Barbacoa de cabeza


 
Jim Lampe

Jim Lampe

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Has anyone tried making this?
I found this thread from 2003, butt it took me nowhere.

Last week Friday, I was at my Harry Hansen's Meat Service and two or three south-of-the-border Americans were walking out with a couple of cow heads.
Well, after talking with a few co-workers that have tasted Barbacoa de cabeza, and with my love of Mexican cuisine, i feel a very strong urge to make Barbacoa de cabeza.
H3llb3lls, at 10 bucks a head, Why Knot??!!

So, anyone tried making this using the WSM?
I'm gonna do it no matter what!

Thanks in advance:wsm:
 
I have no experience using the whole head, just the cheek meat (I think it was labeled as conchita de res). I will say though that the cheek meat made some very tasty barbacoa tacos.

I wonder if you could put some coals in the fire ring, wrap the head and put it on them, then simulate burying it by putting more coals on top of and around the head, and inverting the water bowl over those coals?
 
Jim Jim Jim
You must stop reading Geir's posts (moose hearts, python, etc, etc)
If it looks like meat, fine, if it looks back at me, not so fine.

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Ethan, Thank you! I have been googling this butt have not come across this link yet...
I will continue later after a "normal" pork chop dinner BOB! ;)

I told you Bob, i like Geirs imagination with different cooks and when it comes to old Mexican recipes, I'm Game!
anyway, i gotta go tend my grill right now, later.
Again, Thanks Ethan!
 
Bob Correll said:
Jim Jim Jim
You must stop reading Geir's posts (moose hearts, python, etc, etc)
If it looks like meat, fine, if it looks back at me, not so fine.

cow-01.gif
Click to expand...

Bob hit the nail on the head with this one! I am game for almost anything, but not if it looks back at me. Thanks Ethan for posting that link. It also convinced me that I will not being doing this one, but am looking forward to Mr. L's cook..;)
 
Mr. lampe- you could try our local Norwegian recipe first? It's a bit smaller, and can actually be bought in supermarkeds before christmas time.

I present the Smalahove.

I must admit, I have never had the nerve to eat the eye. Or the brain. But the rest is rather tasty!

http://translate.google.com/transla...tf=1&u=http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalahove

The cow head looks like a fantastic adventure! Can't be worse than the whole pigs head that mr. Biesinger presented a few months back.
 
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Absolutely wild Jim. I seem to remember seeing basic instructions for this somewhere. It starts with "dig a big pit". You have got to do this! If I lived a little closer i'd come out and help. I'll do some research myself. I think you should befriend a couple of our south of the border friends and watch how they do it.
 
If you recall, I've done a pig head as well a several lamb heads. It was a tight squeeze getting a big pig head on an 18". You'll probably want to do a cow on a 22". The chef I was helping, opened up the pig cheeks (where most of the meat comes from) and cleaned out a ton of junk first. We didn't do that with the lamb heads, and I'll bet most don't bother when doing barbacoa. It's not hard to cook one, just do it like you do beef ribs as it's similar in meat/fat/bone ratio as well as starting toughness.
 
Jim Lampe said:
Has anyone tried making this?
I found this thread from 2003, butt it took me nowhere.

Last week Friday, I was at my Harry Hansen's Meat Service and two or three south-of-the-border Americans were walking out with a couple of cow heads.
Well, after talking with a few co-workers that have tasted Barbacoa de cabeza, and with my love of Mexican cuisine, i feel a very strong urge to make Barbacoa de cabeza.
H3llb3lls, at 10 bucks a head, Why Knot??!!

So, anyone tried making this using the WSM?
I'm gonna do it no matter what!

Thanks in advance:wsm:
Click to expand...

barbacoa meat, when made correctly, is one of the most tender and flavorful meats once could ask for to make tacos. especially the traditional mexican style with corn tortillas, raw onion, and cilantro with a squeeze of lime on top. i have yet to try and make it on the wsm. especially since i have a local mexican store that makes it every weekend. please post up your process on how it works out.
i do have a recipe for some outstanding carnitas as well. perhaps we can trade.
good luck.
 
This sounds fascinating, Jim. Can't imagine it'd be easy getting a cow head into a WSM though.
 
ok, the date is set to cook Barbacoa. The weekend of October 27th.
I will be using the 22"WSM. I aim to follow this guide (thanks Ethan!).
I am PUMPED about this cook!

even have t-shirts ready to go!

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i remember seeing anthony bourdaine eatin pigs head in puerto rico and he was raving about it...i guess whole hog BBQ is pretty popular in PR...
it did look good:p i guess cows head might be similar....just beefier tasting.
 
ok, the date is set to cook Barbacoa. The weekend of October 27th.
Great news Jim. Eagerly awaiting the report from you. Best of luck!
 
Jim cooking a whole cow head is to much work for what its worth in all honesty, back in the day my father and his friends would cook whole cow heads, La Caha China can probably get you the same results as a hole in the ground. I make barbacoa all the time but i just use cheek meat, i do not like dirty barbacoa where you use every part of the cows head, brains, eyes, tongue unless you make lengua etc...
 
Noe, would you mind posting how you make barbacoa with cheek meat? I did it once, smoked the cheeks in the WSM for about 1.5 hrs then finished them in a foil pan with beef broth until they were falling apart. It was good but I think my seasonings were off, it was seasoned like a brisket and tasted more like typical American bbq than a mexican dish. So I'd love to see how you do it. Thanks in advance.
 
Ethan G, all i do is put the cheek meat in the crockpot before going to bed no seasoning at all the cheek meat is so rich in flavor naturally, set it on low and the barbacoa is ready in the morning. Wrap up some corn tortillas in a damp napkin and heat in the micro, take the tortilla and fill with barbacoa and add salt to your liking, if you want to add pico de gallo go for it its delish, but try one just plain and simple corn tortilla, barbacoa and salt. Good luck!
 
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