barbacoa
/ˈbɑːbəkəʊə/noun [mass noun]
(In Mexican cooking) beef, lamb, or other meat that has been slowly cooked with seasonings, typically shredded as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc. a fried tortilla filled with your choice of marinated chicken, barbacoa, or carnitas...
- The hanger steak barbacoa, served in parchment paper tied up like a beggar's purse, was also strongly suggestive of Indian cuisine.
- There was a disagreement among the crew as to how to cook the barbacoa.
- In the Rio Grande Valley, barbacoa de cabeza is traditionally eaten on Sunday mornings.
Origin
Mexican Spanish use of Spanish barbacoa 'barbecue' (see barbecue); in Mexican Spanish barbacoa can also refer to an underground oven in which meat is cooked slowly.