Barbacoa, orasado en barbacoa (Spanish:[baɾβaˈkoa]^ⓘ) in Mexico, refers to the local indigenous variation of the method of cooking in a pit orearth oven.^[1] It generally refers to slow-cookingmeats or wholesheep, wholecows, wholebeef heads, or wholegoats in a hole dug in the ground,^[2] and covered withagave (maguey) leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day (and in some cases) may refer to meat steamed until tender. This meat is known for its high fat content and strong flavor, often accompanied with onions andcilantro (coriander leaf). Because this method of cooking was used throughout different regions by different ethnic groups or tribes in Mexico, each had their own name for it; for theNahuatl it was callednakakoyonki;^[3] for theMayan it was calledpíib; for theOtomi it was calledthumngö.^[4]

Similar methods exist throughoutLatin America and the rest of the world,^[5] under distinct names, includingpachamanca andhuatia in theAndean region;curanto in Chile and southern Argentina; berarubu^[6][7] in Brazil; cocido enterrado^[8] in Colombia; orhāngī in New Zealand.

Although it is speculated that the word "barbacoa" may have originated from theTaíno language, this method of cooking in an earth oven has nothing to do with the original Taíno definition of the word.^[9]

There has been debate about the origin of the wordbarbacoa, with most scholars agreeing that it originates from theTaíno language.^[10] The Taíno termbarabicu orbarbacoa means "framework of sticks" or "reeds".^[11] It was applied, and continues to be applied throughout Latin America, to a wide range of objects or structures,^[12] like a raised wooden structure where the natives slept on; a raised wooden structure where they kept food away from the animals; a hanging hut; the attic of a hut; a scaffold; awattle; apergola forclimbing plants;^[13] a wooden bridge, a shelter, a loft inside a house, a treehouse and a raised, small box filled with soil for cultivating vegetables;^[14][15] and a wooden grill where the natives would cure their meats over fire and smoke.^[16]

But in Mexico, for some unknown reason, the termbarbacoa was applied by the Spaniards to the pit orearth oven used by the local indigenous people for cooking or roasting all kinds of foods.^[17][18] As a result from this discrepancy, a new hypothesis has been proposed that argues that the termbarbacoa, as used in Mexico, originates not from the Taíno term but from theMayan termBaalbak'Kaab, which supposedly means "meat covered with soil", although there is no evidence to support this.^[19][20]

Earth ovens orbarbacoa, as it’s known in Mexico, are an ancient, primitive method for cooking, steaming or roasting foods in holes or pits. Traditionally, in Mexico, a hole was dug in the ground proportionate to the size of the piece of meat or food being prepared; a fire was lit inside to heat it; In it, banana, maguey, or corn leaves are placed and with these the food that is to be roasted, whether meat or fish, is wrapped; then the hole is covered with soil, pressing it lightly and a large fire is lit on the surface layer; the food will remain roasting in this natural oven until cooked. InPre-Columbian Mexico, turkey, deer,dog, fish, seafood, rabbit or turtles, andpencas de maguey (maguey stalks and hearts), were the most common meats and foods used. With the arrival of the Spanish, mutton, beef, pork, and goat became the meats of choice.

Theasado en barbacoa (roasting in barbacoa) was widely prepared in Mexico at countryside festivities, such asrodeos (cattle roundups),herraderos (cattle branding celebrations),jaripeos and bull-fights,patron saint festivities of thehacienda, or family picnics.^[21] According to two articles published by Mexican writer Domingo Revilla in 1844 and 1845, respectively, the "banquet" at theherraderos was reduced tobarbacoas andasados al pastor (spit roasting barbecues) of whole calves (veal), bull or sheep,^[22] and wrote that whilebarbacoa was more common in theMezquital valley -particularly fromActopan-, andApan valleys and surrounding areas,asados al pastor were more common inTierra Adentro or theBajío region and beyond.^[23]

In her bookLife in Mexico (1843), Scottish noblewomanFrances Erskine Inglis, wrote about her experiences attending therodeos andherraderos in central Mexico, near the town ofSantiago inHidalgo, in 1840, and describes how at the end of anherradero a whole bull was cooked in barbacoa:^[24]

The last day of theherraderos, by way of winding up, a bull was killed in honour of Calderón, and a great flag was sent streaming from a tree, on which flag was inscribed in large letters, "Gloria al Señor Ministro de la Augusta Cristina!" a piece of gallantry which I rewarded with a piece of gold. The animal, when dead, was given as a present to the toreadores; and this bull, cut in pieces, they bury with his skin on, in a hole in the ground previously prepared with fire in it, which is then covered over with earth and branches. During a certain time, it remains baking in this natural oven, and the common people consider it a great delicacy, (in which I differ from them).

