Braised Goat Curry

A local farmer recently told me she has some goats that she plans to butcher (not herself) to sell the meat. As she was saying this to me, my eyes lit up. We grew up on goat meat in India and even have had it couple times here in America, on the East Coast where the Indian population is in the masses but I digress; to hear an Ohio farmer say she's raising goats for goat meat was music to my ears. Few weeks later, we got 5lbs of goat shoulder- bone-in, all in one piece. At first I was puzzled but I quickly decided to make Goat Curry. Goat shoulder, or any shoulder, is perfect for braising because of the meat's toughness, the dry and moist cooking method retains the moisture and flavor of the meat. And I also like bone-in shoulder and leg cuts because that also helps retain its moistness throughout the cooking process.

This is my version of the traditional Pakistani Goat Curry, mostly available in delicious Indian and Pakistani restaurants. Their version has cubed/stewed goat shoulder meat marinated, browned and cooked in an onion and spices curry. My version adds an extra step braising the meat in the oven for 4 hours after its been browned in a dutch oven on the stove. Hence the name.

Braised Goat Curry

Ingredients

6lbs of Goat shoulder, bone in
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garam masala, store bought or homemade (store bought versions vary in spice ingredient proportions but the key ingredients to look for are cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, dried red chilies, coriander, cumin, and black peppercorns)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon clarified butter

For the Curry

2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
5 cardamoms, in their pods
3 bayleaves
6 cloves
3 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 inch ginger, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cups water

Combine all the spices with 2 cups of yogurt and mix well. Using a paring knife, make multiple (8- 10 for 5lb of meat) slits in the shoulder; this will allow the marinade to penetrate throughout the meat. Rub the meat with the yogurt and spice mixture and allow the meat to rest, covered in the fridge for 8 hours, up to 48 hours.

Remove the meat from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for 1 hour. 30 minutes before browning the meat, preheat the oven to 200F. Add 1 tablespoon of clarified butter to a large (5 1/2 or 7 1/4 quart) dutch oven on medium- high heat. After a minute or two, once the pot and the fat is heated through, add the marinated meat. You should hear a sizzle as soon as the meat touches the hot bottom of the pan. Brown the meat on each side for 3-5 minutes. If the meat is browning too quickly or burning at the bottom, lower the heat to medium.

Once browned on all sides, add 1/4 cup of water, cover the dutch oven with a tight fitting lid and braise in the oven for 5+ hours. The longer it goes, the better it is for the meat.

In the meantime, dice the onions, mince garlic and ginger and chop the tomatoes.

When the meat comes out of the oven, it should fall completely off the bone. Move the meat from the dutch oven to a serving platter, cover with foil and let it rest.

Bring the goat fat or clarified butter (4 tablespoons if the meat didn’t release fat drippings to medium heat in the dutch oven. After a minute or two, add diced onions and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes. The onions will pick up the brown bits from the braising, don’t worry. After the onions are cooked, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Then add salt, ground coriander and ground cumin and cook for 30 seconds until the spices release their smoky aromas. Add the chopped tomatoes and using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan. The acid from the tomato will make it easier to pick up the browned bits which make the curry so much better. Add 3 cups of water, scrape the pan one more time with a wooden spatula to pick up any remaining browned bits. Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. While it comes to a boil, gently tear off pieces of the goat meat from the bone. Lower the heat to medium, add the meat (without the bone) to the dutch oven and cook for 20- 25 minutes or until the curry thickens. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Serve with freshly cooked basmati rice.

Note: the picture of the finished product doesn't do justice to how good this tastes so take the time one afternoon to make it.

Yields 8 servings