Peg and I chose this cafe for lunch because we were going to visit the Tucson Art Museum after lunch...and it was close to the Museum. It was also dog friendly.
Peg ordered the Taco Salad – greens, roasted
vegetables, rice, black beans, picked onions, salad, crema and guacamole in a
crispy flour tortilla bowl. Peg chose
the Barbacoa as the meat. Peg loved
it…and I thought it looked really good.
I ordered the Taco Plate – 3 tacos served with slaw, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija and a side of black beans and escabeche (a mixture of picked onions and carrots). I also chose Babacoa as my meat. It delicious..the flour tacos were loaded…just huge. I also asked before ordering if you could mix and match the meats….yes! Good for them. (I just tried the Barbacoa at Salt and Lime in Scottsdale…and just like this meat…I love the taste.)
LoCa
Tall Boys
201
N. Court Avenue
Tucson,
Arizona
(520)
798-1618
Friday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00
p.m.
Hours: Sunday
- Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
What Is Barbacoa?
Barbacoa is actually
the Spanish word for barbecue. Just as in English, there is a distinction in
the Spanish-speaking world between barbecue (barbacoa) and grill (parrilla).
Even though many of us associate barbacoa with Mexican cuisine, the term and
the cooking style originated in the Caribbean with the native Taino people, and
many food historians agree that all forms of barbecue in the Americas are
descendants of this style of cooking. It generally refers to meats over an open
fire, being careful to keep the meat far enough from the flame so that it cooks
slowly and is infused with the smokey flavor of whatever wood is being burnt.
In Mexico, barbacoa
evolved into a specific cooking style in which meat is slowly cooked in a pit
dug into the ground, which is covered with agave leaves. This makes it similar
to other cooking styles, like pachamanca in Peru and kalua pork in Hawaii. As
opposed to the original Caribbean barbacoa, which is cooked in the open air,
cooking the meat sealed in a pit steams the meat by sealing in the moisture
while also imparting it with smoky flavor.
Barbacoa made in this
traditional manner can take most of the day to prepare, and it is often
something reserved for special occasions or eaten at specialized restaurants
that start the cooking process the night before. Many home cooks in Mexico and
throughout the Diaspora have thus adapted barbacoa to the home kitchen and have
converted it into a sort of pot roast. However, that’s where the comparison
ends. Not only is it seasoned differently, but it is also presented and eaten
differently, too.
Barbacoa is typically made out of tougher cuts of meat that
require long, slow cooking times. When done traditionally, barbacoa is made
with large cuts of meat or whole animals. In the United States, barbacoa is
usually associated with beef. However, in Mexico, barbacoa is made from beef,
goat, lamb or mutton. In the southern region of Yucatan, there is even a
variation of barbacoa called cochinita pibil, which is made from pork.
In the US, people typically make barbacoa with chuck roast,
brisket and beef cheeks. However, any cut of beef that has a lot of connective
tissue and takes a long time to cook until tender works well. Keep in mind that
there should be enough fat dispersed through the muscle fibers in order to keep
the meat moist during cooking. Leaner cuts of beef will dry out and become
stringy after a long time cooking, even if you are trapping steam within the
cooking vessel.
Also, don’t limit yourself just to one cut at a time, especially
if you’re making a large quantity. A variety of cuts can add depth and variety
to your barbacoa. While not super traditional, you can try incorporating short
ribs and oxtail to the mix. The bones and cartilage in those cuts will add
gelatin to the meat juices, which gives it body and richness. This is very
important because part of the pleasure of enjoying barbacoa is
sipping on what is called consomé, a clear broth made from the drippings. The
more rich and flavorful the drippings, the better the consomé.
You can also use gamier meats like lamb, goat, and mutton.
Mutton, or full-grown sheep, may be harder to come by in the United States,
especially in urban areas. Keep in mind that what South Asians refer to as
mutton is typically mature goat meat. Goat or kid (baby goat) are great
options, too. However, try to find a market or butcher that sells it in larger
pieces. Many retailers haphazardly slice frozen goat meat into two-inch cubes,
and it can include a lot of tiny bone fragments, which can be a choking hazard.
If opting for lamb, a leg or shoulder is ideal.
Barbacoa seasoning is perhaps the main component that
distinguishes this dish from other slow-cooked Mexican meat dishes. Exact
recipes vary tremendously, and each barbacoa chef has their own secret
ingredients to make it extra special. The barbacoa seasoning is meant to be a
marinade, and the flavors are meant to stand up to and even cut through the
strong flavors of the meat you’re using. That being said, barbacoa seasoning is
supposed to be bold.
Typical barbacoa seasonings include a combination of dried
guajillo and ancho chile peppers. Guajillo chiles are mildly sweet and taste
almost like dried fruit mixed with black tea. If you’ve ever had a cup of black
currant tea, that’s kind of what they taste like, but with a smoky, smoldering
kick of heat to them. Ancho chiles have a more pronounced smoky flavor, as well
as a bit of fruitiness. Both chiles are not considered very spicy (at least by
Mexican standards).
Other common barbacoa seasonings include Mexican oregano, which
is actually quite different in flavor from Italian or Greek oregano, though
those will work in a pinch. Pureed garlic and onions are also a must in many
barbacoa seasoning recipes, and many recipes also include sweet spices, like
cinnamon, allspice or a combination of both.
Barbacoa and birria can sometimes be confused, especially among those who
aren’t fluent in Mexican cuisine. Birria and barbacoa look similar and are prepared in very
similar ways, but there are some key differences between the two dishes. For
starters, barbacoa is consumed almost everywhere in Mexico, and each region has
its own specific style. Birria, on the other hand,
originated in the state of Jalisco, where it is considered the star dish.
Nevertheless, birria has also become
popular in other parts of Mexico where they prepare it differently.
Birria and barbacoa start with the same cooking method: a pit dug into the ground where hot coals or firewood is placed. For barbacoa, the pit is lined with agave leaves and the meat goes in by itself. With birria, the meat is placed in a pot with a sauce, the pot is sealed with tortilla dough, and the whole thing gets lowered into the pit. When preparing barbacoa, once the meat is cooked, that’s it! It gets served. But birria requires an extra step: a roasted tomato puré is mixed into the pot of sauce and meat and the whole thing is simmered again.
Barbacoa usually arrives to the table juicy but not swimming in a soup or sauce. Rather, the juices form part of the consomé that you enjoy on the side. Birria, on the other hand, is a soupier concoction that is almost always served in a bowl. Both birria and barbacoa can be made with similar cuts of beef, although goat meat tends to be more popular in birria’s home state of Jalisco.
