Lamb Barbacoa Nachos Crock Pot Recipe

Disclosure: This post is compensated by Mountain States Rosen.  All thoughts expressed are my own.

The folks at Mountain States Rosen contacted me about doing an American lamb recipe –  barbacoa style – and I was all ears for this one.  I grew up with lamb being a delicacy, but barbacoa from a cow was my Sunday morning breakfast.  I have no idea why we didn’t eat more lamb growing up.  As an adult I have traded beef for more lamb.  According the American Lamb Board,Lamb is a great source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin, zinc, selenium, iron, and riboflavin.

To give traditional barbacoa tacos a twist, I went with nachos.  Yesterday was the test run for these nachos and I am excited that they where such a hit.  My boys ate them up without skipping a beat.  I try not to tell them when I try something new in the kitchen.   My Lamb Barbacoa Nachos are delicious, so much so that we are having them at our Super Bowl party.

The great part about this dish is that the lamb cooks in the crock pot and you don’t have to mess with it.  I purchased Mountain States Rosen bone-in lamb shoulder from my neighborhood HEB grocery store.  At HEB, you can find it in the meat section sold under the HEB private label.  Mountain States Rosen also sells lamb under the brand names Cedar Springs and Shepherd’s Pride.  To find a retailer near you that carries it, visit the Mountain States Rosen store locator.

Rinse and place 1.5 lbs of  lamb shoulder in a crock pot.  Add 1/4 cup water, 3 garlic cloves, 1 chipotle chile, 1 teaspoon salt and, 1 teaspoon pepper.  Place your crock pot on low for 6 hours.

Since I purchased bone in, I had to remove the bone.  If you buy boneless, just take two forks and shred it all up.  The meat is tender and easily falls apart.

For the nachos I used corn tortillas.  Take a few tortillas and use a pizza cutter to cut them in fours.

Fresh tortilla chips make nachos so much better.

Fry your tortilla chips up in a hot cast iron skillet with canola oil.

Let the oil drain on a paper towel.

Then start the fun part, layering your nachos.  Start with a generous amount of shredded lamb.

I have a bevy of fresh toppings and let everyone layer theirs exactly the way they like them.

Queso fresco, cilantro, avocado, tomato, jalapeno and a splash of lime juice.