Grilled goat meat on pita bread.
Lean goat meat is rich in protein and flavor, though the meat tends to be on the tough side, depending on the age of the animal. A serving of goat has half the calories of beef or lamb, one-third the calories of pork and about the same amount of calories as skinless chicken. Goat meat is a common ingredient in Mediterranean and Spanish dishes, as well as Mexican dishes prepared with Capretto, which is the meat of a young goat. Many Caribbean dishes call for goat as well, using a blend of curries. Traditional cooking methods are to sauté, roast or barbecue (which in the strictest sense of the word involves smoking the meat slowly over wood coals to tenderize the roast, flank or steaks). Old world spices for goat include cumin, chili peppers, curry, garlic and rosemary.
Instructions
Sauteed Goat
1. Wash the meat and pat dry.
2. Cut the meat into bite-size chunks for a sauté.
3. Marinate the meat in a sauce of your own choosing. Mediterranean marinades are made from olive oil and red-wine vinegar combined with spices such as cumin, curry, coriander and marjoram, with coarse salt and cracked peppercorns. Spanish marinades include cocoa-based mole sauces and chili verde (green pepper sauce) with fresh, minced cilantro.
4. Coat the goat chunks in flour and sauté quickly with tomatoes, onions, turnips and potatoes in a quality olive or sesame-seed oil until the meat is medium done, with a hint of pink through the middle.
Smoked Goat
5. Smoke goat roasts over charcoal and aromatic wood chips such as mesquite or dried grape vines. The trick is to grill slowly and let the smoke do the cooking.
6. Arrange the coals in a circle inside the perimeter of the grill and burn until white.
7. Place an oiled grill over the coals and set the marinated goat roast over the center and off the direct heat of the coals.
8. Add wood chips (such as hickory or apple) that have been soaked half an hour in water to the hot coals, then cover the grill when the wood begins to smoked and leave it closed.
9. Smoke goat roasts for approximately half an hour for every pound of meat. Smoke kabobs and brochettes for about an hour.
Roasted Goat
10. Prepare goat roast in the oven by searing the meat on all sides with a skillet to seal in the juices.
11. Rub olive oil all over the roast and pierce the flesh in several places with a sharp knife.
12. Spice the roast by inserting thin slices of fresh garlic into the cuts made in the meat and sprinkle liberally with crushed rosemary.
13. Tent the roast loosely with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated at 300 degrees F. A 4-pound roast should be medium done in about 1 ½ hours.
14. Let the roast sit on the stove top for 10 minutes before carving to let the juices relax through the meat.
Tags: chips such, goat roast, goat roasts, half hour, medium done, Smoke goat