Getting Your Goat
By Nathan Thornburgh
All Goats, apparently, go to hell. the Bible is quite clear about this in the Gospel of Matthew: when Christ returns, he'll separate the goats from the sheep and send the sheep up and the goats down.
That is a shame. In the 20 years my uncle has spent raising goats, I've known the animals to be extremely cute and fairly intelligent (for livestock) and, importantly, delicious. So when it came time to have a big summer barbecue, I thought of the long-maligned goat. Sure, it has been absent from American haute cuisine since, well, forever, even as meat fads like emu and ostrich have come and gone. But it's one of the most popular meats in the world, and immigrants from South Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America are importing a taste for it to the U.S. There's a lot for non immigrants to like too. It has much less cholesterol and saturated fat than beef or pork and is much easier on the environment. Goats have small hooves that don't tear up pastures, and they don't need a lot of expensive grain or water.
Even though the number of U.S. meat goats is on the rise (up 25% since 2005), if you want fresh goat meat, you might have to kill it yourself. That's what we did.
I had enlisted Manhattan superchef Michael Psilakis to be a guru of sorts for the barbecue. Lamb and goat were a big part of his growing up in a Greek family on Long Island, N.Y.--not just cooking them but killing them too. And his successes as a restaurateur--one of his places, Anthos, was recently nominated for best new restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation--apparently haven't slaked his thirst for warm, runny death. "I've slaughtered just about everything there is to slaughter," he told me. "It really makes you respect the food." I couldn't do this barbecue right, he said, unless I was there for the slaughter.
Ultimately, it was the right thing to do--or at least the typical thing. Few super markets sell goat, and those that do are likely to import it frozen from as far away as New Zealand. That's because most U.S. slaughterhouses won't process goats--at 65 lb. or so (30 kg) on the hoof, a goat doesn't have enough meat to make the kill worth it in the era of factory farming. So rookies in the goat-raising business are warned that they may have to provide a place on the farm where customers can kill the animals they pick out.
Our place was behind a barn near Hope well, N.J. Logistically, it was pretty easy; all we needed were a sturdy rafter, some twine, a sharp knife and a bucket. Emotionally, though, it was more complex. Meat is, unavoidably, murder. But we were quick and merciful, and I think assisting in those two deaths made me a more conscientious carnivore, just as Psilakis had promised.
After we skinned the goats and dressed them, we aged the meat for a day, and then in a nod to enthusiasms for chevon around the globe, we used one goat to cook an Indian curry, a Mexican birria and an Italian capretto. Psilakis also kicked in a stunning kokoretsi (sort of a Greek haggis) plus sausages and a terrine--all terrific dishes made primarily from offal.
The coup, though, was the whole roasted goat. There are full roasting instructions and recipes on the next page, but Psilakis essentially trussed the entire animal (sans head) to the spit and roasted it over in direct heat for six to seven hours, basting it constantly with a mix of lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper.
Goat is a lean meat, but when it's cooked slowly like this, it is completely tender and flavorful, like a fortuitous cross between pork and beef. It was good. So good, in fact, that if goats really go to hell, with all that slow roasting and fire, I might just want to join them there.
Elaichi Gosht (Cardamom Goat) Recipe from: Bobby Ghosh, TIME Magazine's World Editor
Ingredients: o 1 kg boneless goat or lamb meat, in bite-size cubes o 100 ml yoghurt, whisked o 4 tomatoes, chopped fine o 30-35 green cardamoms, whole o 1 tablespoon turmeric powder o 1 tablespoon black pepper, ground o 1 tablespoon coriander powder o Chili powder to taste -- suggest 1 tsp. o Sprigs of coriander (cilantro)
Directions 1. Grind cardamoms (skin and all) into a powder, add 1 tbsp water and make a paste 2. Heat oil in a pot or wok. Add cardamom paste and ground pepper, and fry on low heat for 2-3 min 3. Add meat, and turn well, making sure all the pieces are coated with the paste and powder 4. Add turmeric, chili and coriander powders, turn meat to coat all the pieces with the spices 5. Saute the meat in the spices for a full 10 minutes, still in low heat. Turn constantly, to ensure the spices don't burn and that the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot 6. Still in low heat, add the yoghurt, tomatoes and salt to taste. Saute for another 5 minutes. 7. Add half a liter of hot water, bring to boil and then lower heat. Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is ready to eat. This can take 45-60 min. 8. Garnish with chopped coriander. 9. Serve with steamed rice or naan bread.
Birria de Jalisco (Mexican Goat Stew) Recipe from: Maria Guadalupe "Lupe" Nieves of Paramount, Calif.
Serves: 10 people
FOR THE ADOBO SAUCE: Ingredients: o 8 dry ancho chiles o 1/2 onion o 2 cloves garlic o 1 tsp oregano o Salt to taste o 1/4 cup white vinegar
Directions: 1. Place chiles, onion, garlic, oregano and salt in a small saucepan. Cover with water and boil until onions are soft. 2. Place in blender and mix well. 3. Add the vinegar.
Ingredients for the meat: o 20 lbs of goat meat on the bone
Directions: 1. Salt the chunks of goat and place the meat in a casserole. 2. Pour the adobo over the meat, cover well and place in a 350 degree oven for at least 4 hours. The meat is finished when it falls easily off the bone.
FOR THE TOMATO SALSA: Ingredients: o 6 red tomatoes o 6 green tomatoes o Chile de Arbol as desired (optional for extra spice) o 1/2 onion o 2 cloves garlic o 1 tsp oregano o 2 whole cloves o 6 grains of black pepper o 1 tsp sesame seeds o 1/2 tsp powdered ginger o 1/2 inch a stick of cinnamon o 2 tbs grated Mexican chocolate (Ibarra brand) o Salt to taste o 6 cups of water
Directions: 1. Place all salsa ingredients in a medium pot and boil until onion is soft. Blend well in a mixer. 2. When the meat is cooked, get some of the broth and add it to the salsa for additional flavor and coloring.
