Lamb Barbacoa Carnitas

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
• Plenty of choices for toppings - my favourites include: red onion, fresh coriander (cilantro), jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and lime wedges.

• 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.

Watch how to make it

Lamb Barbacoa Carnitas

By: Nicky Corbishley

Tender shredded lamb in a spicy barbacoa sauce, piled onto soft tacos and loaded with toppings. All the work is done in the slow cooker!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 6 hrs 15 mins

Total Time 6 hrs 30 mins

Course Dinner, Party Food

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 10 servings

Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) bone-in shoulder of Welsh lamb2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) bone-in shoulder of Welsh lamb
• 1 tbsp adobo paste1 tbsp adobo paste
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 4 cloves garlic - peeled and minced4 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp cumin1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp dried oregano1 tbsp dried oregano
• 480 ml (2 cups) chicken or lamb stock480 ml (2 cups) chicken or lamb stock
• 1 tsp salt1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Juice of 2 limes - (about 4 tbsps of fresh lime juice)Juice of 2 limes - (about 4 tbsps of fresh lime juice)

To serve:

• 10-12 soft tacos - warmed10-12 soft tacos - warmed
• 1 red onion - peeled and sliced1 red onion - peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 2 jalapenos - sliced2 jalapenos - sliced
• 10 cherry tomatoes - quartered10 cherry tomatoes - quartered
• 4 tbsp salsa4 tbsp salsa
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream120 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream
• 200 g (1 cup) guacamole - – shop-bought or homemade guacamole200 g (1 cup) guacamole - – shop-bought or homemade guacamole
• 2 limes - sliced into wedges2 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

Cooking in the oven rather than the slow cooker:
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 (3/4 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

Calories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 1069mgPotassium: 624mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 251IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 4mg

Keywords slow cooker

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Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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