Tender slow-cooked shredded Welsh lamb in a spicy Mexican-style barbacoa sauce, piled onto soft tacos and loaded with toppings.
I'm making a taco FEAST today, and most of the work is done by the slow cooker.
Everyone will adore this special dish. So great for a family get together and it makes a brilliant alternative to the traditional Sunday Roast!
This post was created in partnership with PGI Welsh lamb. All opinions are my own.
Last year Chris and I spent a fantastic couple of days down in south Wales, learning all about lamb.
We visited the Salt Marshes at Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and made this delicious slow roast shoulder of lamb with it when we got back home.
Now we're working with Welsh lamb again!
You may not notice, but we do very little brand work. We work with just a handful a year, so we only pick our absolute favourite brands to work with.
We adore Welsh lamb, so that's why we're working with them again!
This time I really wanted to show of the versatility of lamb and how it can take on some seriously big flavours. So we're going Mexican and making these amazing barbacoa-style lamb carnitas tacos.
What do we need?
- 2 kg bone-in shoulder of Welsh lamb
- For spicy rich heat - adobo paste and chipotle paste
- Aromatics and spices - garlic, cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, ground cloves
- Chicken or lamb stock
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 Limes
To Serve:
- Soft tacos - I like to warm them in the oven or brown them on the griddle or homemade flatbreads.
- Plenty of choices for toppings - my favourites include: red onion, fresh coriander (cilantro), jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and lime wedges.
How to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Sear the lamb on all sides in a large frying pan, then add in adobo paste, chipotle paste, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, stock, salt, pepper, cloves and lime juice and bring to the boil.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 6 hours (see tip in the recipe card for cooking in the oven).
- Remove the lamb from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks.
- Fry the shredded meat in a pan in a little oil until crisp and golden.
- Divide the meat between warmed tacos. Drizzle on some of the sauce from the slow cooker and top with red onion, fresh coriander, jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa sour cream and guacamole.
- Serve with wedges of lime.
Don't be shy with those toppings now.
And be sure to drizzle on some of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker - it tastes AMAZING. In fact, I like to include little individual bowls of the cooking liquid for dipping.
More Mexican inspired recipes
If you love Mexican food, how about trying one of these recipes:
More Delicious Lamb Recipes
- Slow-Cooked Pulled Lamb Curry
- Greek Lamb Souvlaki Kebabs
- Slow Roast Shoulder of Welsh Lamb with Vegetables and Cider Gravy (One Pot!)
- Traditional Lancashire Hotpot
- Crispy Lamb Salad (sounds unusual but it's SO GOOD)
- Homemade Lamb Koftas < perfect on the BBQ
Watch how to make it
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Lamb Barbacoa Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) bone-in shoulder of Welsh lamb
- 1 tbsp adobo paste
- 1 tbsp chipotle paste
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 480 ml (2 cups) chicken or lamb stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- Juice of 2 limes - (about 4 tbsps of fresh lime juice)
To serve:
- 10-12 soft tacos - warmed
- 1 red onion - peeled and sliced
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 2 jalapenos - sliced
- 10 cherry tomatoes - quartered
- 4 tbsp salsa
- 120 ml (½ cup) sour cream
- 200 g (1 cup) guacamole - – shop-bought or homemade guacamole
- 2 limes - sliced into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. Add the lamb and sear on all sides.
- Add the adobo paste, chipotle paste, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, stock, salt, pepper, cloves and lime juice to the pan.
- Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and transfer to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 6 hours (see tip below for cooking in the oven).
- Once cooked, remove the lamb from the slow cooker.
- Place on a board and shred the meat using two forks. Discard the bones.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the shredded lamb for 3-4 minutes, turning every minute or so, until crisp and golden.
- Divide the meat between warmed tacos and drizzle on some of the sauce from the slow cooker.
- Top with red onion, fresh coriander, jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
- Serve with wedges of lime.
Video
✎ Notes
If you don't want to cook the lamb in a slow cooker, you can cook it in a heavy-based, oven-proof pan, with a lid, in the oven at 160C for 3 hours. Add an extra 180ml (¾ cup) of stock and check a few times during cooking to ensure the lamb doesn't cook dry. Add good splash of boiling water or stock if it starts to look too dry. Can I make it ahead? Yes - you can make up the carnitas right up to the point you shred the meat. Then cool, cover and refrigerate the lamb for up to two days.
Cool, cover and refrigerate the cooking liquid too. To reheat, fry the lamb in a large frying pan in two tbsp of oil until golden and piping hot throughout.
The cooking liquid can be reheated in a saucepan until piping hot. Can I freeze it? Yes. Make up the carnitas right up to the point you shred the meat. Then cool, cover and freeze.
Freeze the cooking liquid too (leave a little space in the container as the liquid will expand slightly upon freezing.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as per the 'make it ahead' instructions above. How to scale down this recipe to serve fewer people If you want to scale down this recipe for 2-3 people (around 6 tacos), replace the lamb shoulder with a half shoulder joint or 2 lamb shanks. Reduce the all of the other ingredients by one quarter and cook in the same way. Nutritional Information is approximate, per serving, including the tacos and toppings (this whole recipe serves 10).
Nutrition
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Houston713 says
I made a few changes but followed all the measurements to a tee. I switched the cloves to cinnamon, added extra lime juice and half an orange. Had some spring onions in frig so I threw those in too. This is a delicious recipe! Looking forward to making this at our next Sunday Brunch. Thank you!
Olivia says
This is the most tender lamb I’ve ever cooked and it goes perfectly crispy in the pan. I couldn’t find the adobo paste but it’s still full of flavour without it. The lamb goes beautifully in tacos and burritos. I also like to use this lamb in my own rice concoction with pepper, carrot, red onion, garlic, egg, coriander and turmeric 😋
Juan g says
I would not add sour cream or guacamole I used for chips as a appetizer?
simon says
Not sure where I'd purchase Adobo paste from as I've never seen it in the shops?
Nicky Corbishley says
It's normally in the spice aisle of larger supermarkets in little jars. In the mexican section, or with other paste jars (such as chipotle and tamarind paste).
Kath says
This post has coinsided with me visit g North Wales, I'm definitely going to pick up some Welsh lamb. Can't wait to try it😋