Cow Head Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish usually served for breakfast after the cow head has smoked over-night in a pit dug in the ground. Since we didn’t really have a place to dig a barbeque pit, we went for the more modern approach of using a smoker — which we accomplished with the Smokenator 1000 attachment for our Weber grill.
- 900X - "Carlsbad, 1982"
- Qua - "All Breath, No Body"

























Love your site, but wow… I think you just made me a vegetarian.
My goodness..the “blunt force trauma” kinda ruined it for me! Every time I drive past grazing cows with their babies, I vow to go back to being a vegetarian. However, that vow is always broken by meal time. But yes, the bashed in skull was rough. Poor little guy. At least the tacos look tasty!
You guys are great! And thanks for formatting your videos to play on iPhones!
Wow indeed. I’m a voracious omnivore, and although the blunt force trauma was a tad disturbing, I at least understand where our food comes from and that it’s not always pretty.
I love your site and am glad to see someone showcasing the lesser used and unusual bits of the animal. The site and all the recipes have been very inspiring! Please keep up the great work!
WOAH. You guys are seriously impressive – that’s quite a project! And that shot of the jaw pulling free… don’t think I’ll be forgetting that anytime soon!
Also, on a totally unrelated note (ah, how quickly we move on…), I just saw your tweet about haircuts – check out Vain on Chicon. Joey’s been cutting my hair for years. Kind of expensive, but her cuts last.
So um yeah, as much as I like most things on your site, i feel like a criminal by looking at the foggy eyed bashed skull of a cow. let me rephrase that, maybe in the future you could feature the dead animal that you are about to eat ! think of the variety. seriously i love your site, this just made my coffee jump up my throat
While I too felt that the image was incredibly disturbing, it’s expected. Unless you’re a veg-head or raise and slaughter your own cattle, the bashed skull is the norm. Commercial slaughter hauses aren’t known for their humane killing of animals. Chances are, every delicious burger and steak you’ve consumed was harvested fom a cow that met the exact same fate as the cow featured in this video.
WOW. Have you thought of holding your own supper club? With all the amazing food you cook, I am sure you would have a line out the door!
Next time try smoking the head for about an hour before wrapping in leaves. That way you will get a smoke ring on it.
WOW! You really got the nerve!
I was hoping to find odd grill recipes. Uh…be careful what you wish for…