¡Sabor!

5/8/08—Extra Extra! Scott Hocker delivers another batch of authentic Mexican dishes. Round 2: barbacoa de borrego.

Story and photography by Scott Hocker

Estado: Hidalgo

Especialidad: As celebrated as Texas beef barbecue and Carolina-style pulled pork is stateside, barbacoa de borrego is one of the iconic dishes of the central Mexican state of Hidalgo. There, lamb is wrapped in the leaves of the maguey plant, a type of agave. It’s then cooked for hours in a pit. At Taqueria Los Coyotes, a metal pot stands in for the underground oven. But the result would do a Hidalguense proud. The leg meat is tender and suffused with flavor, and its accompanying broth, filled with rice and chickpeas, is clear and full-bodied. Plus, the tortillas are made to order. This section of the Mission may turn on super burritos, but who needs those when there’s lamb barbecue on the menu?

$8.50, 3036 16th St., S.F., 415-861-3708