Holiday Leg of Goat by Chef Blythe

This recipe, provided by Chef Geoffrey Blythe, using Shepherd Song’s goat meat, practically guarantees tender and delectable results, with the mild flavor of the meat enhanced but not overpowered by the marinade and rub.

Why try goat meat? Environmentally, goats move gently across the earth while delicately browsing. They do not adapt well to factory farm environments, so meat goats are seldom if ever raised using intensive and medicated methods. Goat meat is generally preferred by cultures around the world for special occasions such as weddings, births, and coming-of-age ceremonies, even when other meats are readily available at a lower price. What do these cultures know that we don’t?

Ingredients                     

3-4 lb Shepherd Song Farm leg of goat
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon whole allspice
1 Tablespoon freshly ground mixed peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seed
½ teaspoon fenugreek seed
½ teaspoon black mustard seed
1 teaspoon poppy seed
½ teaspoon nutmeg grated
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
4 each spring onions, chopped
3 each Scotch Bonnet peppers, destemmed and deseeded
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce
1  each lime, juiced

Instructions

• Rub the meat generously with salt and pepper. Place in a large marinating bag with the white wine vinegar and allow it marinate for 45 minutes.
• Combine all of the whole spices in a heavy bottomed pan and toast over a high heat for 2 minutes or until they begin to pop. Remove from the pan, add the nutmeg and cinnamon.  Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind and mix well.
• Add the spring onions, peppers, salt, soy sauce and lime juice in a food processor. Pulse till everything is chopped finely. Add the spices and pulse a few more times to mix well.
• Remove the meat from the vinegar and gently wipe off any excess vinegar. Coat the meat with the spice mixture and return to the marinating bag and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
• Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 300F, and prepare a hot grill if desired.
• Over a high heat, lightly char the marinade and sear the outside of the meat. Transfer to a baking sheet with a wire rack and place in the oven. Cook to an internal temperature of 140F.
• Allow the meat to rest and slice thinly.