Three years after ending his weekly whole-animal barbacoa roasts to focus on the award-winning La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver chef Jose Avila is bringing the tradition back in a large space next door to La Diabla that will eventually have six concepts inside.
El Borrego Negro, which attracted a lot of attention in 2020 and 2021, returns May 3-4, from 7 to 10 a.m., at The Warehouse, 2239 Larimer St. (enter through the back alley). The timing is related to Cinco de Mayo, but the barbacoas will continue each weekend.
Avila’s process involves slaughtering a sheep or another animal at his ranch in eastern Colorado and then slow-cooking it in a covered underground fire with maple and oak wood, rocks and maguey leaves. The meat is eventually served with tortillas and toppings like onion, cilantro and lime, according to a Denver Post interview with the chef in 2021. Previously located in the Westwood neighborhood, the underground pit is now on La Diabla’s back patio.
“We can cook up to three whole animals at a time,” Avila told The Denver Post in March. “We’ll pull them out and serve them fresh.” It’s a traditional cooking technique in Mexico, where Avila was born, and one he brought to Colorado from the state of Hidalgo.
El Borrego Negro’s return is just one part of a much larger picture for Avila, however. The chef is opening an entire food hall next door to La Diabla. When it is ready, it will include a carniceria, a churro shop, a tortillarilla, a seafood restaurant and a stall for mushroom dishes.
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