Cherry Wine Lamb Barbacoa With Carrot Slaw + Corn Tortillas

There are three movies in this world that I could watch multiple times a week for the rest of my life and still love them more with each watch. Julie & Julia, The Family Stone (admittedly, I’ve already watched this 6 times just this month), and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

I made someone watch the latter for the first time earlier this year (it was a shame they hadn’t ever seen it yet). After we watched the cherry glazed rack of lamb scene, they suggested I start a series recreating recipes from my favorite movies. That was in February. Eight months later, I finally got around to it. I don’t know if I’ll do any more of these, but I at least had to do the movie that inspired the idea.

So, this is my very loose interpretation of Matthew McConaughey’s “rack of lamb with a cherry glaze and sides of carrots and potatoes” … sans the potatoes.

Cherry Wine Lamb Barbacoa with a Cherry-Lime Carrot Slaw and Homemade Corn Tortillas.

From the way this is cooked to the cherry wine, this is no traditional barbacoa. It does have the same spices and peppers that barbacoa does, however, and makes one delicious taco, if I do say so myself. I’d like to think that Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey would approve.

I used Kijafa Cherry Wine, which is a fortified fruit wine made from cherries. It’s sweet, tart, and has a subtle note of almond that works so well with the warm spices in the marinade. If you don’t want to use or can’t find cherry wine, you can sub it with 1/2 cup of pitted cherries in the marinade blend and the half the amount of red or white wine that the cherry wine calls for + the other half sub with cherry juice.

Along wth the cherry wine, the marinade has tons of spices, ancho, guajillo, and chipotle peppers, cherry vinegar, oranges, and other aromatics that create a juicy, mildly fruity, and spicy sauce for the lamb to be slow-braised in and soak up all those flavors.

Lamb is already rich enough, and the marinade that turns into the braising liquid is quite dark and rich, as well. The carrot slaw not only reinforces the cherry flavor with more Tart Cherry Vinegar, but also adds a much needed crunch and acidity to the Barbacoa.

Finally, corn tortillas are one of those foods that I think genuinely makes such a difference when made homemade. I also find it cheaper and much more convenient to make them homemade, considering I can never finish a bag before they go bad. As long as I have masa flour and salt on hand, I can make them to order whenever I need.

Cherry Wine Lamb Barbacoa Tacos with Cherry Lime Carrot Slaw

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Rest Time: 3 hours | Cook Time: 3.5-4 hours

Cherry Wine Lamb Barbacoa

• 1.5 lb lamb stew meat (see note*)

Spice mix:

• 1 tbs. ground cumin

• 2 tsp. ground coriander

• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tbs. Mexican oregano

• 2 tsp. black pepper

• 2 tsp. chipotle chili powder

• 1 tbs. salt

Blended Marinade:

• 2 dried ancho chile peppers

• 2 dried guajillo chile peppers

• 1 can chipotle in adobe sauce

• 1/2 cup cherry wine

• 1/4 cup tart cherry vinegar

• 3 garlic cloves, whole

Additional Marinade Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 white onion, thinly sliced into strips, cutting along with the stripes

• 1 orange, sliced into moons

Braising Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 cup cherry wine

• Chicken or beef stock

• 2 bay leaves

• Salt and pepper

*Boneless lamb shoulder also works - have your butcher cut it into chunks for you. If you use lamb shank or bone-in shoulder, marinate overnight and still sear on all sides before adding braising liquid. Cook until fork tender/falling off the bone. Shred & remove the bones.

Marinate the lamb

Pat the lamb dry. Mix the dry spices together. Coat the lamb chunks in the spice mix thoroughly (or rub the lamb thoroughly if using a bone-in piece). Set aside. Split the peppers in half — remove the seeds for a more mild marinade or keep them for a spicier one. Rehydrate the dried peppers by simmering them in water for 5-10 minutes until softened. Discard the water. Add the peppers and all other blended marinade ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the marinade, orange slices, onion slices, garlic slices and seasoned lamb to an airtight container or bag. Make sure everything is coated evenly, and marinate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight (overnight to a full day for larger cuts/bone-in pieces).

Sear + Braise

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Heat a large dutch oven with oil of your liking over medium-high heat. Sear the meat just until golden brown on all sides, working in batches to ensure browning. Set aside. *Deglaze the pan with a little stock if the pan bits are getting too dark. Reserve this liquid, wipe the dutch oven dry, and add more oil. Add the onions and orange slices in. Cook until they soften and begin to lightly caramelize. Add the lamb back in, along with the wine and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock to come up to 2/3 the way on the meat. Cover and cook in the oven until fork tender, about 3.5-4 hours. Once fork tender, remove bay leaves & orange slices. Squeeze fresh lime over and shred the meat.

Tart Cherry Carrot Slaw

• 8 carrots - I used rainbow for more color

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into strips cutting perpendicular to the stripes

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, picked off the stems

Cherry-Lime Dressing:

• 1/3 cup tart cherry vinegar

• 1 lime, juiced + zest

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup oil of choice (I used olive oil)

• 1 tbs. coconut or brown sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• A few dashes Tabasco (more or less for your liking)

Mix all the dressing ingredients together. Either thinly julienne or grate the peeled carrots into strips. Toss in a bowl with the red onion pieces and dressing. Gently fold in the picked cilantro. Season to taste.

Corn Tortillas

• 2 cups masa flour

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1 cup+ water

In a large bowl, mix the masa and salt together. Add in 1 cup of water & stir until absorbed. Add more water slowly until a dough is just formed. It shouldn’t have cracks but shouldn’t be wet or sticky. Form into balls about the size of a golf ball. Either use a tortilla press or place them in between 2 pieces of lightly oiled plastic or parchment and press down evenly and firmly with a heavy bottomed pan to flatten them.

Heat a cast iron pan, flat top griddle, or any skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly oil and cook tortillas on each side until golden brown/charred, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Keep warm wrapped in foil or under a towel until ready to serve.

To assemble the tacos:

• Cotija cheese or queso fresco

• Lime

• Cilantro

Fill the warmed tortillas with shredded barbacoa meat. Top with crumbled cheese, slaw, and more lime juice/cilantro for garnish.