Happy Cinco de Mayo if you celebrate it! I have no Mexican roots in me, but I grew up in Texas where there is a large Hispanic culture. Every May the 5th growing up in elementary school we would get to eat tacos, beans and rice, wear sombreros and learn about Mexican history. A lot of people mistake Cinco de Mayo as the Mexican Independence Day, when it is actually celebrates the unlikely victory by Mexican Forces at The Battle of Puebla. (OK I admit it, I didn’t know that off hand, I had to look it up). In the U.S. this holiday is about drinking margaritas, cerveza, and eating good Mexican food.

I had never been to a taco stand until I met Kyle. He loves them and goes at least once a week for barbacoa tacos. Around the rest of the world barbacoa is slow-cooked sheep but where I am from, barbacoa is beef cheek.

Beef cheek is available at Mexican grocery stores (such as Fiesta). I got a big frozen block (around 3lbs) for 8$ dollars. This will give me about 25 tacos which is a lot better than paying 1.25$ a taco like you do at the stands.

When I cook beef cheek I like to braise in the oven at about 200 degrees for 5 – 6 hours (you could also use a large crock-pot for this). My braising liquid includes beef stock, garlic, cilantro, onions, green onions, salt, red pepper, lime juice and cumin. After it is braised and soft you take out the oven and shred it with 2 forks. You will roast the barbacoa for another 4 – 5 hours in an oven at 250.

Every hour or so pull the beef out of the oven and shred more. There will be very large pieces of fat, separate those and shred all the beef as finely as you can. You will still roast the fat with the beef though to add flavor and make it crispy. Serve in a fried corn tortilla with cilantro, onions, lime wedges and salsa. Kyle loves barbacoa so much because the fat makes it melt in your mouth.

Tonight I will ‘celebrate’ Cinco de Mayo by going to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Is anyone else celebrating?