Off to México
Then, eventually, somehow, it came to México and became one of the country’s most popular dishes. Perfecting the process and using a maguey plant instead and a fire pit. It is often used for slow-cooking whole sheep or goats. However, you can cook whatever animal you want, from rabbit to chicken; it is all about cooking the meat until it is super tender; we must add that the interpretation of this method is rather loose. There are many ways of doing it, and the tactics and strategies of cooking may vary from state to state or even from restaurant to restaurant.
The consommé
An essential part of cooking the barbacoa is the consommé. While the meat is cooking, you leave a bowl underneath it, so all the juice that the meat let loose is trapped in this bowl, which, in the end, you may add some lemon, coriander, and onions, and you have yourself a super soup, better known as consommé.
Versions
For example, in the United States, the preferred way to do it is with the head of the cattle, such as the cheeks. In the north of México, it is often used beef head; however, it is more preferred the goat meat. And, in central México, the meat of choice is lamb. However, in Yucatán, one of the finest places in México to eat, it is prepared with pork, with their famous cochinita pibil dish, which is widely known around México, and maybe the world.
The etymology
Let’s not confuse the word barbecue with barbacoa. Although similar, and both coming from very similar places, they are very different. For instance, barbecue means meat cooked on a grill—slow, fast, whichever way the cook wants. However, barbacoa means cooking on a stove that is undergrown and cooked very slowly in a specific way. Both use fire, of course, but one, the barbecue, uses it directly, and the other, the barbacoa, uses the steaming method of cooking, more related to smoking than grilling. Hence, be careful when using these words; they do not mean the same thing.
The fire pit
How is this pit built? As mentioned earlier, there are as many cooks cooking this dish as ways of doing this dish. However, here, we will give you a general idea of how this stove is made. Usually (I can’t stress enough the word usually here), it is a brick-lined oven, 23 inches in diameter and three feet deep. Wood is put at the bottom and burned until the pit steams with heat.
When to eat barbacoa?
Barbacoa is a fine dish. It is a delicacy. You eat only on special occasions, and each occasion is special. You eat it, for example, after you have a long night of partying.. At weddings, big parties or special events. But it is something you eat every once in a while, not even once a week, it is even less.
Conclusion
Barbacoa is a term used to specify how the meat is cooked, as you have read. You can cook whichever meat you want; however, the traditional types of meats, as mentioned above, will depend on where you are eating this barbacoa. In the south, pork will probably be the preferred meat; if you are in the north, beef; and in central México, goat or sheep. These last two, goat or sheep, are the most famous ways of doing it. It is what everybody thinks it is, but this is inaccurate. It depends more on the region.
Can I cook barbacoa without a fire pit?
Yes. As a matter of fact, you can. Like many traditional dishes, they have been found ways to replicate the dish without going to all that trouble. For example, the instant pots are pretty good at resembling the original plate to almost the real thing.
When is barbacoa eaten?
You can find it in México and the world, 24/7. Remember, the dish takes around 12 hours to make, so it is not something you make for every meal.
