Here is a classic Jamaican dish that is much beloved in that country. As usual, lamb may be substituted for the goat. Note the West Indian trait of using a massala without chile powder, and then adding chiles to the curry. The dish is traditionally served with white rice, mango chutney, and grated coconut.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds goat meat, cut into ½ -inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons West Indian Massala (see Note)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon powdered cardamom

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 onions, sliced

• 2 tomatoes, chopped

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 2 Scotch bonnet (or habanero) chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3 cups water

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the goat meat, masala, salt, cardamom, pepper, garlic, onions, tomatoes, green onions, and the chiles and mix well. Allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour.

Remove the meat from the seasonings and reserve the seasonings. Saute the meat in the butter and oil in a large skillet until lightly browned. Add the water, cover, and simmer until the goat is very tender, about 1 hour, adding more water if necessary.

Return the seasonings to the meat mixture, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

For this recipe, use a good quality imported curry powder; the domestic curry powders just don’t have the taste or the punch needed for this recipe. Serve this dish with rice and peas or fried plantains or cooked yams.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh goat (or lamb), cut into large pieces, washed

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 4 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (use coconut oil if available)

• 4 tablespoons white sugar

• 2 hot Scotch bonnet (or habanero) chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups chopped onion

• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

• 3/4 cup tomato sauce

• 4 tablespoons imported curry powder

• 3 teaspoons dried thyme, or 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 cup water, if necessary

Instructions

Put the cut-up goat in a large, shallow glass dish. Drizzle the lime juice over the meat, and spread the ginger over the meat. Sprinkle the meat with the salt, then cover the pan and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

Heat a very large, heavy casserole to a high heat, add the oil and the sugar, and allow the mixture to carmelize. Add the meat and remove the casserole from the heat and allow the meat to brown without stirring for 30 seconds. Return the pan to the heat, stir the meat, and finishing browning it.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, carefully turning and stirring the meat.

Add the chile peppers, garlic, and onion; reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring twice. Then add the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir the meat occasionally and check to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add more water, if necessary.

Goat meat, which is not commonly eaten in the United States (except in the Southwest), appears in many West Indian recipes. The Trinis sometimes eat curried goat Jamaican-style, but this version with coconut is more customary.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped fine

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 seasoning peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine (or substitute Yellow Wax Hots)

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons red chile powder (powdered pure chiles, without spices)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1½ pounds lean goat meat (or substitute lamb), cut into ½ -inch cubes

• 1½ cups water

• 2 tablespoons coconut cream, or more to taste

• salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the ghee or oil in a skillet, add the onion, garlic, peppers, and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chile powder, and cumin and sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the meat and brown it, stirring occasionally. Add the water and simmer the meat until tender, about 1 hour. Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry. Stir in the coconut cream and cook for 5 minutes.

Add salt to taste and serve hot with rice and a chutney of choice.

The central Texas town of Brady has staged the World Championship Barbeque Goat Cook-off for more than twenty years on Labor Day weekend. And they know how to cook it correctly, using ten to eighteen pound goats that have been slaughtered at thirty to forty days of age. The older goats eat grass and develop a distinct muttony flavor. They can also be tough. The best time to find young goat is around May. Cabrito is the Spanish word for young goat.

Purists insist that the only traditional way to cook cabrito is to dig a hole in your back yard and burn mesquite wood down to coals. Then you take the skinned cabrito, season it, wrap it in wet burlap bound with wire, and set the meat over the coals. You cover it with dirt to seal in the heat and smoke, and let it cook all day.

Known in the Southwest as cabrito al pastor, barbecued young goat is a spring tradition that can be duplicated in a grill with a spit or in a smoker. The biggest problem is going to be finding a young, tender 12 to 15 pound young goat and you may have to search out butchers, farmers, or Hispanic markets.

Ingredients

Instructions

Sprinkle the rub all over the goat and rub it in thoroughly. If grilling the goat, build a mesquite wood fire in a large barbecue with a spit, or use natural charcoal and mesquite chips. Arrange the goat on a spit about 1 foot above the coals. You can use a motor to turn the spit, or turn it manually every 10 or 15 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 170° F., for well done.

If smoking the goat, place the goat on a rack in the smoker with the smoke from pecan, oak, or fruitwood at 200 to 220° F. Smoke for about 1 hour per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 180° F.

To serve, slice the cabrito thinly and top with barbecue sauce. Serve with the tortillas, guacamole, and salsa on the side, or make tacos topped with the salsa.