Barbacoa And Big Red appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Barbacoa and Big Red · San Antonio
Barbacoa is slow-cooked beef cheek, traditionally pit-steamed until it falls apart, served by the pound on weekend mornings with warm tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, and salsa.
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.
Where to eat in San Antonio:
- Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa
- Tommy's Restaurant
- Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia