History
Barbacoa de cabeza came north with Mexican ranching traditions, where the whole cow's head was wrapped and cooked in an underground pit. On San Antonio's West and South Sides it became a Sunday-morning ritual, sold by the pound at meat markets and taquerias. The pairing with Big Red, a Waco-born soda popular across south Texas, turned barbacoa and Big Red into a regional shorthand for a San Antonio weekend.
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Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.5kg beef cheeks
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, and salsa to serve
- Big Red soda to drink
Method
- Season the beef cheeks with salt and sear on all sides in a heavy pot.
- Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and enough water to nearly cover.
- Cover tightly and cook low, at 135C in the oven or barely simmering on the hob, for 7 to 8 hours until the meat shreds with a fork.
- Lift out the cheeks, shred the meat, and moisten with a little of the cooking liquid.
- Serve in warm corn tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro, and salsa, with a cold Big Red on the side.
Tip from the editors. Beef cheek is the authentic cut; it stays moist over the long cook where leaner cuts dry out. Keep the lid tight to trap the steam.
Where to eat barbacoa and big red
Barbacoa and Big Red in San Antonio
Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa ★ 4.0
Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa is a west side weekend ritual that tourists never reach, where families queue for barbacoa by the pound before sunday breakfast.
Why locals goA West Side weekend ritual that tourists never reach, where families queue for barbacoa by the pound before Sunday breakfast.
TipCome Saturday or Sunday morning for the pit barbacoa and a dozen tamales. This is how San Antonio families eat the weekend.
Tommy's Restaurant ★ 4.0
Tommy's Restaurant on the north side is the spot for the local ritual of barbacoa with a Big Red; weekend mornings draw the longest lines for it.
TryBarbacoa and Big Red
TipOrder barbacoa with a Big Red for the full local ritual. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines.
Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia ★ 4.3
Mi Tierra at Market Square never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas with strolling mariachis and a stop at the panaderia counter is a San Antonio rite.
TryEnchiladas, pan dulce, mariachi at any hour
TipThe 24-hour dining room makes it the default after-midnight Tex-Mex stop. Buy pan dulce from the bakery on your way out.
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