Lamb Tacos
Lamb is the best…ok? I grew up eating lamb, I know it is a regional thing…some people just have never had the chance to get to know how great it is. I have a really hard time not getting a lamb dish at a restaurant. Even if I am eating at a place famous for…anything…..if there is lamb on the menu, I am really tempted.
One of the best things about lamb is that it is super versatile. Cultures all over the world eat lamb and it fits into all sorts of cuisine. Mexican, Greek, Italian, Filipino, you name it….they eat lamb. For that reason you are not just limited to a few recipes. The other thing is that you don’t have to buy the most expensive cuts. While a rack of lamb is AWESOME (cook it rare for sure~), you can get less expensive cuts and work some real magic. I used a piece of lamb shoulder for this dish, it was less than $6.00 and it fed 3 people. 2 bucks each…..
If you watch food network or check the Interwebs you can find some really cool ways to cook different cuts of lamb. Get the smoker out, pressure cookers work great on lesser cuts, braising, really anything will work. There is a cool cooking technique that attaches lamb to a metal formed cross, they stick it in the ground near the fire and let it cook slow, it looks really cool. I have also seen butcher string tied to a leg of lamb and it dangled in front of a fireplace (with a drip pan of veggies below)…. totally cool…right?
For this recipe I used a 1 lb lamb shoulder. You cab use the leg, shank, shoulder or any cut that would be good to braise for a long period of time.
You will need to adjust the amounts below to match the weight of meat that you are cooking.
I used a pressure cooker but you can use a Dutch oven or any pot suitable for oven or stove top braising. Again, the key here is to cook it slow. If you cook to fast, the meat will not break apart and the connective tissue will ruin your tacos. Cook it slow until it shreds…like BBQ. I feel the liquid helps keep everything on point…and it is awesome for soups later…..
What you need:
1 lb lamb shoulder (get a little more than you think you need).
1/4 cup of red wine
Garlic 2 cloves chopped
1/2 onion chopped
2 ribs of celery
1/2 red or yellow pepper chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo (see picture) use 2 or 3 if you want to heat it up
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 dried porcini mushroom (mushroom can be put in hot water for 10 min to soften), skip this if you don’t have one….not crucial.
Salt & pepper
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Sear meat on all sides in a pot on the stove to get a crust on all sides. After searing, remove the meat and set aside.
Chop the onion, garlic, celery, and peppers. It’s a good idea to do this as you are searing the meat. Add the veggies to the pot and cook them 3-5 minutes. Add chipotle pepper, beef broth, wine porcini mushroom, and tomato paste to pot. In a braise the liquid should reach ½ way up the meat but not cover it as in a stew.
Bring pot to boil on high heat. Lower heat to allow pot to simmer for 2 hours or put in 325 degree oven for 2 hours. You want meat to shred when you take it out of the pot so the time may vary according to weight of meat. Remember, cook this in whatever technique you feel comfortable with…the key is to cook it slow until it shreds.
Serve the lamb in corn or flour tortillas with onions, cilantro, cabbage, cheese, or whatever toppings you like. One thing that will absolutely make this dish…… the corn tortillas. I have a little Mexican grocery store a few miles from my house. They have a little old lady that makes corn tortillas from scratch every day. They are AWESOME! They keep them in a cooler by the register (to keep them warm) and sell them 10 for $1.25. Go out and stop in a few of these places, I am sure you will find one near you. There is a world of difference between commercial and homemade tortillas. You can also check our homemade corn tortilla recipe here….super easy……and one bag of Masa will last you a year or two…
Thanks for reading! Good Luck!