[MikeD]

I know goat's the new hip meat in the States, and I'm glad to hear it...means there are a lot of good recipes on the Internet! And honestly, I think sheep and goat are probably the red meats of the future--so much less resource-intensive than beef.

A friend gave me a leg of goat fresh-slaughtered on Eid, and I just took it out of the freezer to roast it for him and his dad tomorrow. Being unskilled with both roasting meat in general and cooking goat in particular, I've been trying to figure out what to do. A pro chef friend recommended larding it, which I'd be all over, but we can't use pork in this case (not a strictly halal meal, I'm sure, but consciously using pork is bad form...). So I searched around and came up with:

Prepped roast with garlic spears inserted every inch or so on both sides, then coat and massage with olive oil and a little lemon juice. (Many recipes were calling for lemon juice on goat as a tenderizer, which I thought strange since I thought acids simply cooked the meat, but I'm rolling with it...) Coat liberally with herbs du Provence. Sprinkle some salt on both sides, re-wrap and put in fridge until tomorrow.

Will add more oil and possibly seasoning immediately before roasting, I think.

Going to oven-roast it in a pyrex pan with a tent of foil over top, with quartered potatos, red onions, and carrots underneath to keep it separated from the pan surface. Plan on removing it from the oven at an internal 140F, trying to keep it on the medium-rare side.

Any suggestions for heat? I was looking to do it on the low side for a long time, like 300 for a few hours. I've read I should sear both sides over charcoal first, but I don't want to set up the grill, as I'm also unskilled with keeping the local lump charcoal going at the heat I want. Maybe sear under the broiler before beginning the roast??

Any other input?? My local pro wasn't around to ask, so I'm now a newb at a loss.

Desperately hoping this comes out tender and edible, or at least not embarrassing. Goat can be wonderful or shoe leather.

MD

 

[Damo]

PM sent, but probably not much help to you.

The lemon juice will help break the meat down to tenderise it. You can use kiwifruit also.

I'd treat it like a lamb shank and cook it slowly in braising liqueur. If you do a quick search for braised lamb shank, you should be able to come up with some good recipes. Remember goat can handle a lot of flavour, so chuck the garlic and herbs in there.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 

[narlus]

yeah, i was gonna say that the few times i've eaten goat, it was always braised.

good luck!

 

[dan-o]

This thread makes me crave the goat dishes a former jamaican coworker used to make the shop. I'd ask a local how they cook it unless you can find the Burundi Braising Liqueur Outlet on google.

 

[TN]

I love goat.

Have you thought about brining the leg?

 

[MikeD]

Ended up just going with the recipe I described and it was pretty good...meat was cooked very nicely and it was mostly very tender and pink. Took a lot less time than I thought to get to 140F inside (3.5 lb leg with bone in); only a little over an hour. Thus the veggies weren't as well-roasted as I'd have liked.

However, the seasoning should have been stronger. I used a lot of lemon and olive oil, and stuffed about two heads of garlic slivers into it, but I think the herbs I had sitting around had lost their kick--normally they taste great on a roast, but these just seemed like only vaguely flavorful bits of shredded paper. Alas, anything sitting around that long (we had to bring this kind of stuff with us when we moved) is bound to have lost some of its zip. I also didn't salt it heavily, which might have helped some, too. (Or I should have just encrusted it with Montreal Steak Seasoning and been done with it...)

As someone who can follow a recipe but knows very little about the actual culinary arts, brining sure sounds intriguing but I hadn't considered it...how do you do it and what does it get you?

There are goats running around this place everywhere (see my vids!) so another leg roast is only a few francs away.

 

[TN]

I have done a leg of lamb brined & not brined. I can't recall my exact recipe for the brine but it was like 8 qt. of water 2 cups of salt, hand full of peppercorns, bay leaf then boil & cool then soak your meat for 12-24 hours then cook it.

The brined lamb had a better texture (both were smoked) & less of a wild, gamey lamb taste (it was not actaully lamb....mutton, I am pretty sure).

 

[-BB-]

There should usually be some sugar in the brine as well.

Glad to hear that it turned out so well MikeD.
The only thing I may have done differently would be to toss it in a 450 degree oven and then turn it down to 300 after about 5-10 min. Better color on the outside, seals in juice, and more carmalization.

 

[MikeD]

Well, I did sear each side under the broiler first... But according to the pro chef I work with, the idea of searing holding in juice is an urban legend. News to me, 'cuz it's why I always did it.

 

[TN]

There should usually be some sugar in the brine as well.

Glad to hear that it turned out so well MikeD.
The only thing I may have done differently would be to toss it in a 450 degree oven and then turn it down to 300 after about 5-10 min. Better color on the outside, seals in juice, and more carmalization.

there was brown sugar in it too if i can remember correctly. i won't go through the process for lamb again. i would just marinate it rub with oil s&p & herbs.
I do however brine whole chickens before I roast, smoke or grill. definetly worth it for the yard bird.

 

[BikeMike]

Sounds delicious.

Well, I did sear each side under the broiler first... But according to the pro chef I work with, the idea of searing holding in juice is an urban legend. News to me, 'cuz it's why I always did it.

If you want to get technical, your chef friend is completely right. Searing doesn't "seal in" juice or moisture; it does, however, create tasty brown stuff (via carmalization and Malliard reactions.)

 

[valve bouncer]

In answer to my question of "how do you cook it?" the lovely Caribbean lady at the Brixton markets said "like lamb". Roast a whole one on a spit. Feed the village bwana!

 

[OGRipper]

Well, I did sear each side under the broiler first... But according to the pro chef I work with, the idea of searing holding in juice is an urban legend. News to me, 'cuz it's why I always did it.

Yeah opinions differ on that. From what I can tell the consensus is that it doesn't really seal in the juices, but you get more flavor from meat that is browned on the outside before long cooking. The best way to make sure you keep all the juices is to let meat rest before you carve it. Juices move away from the heat (i.e., away from the surface). Letting it rest allows the juices to redistribute.

Also, more salt would probably improve the flavor and help bring out the other seasonings. Every chef I talk to always points to lack of salt as the #1 rookie mistake.