lamb in adobo sauce
While I was in Mexico I learned how to make cochito en adobo (pork in adobo sauce) and it was soooo good. This was the first dish I learned how to make while I was taking my cooking classes in Tulum. While I was walking home one day, my cousins took us to this small little food stand that was serving cochinita pibil (pork) burritos which is something similar with the spices they use but with pibil and they usually wrap the meat in banana leaves and it’s cooked underground. I decided to combine both techniques and make lamb in adobo sauce for tacos. Let me tell you! It was so tender and flavorful. I was so proud of myself for this! I let it marinate for 20+ hours and it’s slow cooked in the oven and amazing!
It is a little more involved than most of my recipes but I promise you it’s so amazing. Try it below and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
1, 3lb bone in leg of lamb (fat punctured so the marinade can seep in)
6 guajillo chiles, de-seeded (just crack the chiles open and remove the seeds)
4 ancho chiles, de-seeded (just crack the chiles open and remove the seeds)
1 tablespoon cumin
4-5 cloves
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (if you can find)
2-3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon saźon or 1 packet of saźon i
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
2-3 banana leaves, optional if you can’t find
Salt & pepper, to taste
Water for marinade
Vegetable oil for flash flying the chiles, about ½ - 1 cup. You don’t need a lot.
Dutch oven pot for slow roasting
Directions
Score or puncture the fat of the lamb and pat the lamb dry. You want all the salt & marinade to get in the lamb.
Generously season the leg of lamb with salt. When I say generously, I mean generously because you want the salt to get all in the meat. Salt brings out flavor. If you are nervous about how much salt, do 1 teaspoon per pound of salt so if you have a 3 lb leg of lamb, do 3 teaspoons of salt all over the lamb.
Heat a cast iron pan with some vegetable oil on medium heat. We are flash frying the chiles to bring out more of the flavor in them.
When your oil is hot gently add the chiles in there for 3-5 seconds. A gentle toss & done! You just gently want to fry them but not burn them. You will know if it is burnt if the chiles are too crispy.
Set chiles aside.
In a blender, add the onion, garlic, sazon, cinnamon sticks, Mexican oregano, chiles, cumin, cloves and some salt & pepper. You will smell all of the spices, yum! Taste a little of the marinade too! The marinade will be a little thick so add some water to it to loosen it up so it is pourable over the lamb.
Pour the marinade over the lamb and rub it all over so it’s all over and in the lamb. Let it marinate for at least 20-24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325. We are slowly roasting the leg of lamb.
Line a dutch oven with banana leaves and place the leg of lamb on top of the banana leaves & the bay leaves then pour over the marinade that is leftover once you take the lamb out. Cover with banana leaves and cover the dutch oven.
Roast the leg of lamb for 3-4 hours. You don’t want to overcook the lamb because then the meat will be dry. When the lamb falls off the bone and shreds easily. It is done!
Serve with onions, cilantro & lots of lime on some charred corn tortillas!
ENJOY!