FOR THE GARNISH: Ingredients: o Lime juice o Cilantro o Chopped fresh onion
To Serve: 1. Pour tomato salsa over the meat in the adobo sauce. Serve with fresh chopped onion, lime juice and cilantro on top. Serve with tortillas.
Whole Roasted Goat Recipe from: Michael Psilakis, Owner/Chef of Anthos, Kefi, Mia Dona
Equipment: o Motorized roasting spit o Paintbrush o 20 ft of 14-guage aluminum wire o 2 U-Bolt clamps o 2 pairs of pliers that can cut wire
Ingredients: o 1 goat, skinned, gutted, hung for two days in a cool dry place o 6 25lb. bags of charcoal o 30 lbs. wood chips, soaked over-night in water, preferably hickory o 2 quarts of lemon juice o 1 quart Extra-Virgin Olive Oil o 4 TB dried Greek oregano o Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: 1. Decapitate goat, reserve head for oven roasting or braising. 2. Working on a large flat surface starting from the back of the goat, take the skewer and push it through until goat is secured by rear fork on the skewer. The fork should go into the upper quarter of the two hind legs. Then, take the second fork and slide that into the front shoulder and secure. Use a hammer if necessary. 3. Turn the goat on its back, using the wire, fasten the neck of the goat to the skewer by wrapping it around both. Make sure to fasten firmly using the pliers to twist the wire. 4. Take the front legs and pull them above where the goat's head would be, as if their "elbows" were next to their "ears." Fasten the front legs to the skewer using wire in a similar fashion to securing the neck. Extend the hind legs and tie them to the spit in the same fashion as the front legs. Turn the goat onto its side. 5. Unbolt the 2 U-Shaped clamps. Take the first clamp and pierce it through the back of the goat under the rib cage. Go through the backbone into the cavity of the animal. Place the bar that holds the clamp together and bolt the two bolts as tightly as possible to the clamps against the spit. Move 6 inches to the rear and fasten the other clamp to the skewer. 6. Light the fire using coals and the hickory for flavor. Wet the goat down with water inside and out. Generously season with salt and pepper, DO NOT BE SHY. 7. In a mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and whisk. Transfer to a bucket. This will be your basting agent. 8. Spread the charcoal and wood chips to the sides and front and rear of where the goat will hang so there is no direct heat. Indirect heat is key here. The heat should be approximately 300-325 degrees. If you can hold your hand next to the goat as it spins for 10 seconds, it is the right temperature. If you cannot last 10 seconds, it's too hot. 9. Put the goat on the rack and fasten to the motor. Put the motor on the slowest setting. For the next 6-7 hours, baste frequently using the paint brush and maintain the temperature. The goat is ready when you can take a rib and pull it off with your hands without any resistance. Any animal roasted on a spit is best had right off of the spit. I personally don't recommend transferring this to a table. Go right at it with a fork!
PAPPARDELLE CON CAPRETTO Recipe from: Marco Canora, Co-Owner and Chef of Insieme and Hearth, New York City
FOR THE BRAISE: Ingredients: o 800g goat (leg, ribs, etc.) o 100mL Canola Oil o Salt and black pepper to taste o 100g onion, largely diced o 50g celery, largely diced o 50g carrots, largely diced o 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed o 15g tomato paste o 100mL white wine o 1.5-2L chicken bouillon o 1 bay leaf o 2 thyme sprig o 2 oregano sprig
Directions: 1. Season the meat well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan over a medium-high flame. Brown the meat in the pan evenly, adjusting the heat so that any drippings in the pan caramelize, but do not burn. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. 2. Add the vegetables to the pan, and cook over medium-low heat until fragrant and tender (about 10 minutes). Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes to reduce the bitterness of the tomato paste. 3. Return the meat to the pot, and deglaze with the white wine. Raise the heat to medium-high and reduce until the wine has been evaporated. 4. Add enough bouillon to just cover the meat, put in the herbs and cover. 5. Cook in a 325 degree oven until the meat pulls easily from the bone (1.5-2 hours depending upon the oven). 6. Pull the meat, discarding the bones and vegetables, and strain the braising liquid into a clean container. Skim the fat from the surface, and reduce over medium heat, continuing to skim as needed to remove impurities. Reduce to sauce consistency and reserve.
FOR THE SAUCE: Ingredients: o 100g onion, minced o 50g celery, minced o 50g carrots, minced o 75mL extra virgin olive oil o 2 artichokes, turned and cut into eighths o goat meat (from above) o braising liquid (from above)
Directions: 1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the minced vegetables and cook until thoroughly tender and fragrant, but not caramelized. 2. Add the artichokes and coat with the vegetables. Add the pulled meat and braising liquid, lower the heat and cook until the artichokes are tender. 3. Cook pasta until al dente, strain and toss with the sauce. Divide evenly amongst serving plates, and garnish with a dollop of fresh ricotta, grated Parmesan and fresh picked oregano leaves.
FOR THE DOUGH: (or you could use a quality dried pasta) Ingredients: o 1kg all purpose flour o 2g dried oregano, crumbled o 360g egg yolk o 200g whole egg o 30g whole milk
Directions: 1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, making a well in the center. Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour into the well. 2. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until a rough ball is formed. Turn the dough out onto the counter. 3. Kneed the dough by hand until it is homogenous with a smooth even surface (roughly 7-10 minutes). Press gently into the surface of the ball with one finger; the dough should spring back, indicating that it is ready.