line:
Throughout Mexico, traditional barbacoa is often made in the same way it was for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. In this original, Indian pit-cooking process, the meat is seasoned, wrapped in either maguey or banana leaves, then placed on a grill over a cauldron of water that is set over glowing coals in a pit about three feet deep. Often, beans, other vegetables, and spices are added to the pot, and will later be served as a soup with the meat. The pit is then covered and sealed with damp earth. The result is that the meat cooks in a unique process combining smoke and steam. Through the magic of culinary alchemy it emerges falling-apart tender, and infused with the flavor of smoke. In the United States, barbacoa is often made with only half the process. Usually, meat from the cow’s head is steamed in special steel vessels rather that smoked over water in the traditional manner, (although it should be noted that some commercial producers in Mexico have also forsaken the traditional pit).
http://lomexicano.com/barbacoa.htm

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That's pretty much the style right there. Sadly, when my granfather passed away in '96, so did this tradition. He built an underground pit in every house they owned. Birthdays, weddings, births, etc were celebrated by making either goat, lamb, or beef heads. I've never heard of using a cauldron full of water. I can see how that could be a chore to lower the vessel and then fill it with water. Also pretty cool as to how they filled the cauldron with beans, veggies, etc. Most times my grandfather placed maguey/agave leaves on top of the coals and then the meat on top of those. The leaves provided the moisture and the steam. The meat was usually wrapped in layers of foil and wet burlap and then chicken wire so that he could pull the whole thing back out. The most recent attempt at this was over the summer. I went to a Fantasy Football draft party in Albuquerque, NM with a buddy of mine. It was a 3 day event and they bought the entire pig, built the pit, and they cooked it all night long. One difference was that we also built a fire on top to help get it all cooked. They basically buried an entire 55 gallon drum in the ground and went from there. Brought back a lot of memories and the meat was fantastic. My buddies cousin is a great chef down there with his own catering biz and made the marinade that the pork cooked in. It was fantastic.
I can post some pics later on.

barbacoa is all over the place in calif. i have a place i get it from thats almost down the block. to cheap and easy to buy for me to make. love the stuff. when i was in rehab i was really craving for some. convinced a nurse to get me some. to this day i think it was the best thing i ever ate !