Braised goat in tomato sauce

I went to the store over the weekend, originally for a pot roast. I wanted to do some braising. When I reached the meat counter, I saw they had some bone-in goat stew meat, and that quickly became my selection. 

This is one of my favorite cooking methods. I’ve made this kind of a braised meat pasta sauce with everything from beef, pork, lamb, rabbit and even duck. This is the first time I’ve tried it with goat.

For those who haven’t tried goat, it is kind of half way between beef and lamb in flavor. I find it a little milder than lamb, but more robust in flavor than beef. 

When I started cooking, I intended to make a goat stew, but as I smelled the aroma of the meat as it was roasting in the oven, I decided to go the tomato route. I was very pleased with how this all day recipe turned out. Here’s what I did.

3-1/2 lb. of bone-in goat stew meat

Cooking spray

Cajun seasoning

Smoked paprika

Garlic powder

White pepper

1 leek, white and pale green parts, chopped and washed

2 stalks of celery, chopped

8 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp. thyme

1 bottle of red wine

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 tbs. Turkish red pepper paste

28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

Preparation

This is a very easy recipe to make, but it will take most of the day. Spray an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven with some of that cooking spray, like Pam. Add all the goat stew meat. Sprinkle it generously with cajun seasoning, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Grind on some white pepper, and roast at 380º for at least an hour and a half. Stir a couple of times while it is roasting.

Note, for the leek, chop the white and pale green parts, set them in a colander and rinse them real well. Mud and grit don’t taste good. Add the chopped leek, celery, garlic and onion to the roasted goat. Sprinkle on the thyme, and pour on a whole bottle of red wine. Stir to mix everything. Cover the dutch oven, and place it back in the oven, at 300º, for at least two hours. Check at the one hour mark, and if necessary add more wine.

By now, much of the wine will be reduced. Add the crushed tomatoes, and rinse the can with a spec more red wine, and add that. Stir well, and add the bay leaf, the Louisiana Hot Sauce, and the Turkish red pepper paste. Cover and return to the oven for at least another hour.

Stir the sauce. By now, some of the meat should be almost falling off the bone. Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper. Mine didn’t need anything. Cover and let the sauce rest while you cook some pasta, and put the bread in the oven.

Serving

I served this braised meat sauce over linguine. Have lots of napkins, because you’ll want to pick the bones up and eat the meat off the bone. I also had fresh homemade bread and a good olive oil to dip into, as well as a bowl of olives. I poured a light bodied Cab. and dinner was perfect. The sauce had a great flavor, and all I added was a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.