Tender slow-cooked shredded lamb in a spicy Mexican-style barbacoa sauce, piled onto soft tacos and loaded with toppings.
I’m making a Lamb Barbacoa 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!
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.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
For the lamb barbacoa:
- 2 kg (4.4lb) bone-in shoulder of lamb
- For spicy rich heat – adobo paste and chipotle paste
- Aromatics and spices – garlic, cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, ground cloves
- Chicken stock or lamb stock
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 Limes
To Serve:
- Soft corn tacos – I like to warm them in the oven or brown them on the griddle or you could also use 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 fork, don’t discard the cooking liquid!
- Fry the shredded meat in a pan in a little oil until crisp and golden.
🌮 How to serve Lamb barbacoa
- Divide the slow cooked lamb barbacoa between warmed tacos.
- Drizzle on some of the sauce from the slow cooker,
- Then top with red onion, fresh coriander, jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa sour cream and guacamole.
- Serve with wedges of lime.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItDon’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
🇲🇽 More Mexican Inspired Recipes
If you like this Lamb Barbacoa and love Mexican food then why not try one of these next:
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – you can make up the barbacoa right up to the point you’ve shredded 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.
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.
I cook this recipe in a large (5.6 litre/6-quart) crockpot slow cooker. This is the slow cooker (<– affiliate link) I have, but I think they’ve stopped selling it now.
Morphy Richards also do a good ‘Sear and Stew’ slow cooker with a searing function and Cuisinart do a Sauté slow cooker.
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.
Yes. Similar to the make ahead instructions, make up the barbacoa right up to the point you’ve shredded 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.
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
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Lamb Barbacoa Recipe
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 (1/2 cup) sour cream
- 200 g (1 cup) guacamole – shop-bought or homemade guacamole
- 2 limes sliced into wedges
Instructions
Make the lamb barbacoa
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. Add the lamb and sear on all sides.4 tbsp vegetable oil, 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) bone-in shoulder of Welsh lamb
- Add the adobo paste, chipotle paste, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, stock, salt, pepper, cloves, and lime juice to the pan.1 tbsp adobo paste, 1 tbsp chipotle paste, 4 cloves garlic, 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, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, juice of 2 limes
- 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.
Assemble the lamb tacos
- Divide the meat between warmed tacos and drizzle on some of the sauce from the slow cooker.10-12 soft tacos
- Top with red onion, fresh coriander, jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.1 red onion, 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 2 jalapenos, 10 cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp salsa, 120 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream, 200 g (1 cup) guacamole
- Serve with wedges of lime.2 limes
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 barbacoa right up to the point you’ve shredded 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. Same as the make ahead instructions above, you can make up the barbacoa right up to the point you’ve shredded 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This lamb barbacoa recipe was first published in July 2020, updated in March 2025 with additional information and for housekeeping reasons.
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.
This was so easy to make. I put it in the slow cooker in the morning and came home to the most amazing aroma and absolutely melt in the mouth lamb. My daughter said it was the best she had ever tasted. Absolutely delicious, we will definitely be making this again and again.
This looks absolutely delicious. Where can I buy adobe paste? I can find chipotle paste easily but not adobe.
I’d like to try this using a whole chicken as i have a non-red meat eater in the family.
Any suggestions would be appreciated or do i just go for it using a reduced cooking time re: the chicken.