Gaga over goat.

I love goats. Not only are they cute as hell, excel at weed control, and produce the most amazing milk, but they're damn tasty to boot. Goat is one of my favorite types of flesh, and it's leaner and lower in cholesterol than both lamb and beef. Yet, you hardly see goat on restaurant menus, meat counters, or butcher shops in this country, except for joints that serve or cater to certain ethnic groups, and that to me is a travesty.


I've been plotting a traditional barbacoa-style whole goat roast ever since I found out one of my neighbors owns a Chinese pig box, but I thought it might be best to start small before I embarrass myself in front of my whole neighborhood. So, last weekend I drug the wife out to the University District farmers market and picked up a goat roast from  Toboton Creek Farns.

A random goat we met in Hawaii. Looks tasty, no?






Due to wacky Seattle weather, I decided to braise the goat in an adobo, rather than lightly smoking it in my Weber Smoky Mountain like I planned.  Not quite the practice run I had envisioned, but the goat turned out awesome anyway.

The goat was light in flavor, tender as hell, and became a thing of utter beauty when wrapped in a tortilla. We feasted on goat tacos, black beans, and jicama / lime / cilantro slaw until we passed out in a food-induced coma. It was epic.

1 5 lb goat roast (preferably bone-in)  trimmed of excess fat and silverskin



Adobo

5 dried ancho chilies (seeds and stem removed)
5 guarillo (seeds and stem removed)
1 lb tomatoes
1 tbs dried Mexican oregano
4 cloves garlic
2 tbs vinegar
1 tbs salt

Split chilies down one side with a sharp knife, butterfly, and toast in a hot, dry skillet for ~30 secs on each side. Place toasted chilies in a bowl,  pour boiling water over chilies and soak until soft, about 30 minutes.



Puree chilies with rest of ingredients and 1/2 cup soaking liquid from chilies in a blender until smooth.



Preheat oven to 300 degrees.


Rub adobo in to roast (save remaining adobo) and place the goat in to an appropriate braising vessel. Cover tightly and braise in the oven for 4 hours, or until meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. Allow roast to cool in the pot for about 30 minutes, or until you can handle the meat without burning yourself.



If you've got a fat separator, pour the drippings from the roast in to it and add it (sans fat) to the remaining marinade. Shred meat and place in a shallow, oven proof pan and pour marinade / drippings over the top. Place goat back in oven and bake for 30 minutes.




Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sliced radishes, fresh crumbled cheese, and cilantro.