![Image may contain Food Dish Meal Platter Cutlery Fork Plant and Seasoning](https://assets.epicurious.com/photos/5604011cc301a9f945f0612e/1:1/w_2560%2Cc_limit/51117000.jpg)
Barbacoa de Cabrito
This goat barbecue typifies a style where the meat absorbs anadobo, a fragrant, spicy marinade of dried chiles and other seasonings.
I watched Zoyla Mendoza make this dish in her village, Teotitlán del Valle. Though she and her family can well afford to eat meat, they usually save it for special occasions, so they rejoiced when I asked them to teach me their favoritebarbacoa. It was beautiful, breathing the scent of fresh avocado leaves and other herbs. The meat becomes unbelievably tender without drying out or getting mushy.
When I came back to my New York kitchen, I set to work to find other methods close to the tender savor of a true pit barbecue. For the type that Zoyla showed me, I feel the best results come from packing the marinated meat in a tightly covered pan just large enough to hold the ingredients and baking it for a long time in a moderate oven. A turkey roaster is good. If you don't have a big enough pan with a tight-fitting lid, wrap several layers of aluminum foil very snugly around the pan to seal in the steam.
I make thebarbacoaas Zoyla made it, with young goat (kid). Goat is available in some Greek,halalMuslim, and West Indian butcher shops and can sometimes be ordered from other butchers. Ask the butcher to cut it into quarters. Oaxacans always include and specially value the head, which has some extra-tender nuggets of meat. (This is optional for the doubting.) If goat is not available, lamb is the best substitute. At my restaurant, we use lamb shoulder. The dish can also be made with a whole fresh ham or a pot-roasting cut of beef such as round, though you may have to reduce the amount of marinade slightly and experiment with a shorter cooking time. Of course true pre-Hispanicbarbacoawas made with turkey—not used as frequently nowadays, but still a notably authentic choice.
When the meat is cooked in an authentic pit it yields a lot of rich juices that never develop using the oven method. At my restaurant in New York we approximate this as follows: When the adobo (chile paste) is made, set aside 1 1/4 cup of the mixture and rub the meat with the rest. Cook as described below. When the meat is done, skim the fat from the pan juices and deglaze the roasting pan with 2 cups homemade chicken broth over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in one 28- to 32-ounce can tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Add the reserved adobo and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes, or until reduced to about 4 cups. Let cool slightly and purée in a blender (working in batches as necessary) until smooth. Serve with the carved meat.
Ingredients
8 to 10 servings (more for the lamb version)
Step 1
Wash and griddle-dry the chiles by the directions below. Place in a deep bowl and cover generously with boiling water. Let soak for at least 20 minutes.
Step 2
Grind the cumin, cloves, allspice, oregano, and dried thyme (if using) together in an electric coffee or spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
步骤3
Drain the soaked chiles. Working in batches as necessary, place them in a blender with the ground herbs and spices (add fresh thyme at this point if using), garlic, onion, vinegar, salt, and about 1/2 cup water (or enough to facilitate the action of the blades). Process to a smooth purée (about 3 minutes on high), stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. With a wooden spoon or pusher, for the purée through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl. It should have the consistency of a thick but still moist paste.
Step 4
Season the pieces of goat or lamb with salt and pepper. Slather the seasoning paste all over the meat. Arrange in a large bowl (or any non-reactive container that's large enough), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 2 hours before beginning the cooking, to let the meat come to room temperature.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Step 6
Choose a deep roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold the meat snugly. Scatter half of the avocado leaves across the bottom of the pan and arrange the meat on them. Scatter the remaining leaves over the meat. Cover the pan (wrapping very tightly with several layers of foil if there is no lid) and bake 6 to 7 hours (4 to 4 1/2 hours for the lamb). The meat should be almost falling off the bone.
Griddle-DryingRemove and discard the tops and seeds of the chiles. I leave in the veins (the hottest part), but you can cut them away if you want to tone down the heat. Rinse the chiles under cold running water and shake off the excess moisture, but do not dry them. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. A few at a time, place the chiles on the griddle and let them heat, turning occasionally with tongs, just until any clinging moisture is evaporated and the aroma is released. Allow approximately 30 to 45 seconds in all per chile for most kinds, slightly less for guajillos (which are very thin-skinned). The chiles should just become dry, hot, and fragrant; do not allow them to start really roasting or they will have a terrible scorched flavor. Remove from the griddle as they are done.
Avocado LeavesBuy the dried imported avocado leaves sold in packets in Mexican groceries. Though sizes are not standardized, they generally come in 1/4-ounce packets, sometimes with the contents fairly broken up. One ounce of dried avocado leaves is usually equivalent to about 30 leaves.
How would you rate Goat in Chile Marinade, Pit-Barbecue Style?
Leave a Review
Reviews (6)
Back to TopThis is a great recipe Goat in Chile Marinade, Pit-Barbecue Style , had fun making it over the weekend. Recreated the meal that I get from https://www.flexpromeals.com/ delivered. Good quality and fresh.
Vadim
9/30/2023
Fabulous. I used boneless lamb shoulder for this. Marinated overnight. Put the meat and marinade in a Le Creuset pot. In the oven for 3 hours. Added water and a can of tomatoes (chopped) midway.
Anonymous
Geneva, Switzerland
5/4/2013
This dish was a hit at my Halloween dinner party. I used two goat legs that weighed a total of 8lbs. Didn't have guajillo chiles so I substituted seeded jalapeno chiles instead. Marinated for 48 hours. I cooked at 250 degrees as I felt 325 was too high. Cooked in a roasting pan covered with three layers of foil for 8.5 hours and it was awesome. Perfectly succulent. It's important to keep the foil tightly sealed to prevent moisture from escaping and the goat drying out. Resist the temptation to peak while it's cooking.
justlev
Indianapolis, IN
11/1/2012
To the cook from the UK, there is no real substitute, but when I am out of avocado leaves I use bay leaves with a few anise seeds.
howlingmonkey
Toronto
10/28/2012
Sounds delicious. Can fresh avacado or banana leaves be used? Any suggestions on how to build/construct a pit- barbecue? Thanks in advance.
Ugmo
Washington DC
10/26/2012
I've never cooked with avocado leaves, either, but according to http://www.foodsubs.com/HerbsHisp.html, you have options: avocado leaves = hoja de aguacate Notes: Mexican cooks use these to impart an anise-like aroma to foods. They're often used as wrappers, or crumbled into stews. Toast the leaves before using. Substitutes: banana leaves (as a wrapper) OR hoja santa OR fennel (if chopped leaves are called for) OR maguey leaves (as a wrapper)
esung1
10/25/2012
Any suggestions for a substitute for avocado leaves as I can't get them here?
Anonymous
UK
10/25/2012