Yard-Style Curry Goat
The Sacred Sunday Dinner
Rub the bone-in goat shoulder with sliced Scotch bonnet. The meat is washed with acid to strip away the gaminess, using sour orange to anchor a Sunday dinner stripped of shortcuts and sanitized food-blog revisions. Begin by burning the curry in hot oil, stirring the yellow Jamaican curry powder with a wooden spoon until dark, then keep the flame low, leave the heavy lid alone, and let the pot do the heavy lifting.
Before you start
Wash the meat to remove the gaminess.
Place the goat meat in a large bowl, pour in the vinegar, and cover with cool water. Agitate the meat with your hands to clean away bone fragments, then rinse thoroughly with fresh water and pat completely dry.
Massage the marinade deeply into the meat.
Add 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, the chopped onion, scallions, garlic, ginger, seasoning, salt, pepper, and allspice to the dry meat. Use your hands to massage the aromatics straight to the bone, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.
Ingredients
- bone-in goat meat3 lb
- white vinegar1/4 cup
- Jamaican curry powder3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- scallions4 med
- garlic cloves6 med
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- all-purpose seasoning1 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- ground allspice1 tsp
- vegetable oil2 tbsp
- fresh thyme sprigs6 small
- Scotch bonnet pepper1 med
- low-sodium beef broth2 cup
- Russet potatoes2 med
Method
- 01
Burn the curry to bloom the spices.
Remove the meat from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of curry powder for 20 to 30 seconds until deep golden-brown and intensely fragrant, being careful not to let it blacken.
- 02
Sear the meat and let it spring its own water.
Working in batches, add the marinated goat to the pot, leaving the bulky onions and scallions in the bowl. Sear to coat in the bloomed oil, then return all meat and the remaining aromatics to the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it stew in its own juices for 15 minutes.
- 03
Begin the low and slow braise.
Uncover and pour in just enough hot broth to barely cover the meat. Toss in the thyme sprigs and gently rest the intact Scotch bonnet pepper on top, then bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- 04
Add the potatoes to thicken the gravy.
When the goat is tender and easily pierced with a fork, stir in the cubed potatoes. Simmer uncovered for another 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes soften and the liquid reduces into a rich, clinging gravy, then carefully remove the thyme stems and the Scotch bonnet pepper before serving.
Notes
Use the weeknight pressure cooker shortcut if you are short on time.
Prep and marinate the meat the night before. Set your Instant Pot to Sauté to burn the curry and brown the meat. Add only 1 cup of broth, the thyme, and lock the lid to cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Switch back to Sauté, add the potatoes and Scotch bonnet, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to thicken the gravy.
Source the right curry powder and meat.
Don't compromise on the curry powder; seek out Betapac brand at a Caribbean market or online for the authentic bright, pimento-heavy flavor. Bone-in goat can easily be found at local Halal butchers or Mexican carnicerías.
From Cook Jamaican in America.