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Cabrito al pastor
Monterrey's slow-roasted young goat, made in a home oven
Monterrey is the capital of cabrito: young milk-fed goat spread on a stake and roasted slowly beside glowing wood embers, the speciality of the city's big grill restaurants and of weekend family feasts in Nuevo León. The meat is pale, delicate and juicy with crackly, salty skin, and it comes with salsa, flour tortillas, guacamole and a bowl of frijoles charros. Kid goat is hard to find, so this home-oven version also works with a bone-in lamb shoulder, which is a little fattier but just as good; ask a halal or specialist butcher for goat. Chef's tip: roast it covered and low first, then uncover and blast it at the end; starting at high heat is what dries out lean goat.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meat
For the salsa
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Pat 4 ⅜ lb kid goat shoulder or leg, bone in dry with kitchen paper.
Step 2: Mix 1 tbsp coarse salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 6 garlic, 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano and 2 tbsp vegetable oil into a paste and rub it all over the meat, working it into every crevice.
Step 3: Put the meat in a roasting tin, pour 1 cup water around it and cover the tin tightly with foil.
Step 4: Roast for about 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulls easily from the bone. Check halfway and add a splash of water if the tin is dry. Don't be tempted to roast hot and uncovered from the start: that is the usual reason lean goat comes out dry and tough.
180 minStep 5: Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 425°F (400°F fan) and roast for 20–30 minutes more, until the outside is deep golden and crackly.
25 minStep 6: Rest the meat loosely covered for 15 minutes while you make the salsa.
15 minStep 7: Mix 3 tomatoes, ½ white onion, 2 serrano chillies, ½ oz fresh coriander and 1 lime with a pinch of salt.
Step 8: Pull the meat into chunks, spoon over the tin juices and serve with the salsa and warm tortillas.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cabrito al pastor take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 220 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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