Slowly Braised Lamb

This fragrant, tender lamb dish is my present-day take on lamb barbacoa, one of Mexico’s oldest and most well-known dishes. Traditionally, the meat is wrapped in avocado and/or banana leaves and slowly cooked in a pit for several hours or even overnight until it becomes succulent and tender. Ours is rubbed with chile paste and then cooked in a slow oven for about 4½ hours.