The Leaf Coating Trick for Incredible Homemade Barbacoa

One of the most defining and flavorful characteristics of a well-prepared barbacoa is the juiciness and tenderness of the slow-cooked meat. To achieve this level of deliciousness, try using a sheet liner in your casserole, slow cooker, or roasting pan. Lining your cooking utensils and wrapping the meat in leaves will help prevent the meat from drying out, while enhancing its flavor. By leaves, we don’t just mean the leaves lying around outside. Traditionally in Mexico, barbacoa meat is wrapped in agave leaves, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find them at your local grocery store. In the United States, the most commonly used leaves for cooking barbacoa are banana leaves, which can be found fresh or frozen in most Asian and Hispanic grocery stores, and sometimes in traditional supermarkets in the frozen food aisle. .

Barbacoa is a popular Mexican dish consisting of heavily seasoned meat (lamb, goat, beef or pork) cooked slowly and usually shredded and eaten on tacos. The word “barbacoa” is used to describe both the meat marinated in dried chili peppers and other spices, as well as the style of cooking, which involves slow cooking in a barbecue pit dug into the ground. Although it has a long history in Mexico, this cooking method also has deep roots in the Caribbean, where it is believed to have originated.

Read more: The Unexpected Meat You Need to Avoid Grilling at All Costs

Tips for Cooking Barbacoa in Banana Leaves

In Mexico, barbacoa (the Spanish word for barbecue) is traditionally cooked by lining a barbecue pit dug in the ground with agave leaves and cooking the meat directly on the leaves. However, this highly efficient cooking method is also arduous and labor intensive. Instead, you can wrap your meat in banana leaves and use your slow cooker or oven to cook the meat. The leaves will help seal in the juices while cooking, creating the ultimate tender meat for your tacos.

Packaged banana leaves come in different sizes and very large pieces can be cut to fit your cookware. It is also recommended to lightly toast your banana leaves to make them softer for wrapping your food. This can be done by holding each leaf over a low flame on your stove for about 30 seconds. Line your dish with four or five leaves, depending on size, or use as many as needed to cover the entire dish. After adding the meat to the leaf-lined dish, pour the marinade over it, then fold the ends of the leaves over the meat and cover it with additional banana leaves, making sure it is completely and tightly wrapped in the leaves . If using the oven, cover the entire pan tightly with foil and cook for about four to five hours over low heat. If you’re using a slow cooker, simply put the lid on and cook on low.

Why should you use banana leaves to cook meat?

Banana leaves are used in cooking in many parts of the world – Southeast Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and South America – virtually anywhere banana plants are found. The large, waxy leaves are not eaten, but are used to wrap food and line cookware for steaming, roasting, and baking. You probably didn’t know that banana leaves are an underrated trick for a super moist cake. Not only are they extremely effective at retaining moisture, but they also give your food a subtly sweet, earthy flavor that pairs especially well with a variety of sweet and savory foods, including tasty barbacoa. As an added bonus, banana leaves have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, which could possibly help prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in your food, according to the Journal of Food Science.

In addition to wrapping food in banana leaves to cook in the oven or in your slow cooker, you can use them as a grill mat to perfectly prevent fragile or smaller foods like fish, shrimp, and vegetables from falling through the grids. Your food can be cooked directly on the banana leaves on your grill: not only are they useful, but they will enhance the smoky flavor of your food.

Banana leaves are also a great alternative to aluminum foil because they are biodegradable and can be composted, unlike aluminum foil which can take between 80 and 400 years to decompose. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to six months and take about 30 minutes to thaw, or less if you run them under hot water.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.