Before you actually get the cabeza (beef head), understand that it won't look very nice -in fact it will look pretty gruesome. Therefore, I suggest purchasing the thing the day you cook it.

In the Rio Grande Valley, barbacoa de cabeza is traditionally eaten on Sunday mornings.

Clean the cabeza, removing eyes, ears, etc. Discard the tongue. Leaving it will impart an odd taste to the meat. Wrap the cabeza in a paper sack, along with onions, garlic, and cilantro. Wrap THAT in burlap.

Dig a hole 2 feet deep and build a driftwood fire in it. Wait until the fire goes to coals, then cover them with ashes, followed by the cabeza, then about 2 inches of dry dirt or sand. Fill up the hole. Add 6 to 8 inches of dirt or sand over it. Build a fire on top of the ground. Use slow-burining wood such as oak or mesquite.

Leave the cabeza in the hole 12 to 18 hours. For example, if you begin cooking it at 4:00 p.m., it should be ready by the next morning. Serve with tortillas.

Serves one vanload.

If you want to try barbacoa de cabeza at homne, try wrapping the cabeza in foil and bakinng it in an oven or over a charcoal grill. Using foil in place of the paper bag keeps the cabeza slightly moister while

Yield: 6 servings