How Traditional Hidalgo-Style Barbacoa Is Made in an Underground Pit | Eater

"A rare, fourth-generation practitioner of the Hidalguense barbacoa tradition working street-side in Los Angeles, he raises and butchers his own lambs and uses the animals whole to create traditional Hidalgo-style barbacoa and consomé, with intestines and stomach turned into pancita (offal-stuffed stomach) and moronga (blood sausage) so nothing goes to waste. After butchering, shoulders, tailbone, spine and other meaty parts are arranged in a precise layout on a grill layered with maguey leaves above a cleaned pit; the leaves both enhance flavor and help prevent burning. Consomé simmers at the bottom of the pit, producing steam that, because the top runs hotter, circulates to slowly steam the meat for about twelve hours. When finished, the cooked pieces are separated by cut and boxed for sale, and the meticulous, ritualized technique is presented as essential to achieving the intended texture and taste." - Avery Dalal