Goat, Glorious Goat
A while back I tried to start a recipe exchange feature on JustPigs. My first idea was to exchange goat recipes. Maybe not such a good idea? Perhaps, chocolate chip cookies might have been a tad more popular. I received ZERO responses. So you guys aren't cookin' up much goat, eh? Hopefully this will inspire you to try it.
My interest in goat was sparked by a recipe in the Washington Post by Michael Psilakis. I tracked down a couple of sources of good local goat (I also think Bi-Rite in SF can order smaller cuts for you), but as it turns out was able to purchase a young kid from my Charcuterie teacher, Peter. Never having cooked goat before, I split the animal with my friend Jim, who unearthed quite a collection of recipes and started experimenting before I did. Jim made Rack of Goat with Mint Pesto Crust. He was worried about not being able to get his grill as hot as the recipe required so he cooked the racks in the oven at 450F with the convection fan. He cooked them for 15 minutes on the first side, then flipped them for another 7 minutes. They came out perfectly rare - medium rare. Jim had this to say, "We like the flavor of goat more than lamb. It is milder, more delicate, and more refined. However, it is definitely more sinewy...quickly turned into a finger food meal. Trying to get the meat off the bones with a knife/fork is a chore. [...] The Rossotti recipe worked quite well...mint did not overwhelm at all...just subtly complimentary." Jim charged ahead and made Chafana--a Portugese goat stew--next. He was less impressed with the results. He felt that the spices overwhelmed the flavor of the goat, perhaps because we bought a kid and the meat is more delicate than that from a mature goat. Finally, I picked up my portion of the meat from Jim and got to work. I made goat tacos.
Can I just say, MEAT-A-LICIOUS?!?! It was spicy, but I didn't feel the heat overwhelmed the meat. The meat broke up beautifully after cooking and was the perfect texture for tacos. This recipe is definitely a keeper. In fact, I loved it so much I ate it again this morning for breakfast over beans with a poached egg, some cilantro, and a squeeze of lime!
(Spicy) Goat Tacos
-inspired by Goat Tacos from Gourmet via Epicurious
about 4 lbs goat neck, shoulder, and/or leg
salt
1 dried ancho chile
3 dried chipotle chiles
4-5 garlic cloves
1-1/2 tsp dried mexican oregano
heaping 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
heaping 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
one 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
corn tortillas
lime
cilantro
strips of romaine lettuce
Preheat oven to 350F.
In an 11 x 13 glass baking dish, place goat and salt generously. Set aside.
Toast chiles in a hot, dry skillet (preferably cast iron). When they are just hot, remove, and immerse them in a couple of cups of boiled water. Let soak for 20 min.
Meanwhile, put garlic, oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a food processor or blender and pulse a couple of times.
Remove the chiles from the water and discard water. Top the chiles and cut them in half, removing most of the seeds. Add the chiles to the spices, along with the drained tomatoes and vinegar. Blend until smooth and well-combined.
Pour sauce over the goat meat.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and cook in 350F oven for 3 hours.
Take the dish from the oven (leave the oven on) and remove the meat from the bone (it should fall off very easily).** Put all of the meat back into the reduced sauce, mix it all up, cover again tightly and return to the oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve on warm tortillas, with lettuce, cilantro, and lime wedges.
**NOTE: If you are sensitive to spicy food, don't mix it back into the sauce, just serve the meat. (I served the kids' portions this way and they loved it!!)
You can add any of your favorite taco fixings, of course. I really liked the lime juice over mine, but it doesn't need much else (maybe a couple of slices of fresh avocado!).
I served rice and pinto beans on the side.
I'm going to try the Rack with Mint Pesto Crust next! Lovin' the goat!
