In this short article, we will answer the question “How to make barbacoa without a slow cooker?” by showing you how to do so.
How to make barbacoa without a slow cooker?
Typically, barbacoa is made as follows:
- If you make a 50 cm to 1 m deep hole in the ground. The conventional hole is in the ground, however, some restaurants employ holes that are brick or stone-lined.
- Stones are positioned at the bottom of the hole, and a wood fire is lit, preferably one that produces a lot of embers.
- We erect the Babarcoa when the stones are extremely hot and the firewood has been reduced to embers:
The Barbacoa yokes flow into the huge pot underneath, which is typically filled with chickpeas, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and, of course, chile. This mixture is ultimately turned into the consommé.
- The meat is placed on top of the pan and can be either natural, which is the most popular option (with salt and a little lard) or spiced with chiles and other herbs and spices.
Maguey pulquero leaves are used to wrap the meat, giving the dish its classic appearance.
- To cover the hole and start a fire over the same hole, add more Maguey leaves on top of the meat. Yes, with heated stones at the bottom and flames at the top. In this configuration, meat can cook for up to 10 hours.
- After all this time, it’s finally time to remove the meat from the hole. Take great care to avoid getting messy. The meat is exceptionally tender and flavorful due to the Maguey leaves and the fact that it was cooked in the hoyo’s steam.
The consomme keeps the flavour of the beef and its yoke as well as the spices in the pot despite being a touch greasy. A true treat! You have the following choices when placing your order because it is typical to roast an entire animal inside the Hoyo de Barbacoa:
- Beginners should choose Maciza, Pierna, or Espaldilla because they are all pure meat without giblets.
- Cabeza, or the smaller head components like the lip, cachete, tongue, or even the sesos and ojos
- Assorted – mixed together
Some claim that the key is in the sort of wood that produces the embers, while others assert that it lies in the Maguey tree’s leaves or even the animal’s ancestry (Hidalgo being the most appreciated).
It is not clear which of these factors contributes to the flavour, but the reality is that a decent barbacoa tastes best when served with salsa from the mother’s kitchen and consommé.