You don’t normally think of spicy chiles when you think of eating lamb. People recommend gentle spices like mint or rosemary and garlic to help bring out the lamb’s flavor. The recipes I normally see are ones inspired by Greek and Turkish cooking. Well, in Mexico, they’re very fond of lamb and, you guessed it, they eat it real spicy!
My husband recently found some “naturally raised” lamb from a local farm and we had a two-day, Mexican lamb-eating party. Some they just grilled with Spicy Steak Seasoning so we could hurry up and start eating. Most of it they steamed in a huge pot after basting in a chile sauce my cousin-in-law made. This is known as Barbacoa (Like Barbecue!) and is the traditional way lamb is prepared in Mexico. Goat is sometimes cooked the same way, but then it’s called Birria. I’ve had venison and chicken like this, also, and it’s very tasty. The meat is very, very moist and everything is infused with tasty chile and aromatic herbs that are placed in the water at the bottom of the steamer (bay leaf, peppercorn, garlic, onion, cumin) and then served with extra chile sauce for those who want more. The best incarnation of this lamb meal, however was the next day when my husband basted some pieces of lamb all over with the leftover chile sauce and cooked it slowly on the grill. Tender on the inside, nice and spicy and grilled on the outside. Like American barbecue, but without the sweet. We both agreed that that’s how we wanted to make it from now on!
To make the chile sauce (for grilling or for steaming up some barbacoa) you will need:
1/2 clove garlic
1 black peppercorn
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
1/8 tsp. oregano
3 dried chiles anchos (also known as poblanos) (All of these chiles can be found in your local Mexican grocery.)
4 dried chiles guajillos (or red new mexican chiles)
6 dried chiles de arbol (also known as pikines)
salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp.)
Remove the stems, seeds and veins from the dried chiles, place in a pot with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook until soft (~5 min.) Place the hydrated chiles and the other ingredients in the blender with just enough water to get it to blend well and blend on high for about a minute. Pour into a bowl and you’re ready for basting!
Cut your lamb up into grillable pieces, salt, grill (at about medium-low) ’till it’s not quite as done as you like it. Then baste with the chile and grill until that dries up and it’s done to perfection. Most people say that you should leave lamb pink on the inside, but my husband and I prefer meat that’s been cooked within an inch of it’s still being juicy (no pink here!) Serve with refried beans and tortillas, if desired, maybe some Mexican rice! Enjoy!
Penelope says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!