Lamb Shoulder Tacos (Barbacoa-Style)

Braising a lamb shoulder in a flavourful chili sauce makes for some of the best tacos you will have in your life. Perfect for those after that classic barbacoa flavour, this takes a while to cook but the majority of that time is inactive.

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Servings 6

Prep Time 15

Total Time 5

Ingredients

1 ancho chile stem & seeds removed
1 guajillo chile stem & seeds removed
1 pasilla chile stem & seeds removed
2-3 chiles de árbol stem & seeds removed, optional
1 l (4 cups) chicken stock (see note 1)
1 ½ kg (3 ⅓ lb) bone-in lamb shoulder
10 g (2 tsp) salt divided (see note 2)
1 onion roughly chopped
4-6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp chopped chipotle chiles in adobo
60 ml (¼ cup) apple cider vinegar
2 tsp fish sauce
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Move the oven rack to the lower position and preheat to 135°C/275°F. Place a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium heat. Add the dried chiles and cook, stirring frequently, until they are very fragrant, roughly 2-3 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven and add to a small saucepan. Pour over 500ml (2 cups) of the chicken stock and set over high heat. Cover and bring to a vigorous simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the chiles to soften, covered, for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the lamb shoulder dry with paper towels and season with half of the salt. Add 1 tbsp of neutral oil to the pan and add the lamb, cooking on one side until browned - about 5 minutes - before flipping and browning on the other side, another 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon and cloves and cook until very fragrant, another minute or two. Pour over the remaining chicken stock, add the chipotle chiles and the remaining salt. Stir to combine.
Transfer the soaked chiles and their soaking liquid to the jar of a blender. Scrape in the onion mixture into the blender jar, as well. Blend on high until smooth and completely pureed, taking care as the mixture is hot. Pour the sauce back into the Dutch oven, stir in the apple cider vinegar, fish sauce and bay leaves, and bring to a simmer.
Add the browned lamb shoulder and any accumulated juices. Move to the oven and braise until the sauce is thickened and bubbling and the lamb is tender, offers little resistance when pierced with a knife and is falling off the bone, 4-5 hours, flipping once halfway through.
Once done, remove the lamb from the sauce and discard the bay leaves. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat and bring the sauce to a vigorous simmer. Simmer the sauce until it has reduced by about ⅓, roughly 5 minutes.
When it is cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred the meat from the lamb shoulder, discarding the bone. Add the shredded lamb to the reduced sauce and stir to combine, cooking just to warm through. Serve as tacos in corn tortillas, with lime, salsa verde and cilantro.

Notes

For best results, use unsalted stock so you can control the seasoning of the final dish.
For best results, measure salt by weight, as different salts vary in crystal size and density.

Make Ahead

The shredded taco meat can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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