The house speciality
The Braised Lamb Experience is the dish people climb the hill for. Here is what Patagonian lamb is, how we braise it, and what to expect when it reaches your table.
At Medio Perro BBQ & HOME, Puerto Deseado 153, inside America del Sur Hostel. We serve Patagonian braised lamb every day, at lunch and dinner. The Lamb Experience brings lamb empanadas, braised lamb and smoked lamb. Booking ahead is recommended in high season.
It is lamb raised on the open steppe of southern Patagonia, in the province of Santa Cruz. The animals graze on natural pasture in open country, in cold and constant wind. The result is meat that is more tender and milder in flavour than lamb from other regions, with less marbled fat.
It is the signature dish of this part of the country. If you are visiting El Calafate for the Perito Moreno Glacier and you only try one thing you could not find at home, make it this.
It does not go on the cross. It is braised over the grill, a slow cook several hours long, until the meat comes off the bone without a knife.
The difference is what happens next. The lamb's own bones go into a long stock, finished with red wine. When the meat comes off the grill, it is bathed in that. It is not a sauce poured over the top: it is the same lamb, concentrated.
Textbook braising happens in a pot. Here it happens over fire: the grill brings the smoke and the texture, the juices bring the depth. It is how Matías has cooked it for ten years.
There is no way to rush it. That is why it helps to tell us in advance if you are coming as a group, and why on some days it runs out before closing.
Alongside the everyday braise, Matías prepares a smoked version. It takes more hours and a good deal more work, so it is not always available.
For dinner you do not need to order days ahead: in the evening it is usually on. For lunch it is worth telling us the day before. Message us on WhatsApp, tell us when you are coming and how many of you there are, and we will have it ready.
Lamb doesn't only turn up in the main dish. You will also find it in:
About the lamb
Absolute best lamb and beef in Argentina. We asked for a recipe and he offered us our own cooking class experience. 10/10.
His approach and great personality as chef introduced us to the best Patagonian lamb. Ten out of ten.
Best BBQ I've ever had. The lamb was out of this world.
Bookings
Lamb empanadas, braised lamb and smoked lamb: both versions at the same table. Book ahead, above all if there are more than four of you or you are visiting in high season.