In the cities, though,barbacoa was very rarely prepared in homes, rather, it was sold and bought in the public markets, as it was a tedious and difficult process. In her book —Face to Face with the Mexicans (1889)—Fanny Chambers Gooch Iglehart, wrote:^[25]

Barbacoa is one of the principal articles of food known to the Mexican market—and is good enough for the table of a king. The dexterous native takes a well-dressed mutton, properly quartered, using also head and bones. A hole is made in the ground, and a fire built in it. Stone slabs are thrown in, and the hole is covered. When thoroughly hot, a lining is made of maguey leaves, the meat put in, and covered with maguey, the top of the hole is also covered, and the process of cooking goes on all night. The next morning it is put in a hot vessel, ready to eat-a delicious, brown, crisp, barbecued mutton. As the process is difficult and tedious, it is not generally prepared in the families, and even the wealthiest patronize the market for this delicacy, ready cooked.

By the 20th century, as a result of urbanization, theMexican Revolution, the cost of living, and other social and economic changes, different styles of barbacoa began to emerge depending on the region. According to Mexican chef and professor,Josefina Velázquez de León’s bookPlatillos Regionales de la República Mexicana (1946) barbacoa is prepared in different ways, thus, each region of Mexico has its own style taking advantage of its own local various productions and customs.^[26]

The most common barbacoa prepared and consumed all across Mexico isbarbacoa de res (beef barbacoa). In many regions, especially in southern Mexico and along the Gulf Coast, entire cow barbacoa is prepared.^[27] But the most common, and one of the oldest, isbarbacoa de cabeza, or beef-head barbacoa.

Barbacoa de cabeza, also known asCabeza guateada in Argentina and Paraguay, consists in roasting an entire cow head, including tongue and brains, in an earth oven. After being cleaned and seasoned, the beef-head is wrapped either in maguey or banana leaves, or in a burlap sack. Then it is traditionally buried in a hole in the ground that had been previously prepared and heated with fire. The head will remain cooking in this natural oven for up to 15 hours.

Barbacoa de cabeza was prepared in Mexico and South America out of the need to use every part of the cow after slaughtering it fortasajo. In 18th and 19th century Mexico, and Latin America, most of the beef consumed was dried salted beef known as "tasajo".^[28] After slaughtering a cow, most of the flesh was salted and dried, with the exception of the lomo (loin, ribs), organs, and head. Typically, the lomo, ribs, and the organs, like thetripas, were roastedal pastor style (spit roasted), while the head was cooked in barbacoa.^[29]

Birria (Spanish:[ˈbirja]^ⓘ) is a regional variation of barbacoa from western Mexico, mainly made with goat or beef.^[30] The meat ismarinated in anadobo made of vinegar,dried chiles,garlic, andherbs andspices (includingcumin,bay leaves, andthyme) before being cooked in a broth (Spanish:consomé). Historically,birria was the regional name given in the state ofJalisco and surrounding areas to what is known as barbacoa, meats cooked or roasted in a pit orearth oven, in other regions of Mexico.^{[31][32][33][34][35][36]} For many people today, mainly in the United States,birria is now a distinct dish.

Restaurants orstreet carts that serve birria are known asbirrierias^[37] and exist throughout Mexico, especially inMichoacán and Jalisco. However, neighboringMexican states have their own variations of the dish, includingAguascalientes,Zacatecas, andColima.^[37][38]

Cochinita pibil (alsopuerco pibil orcochinita con achiote) is a traditionalYucatec Mayanslow-roastedpork dish from theYucatán Peninsula.^[39] Preparation of traditional cochinita involvesmarinating the meat in stronglyacidiccitrus juice, addingannatto seed, which imparts a vivid burnt orange color, and roasting the meat in apíib (earth oven) while it is wrapped inbanana leaf. According to recipes from the early 1900s, the whole pig (eviscerated and with the hair burned) was cooked in the earthen oven.^[40] Cochinita pibil is accompanied with red onion in sour orange and habanero chili, very common in the region.

Ximbo (fromnximbo meaning "the heart of the maguey") is a traditional pit-barbecued pork dish from the Mexican states ofHidalgo andMéxico. It originated in theMezquital Valley, mainly in San Salvador and Actopan municipalities.Ximbo is anOtomi word. It is generally made from pork, beef, porkcueritos, fish, and chicken fried inchili sauce withnopalitos, cumin, oregano, and onions. It is then wrapped in small packages made ofcentury plant leaf.^[41]

In the U.S.,barbacoa is often prepared with parts from the heads of cattle, such as the cheeks, as in Mexico. In central Mexico, the meat of choice islamb, and in theYucatan, their traditional version,cochinita pibil (pit-style pork), is prepared with pork.

Barbacoa was later adopted into the cuisine of the southwestern United States by way ofTexas. The word transformed in time to "barbecue".^[42]

In thePhilippines, theVisayan dishbalbacua (also spelledbalbakwa) is named after barbacoa, probably for the similar length of cooking time and tenderness of the meat. It is a completely different dish. Unlike Latin American versions, it is astew made from beef,oxtail, cow feet and skin boiled for several hours untilgelatinous and extremely tender.^[43][44]

Brownsville Texas'sVera's Backyard Bar-B-Que as of 2022 is the only restaurant in Texas still serving barbacoa made using the traditional method commercially because they aregrandfathered in; all other legal commercial providers steam the meat rather than pit-smoking it.^[45][46][47]

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