Mixiotes De Borrego – Lamb Marinated In Chile Sauce, Steamed In Maguey.
My primo Ricardo tried to make this once using lamb chops. Lamb chops! ¡Ay Dios mío! The disrespect.
The Mixiote…it's older than your abuela's stories, okay? Seriously. Before the Spanish even showed up to mess things up—I mean, discover—the people in central Mexico, like Puebla and Hidalgo, they were steaming meat in maguey leaves. Maguey is like the cousin of agave, the stuff tequila comes from, but tougher, you know? They didn't have fancy ovens or anything, so they dug pits, lined them with stones, built a fire, and wrapped the meat in those leaves with chiles and spices. It steamed for hours. Heaven, I tell you. Pure heaven.
It was all about preservation, too, mija. Back then, refrigerators were just…a dream. A really cold, electrical dream. The maguey leaves kept the meat moist, the chiles gave it flavor (and acted as a natural preservative), and the whole thing lasted longer. Think of it like ancient Tupperware, but way more delicious, and smelling better. They used different meats – venison, turkey, rabbit – but lamb, borrego, that’s special.
We were at my Tía Elena's house, right? Every year, she would insist on hosting for Día de Reyes, and everyone knew what that meant: drama. Not the king cake baby kind (though that happened too). It meant competitive cooking. She and my mamá had been battling over who made the best tamales since 1978, and every holiday was a new front in the war. This particular year, though, Tía Elena decided to raise the stakes. Mixiotes. Mixiotes. Like she thought she could outdo my mamá with a dish that requires actual skill and patience!
My mamá, she's a fighter, okay? She wasn't gonna back down. She started prepping days in advance, sourcing the perfect lamb, grinding the chiles—the air in her kitchen smelled like fireworks. Tía Elena, she tried to act casual, pretending she was just "whipping something up," but we all saw her sneak peeks into my mamá's kitchen, trying to figure out what spices she was using. ¡La envidia! (The envy.)
Then, Tía Mildred showed up. Now, Tía Mildred, she means well. Really, she does. But she has a knack for…complicating things. She walks in, sees all the activity, and decides she wants to “help.” Help! She starts offering advice, criticizing the chile paste ("Too red, Elena! Needs more guajillo!"), and generally making a mess.
"Ay, Margarita," she says to my mamá, "you’re using way too much cumin. It overwhelms the flavor." My mamá, she just stares at her, slowly stirring her marinade. You could see the steam coming off of her head. Then she very sweetly said, “Mildred, why don't you go set the table?"
But it got worse. Much worse. Tía Mildred, convinced she knew better, decided to make her own batch of mixiote marinade. She grabbed some chiles, a blender, and…a can of tomato sauce. Tomato sauce. ¡Santo cielo! My papá almost fainted.
The smell was…unforgettable. Like a chili cookoff gone horribly wrong. When everyone tasted it, there was this moment of silence, then my primo Luis started coughing uncontrollably. Tía Elena couldn’t stop laughing. My mamá, though, she just shook her head. "That woman," she muttered, "she's something else."
The real drama came when Tía Elena's mixiotes were steaming. She had this elaborate setup with a special clay pot and everything. And then...the maguey leaves started smoking. Turns out, she hadn’t rinsed them properly, and they were coated in dust. The kitchen filled with smoke, the fire alarm went off, and everyone started waving towels around trying to get the smoke out.
Meanwhile, my mamá's mixiotes were steaming perfectly. The aroma was incredible—smoky, spicy, savory. And when we finally unwrapped them, they were fall-off-the-bone tender, bursting with flavor. It was a triumph. A glorious victory.
Tía Elena, defeated but gracious (mostly), admitted that my mamá's mixiotes were superior. But she vowed revenge for next year's Día de Reyes. As for Tía Mildred? She was banned from the kitchen for life. Well, at least until the next holiday. Everyone knows she never learns. And Ricardo still brings lamb chops to parties. ¡Qué barbaridad!
Recipe
Ingredients 🌽🥘
- 3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 10 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 20-24 maguey leaves (available at Latin American markets)
Tools 🔪🥄
- Large pot for boiling chiles
- Blender or food processor
- Large bowl
- Steamer basket or metal rack that fits inside a large stockpot
- Large stockpot with lid
- Kitchen twine
Steps
- Rehydrate the chiles! Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until softened. Then, drain the chiles and set them aside.
- Now for the marinade! In a blender or food processor, combine the rehydrated chiles, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, salt, oregano, and cloves. Blend until smooth. If it's too thick, add a little bit of the chile soaking liquid—carefully!
- Marinate the lamb. Place the lamb pieces in a large bowl and pour the chile marinade over them. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful it will be. ¡Mucha paciencia!
- Prepare the maguey leaves. Rinse the maguey leaves under cold water to remove any dust or debris. Pat them dry with paper towels. It’s important they aren’t brittle; if they are, soak them briefly in warm water to make them pliable.
- Wrap the mixiotes. Lay out two or three maguey leaves, overlapping slightly, to create a packet large enough to hold a portion of marinated lamb. Place a few pieces of lamb in the center of the leaves. Fold the leaves over the lamb, like wrapping a present, and tie securely with kitchen twine. Repeat with the remaining lamb and leaves.
- Steam the mixiotes. Fill a large stockpot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil. Place a steamer basket or metal rack inside the pot, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the basket. Arrange the wrapped mixiotes in the steamer basket, ensuring they don’t overcrowd. Cover the pot tightly and steam for 3-3.5 hours, checking occasionally to make sure there's still water in the pot. Add more boiling water if needed.
- Serve immediately . Carefully remove the mixiotes from the pot and let them cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve the tender lamb with the flavorful sauce and your choice of sides.
Make-Ahead / Storage
- The lamb can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance.
- Leftover mixiote can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently. The maguey leaves will likely become soggy upon reheating.
Side Dish Pairing
- Mexican Rice
- Refried Beans
- Grilled Pineapple Salsa
- Warm Corn Tortillas
Remember, slow cooking is key; ¡disfruta!
