How to make a goat shoulder

In preparation for raising our own food, I'm embracing the challenge of cooking the cuts of our intended livestock.  At the Platteville winter market last week, lo and behold, I found goat for sale!  Raised locally by a mother/daughter team in Potosi, Glasson Valley shows and raises Boer goats.  I purchased a goat shoulder.

I liked the method of Popartichoke so I based our prep on her method - plus we just happened to have homemade harissa in the fridge.  (As a side note, I found Popartichoke in searching for goat recipes - a lot of good stuff and recipes on that blog, definitely worth checking out!)

Harissa rub on the goat cut - let rest for a couple of hours in the fridge

 

 

 

 



 

 Mirepoix ingredients, browned

 

 Ready to go in the oven

 

 

 After a couple of hours. 

 

 

 Browned and tender

 

 

 Resting - note the whole garlic bulb!

 

 Mixing the mirepoix

Recipe for Goat Shoulder  *Dutch oven is a necessity for this dish!
(Recipe adapted from Popartichoke)

Rub
3 T salt
generous grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 t. oregano
1 t. chopped rosemary
1 t. olive oil
2 T. Harissa (homemade)
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 t. turmeric
2 lb goat shoulder

Rub mixture on goat.  Let rest in fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight).  Remove at least 1 hour before preparation.

Mirepoix
2 carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
~1/2 C dicked celeraic
sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 to 2 bulbs (whole bulbs, not cloves) of garlic.  Remove cloves and clean from 1 bulb.  Cut off the top 1/4-1/3 of the remaining whole bulb (as if you were going to roast it, and include the entire bulb in the mixture in the dutch oven.  Again, gotta give credit to Megg at Popartichoke, here - I love this idea!  
1 to 3 bay leaves
1.5 to 2 C of red wine (or more)  :)
2 C chicken stock
1 C water

Preheat oven to 250.

In dutch oven on the stovetop, brown veggies in batches in the grease leftover from your morning pancetta breakfast omelet (No?  your breakfast didn't include pancetta?  sorry, it was delicious!) or sunflower oil.  Start with carrots and celeriac and brown slightly.  Remove and brown onion slightly.  Remove.

Turn dutch oven to high.  Brown the goat.  Really get in there and brown it - don't be shy.  Get all of the sides and edges.  When turning, scrape any rub that falls off from bottom of pan and save on a plate.  Remove once browned.  Turn off stovetop heat.   Deglaze dutch oven with some red wine.  Add veggies.  Add goat, the rub that fell off during cooking and liquids.

Cover and put in oven for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove cover, flip meat, increase heat to 300, and cook for another 45-60 mins.

When meat is tender and falling from the bones, remove from oven.  Remove the meat from the dutch oven and cover on a plate.  If you can find the bay leaves, remove them and the whole garlic bulb.  Using your stick blender, combine the mirepoix ingredients until a gravy forms. 

Serve with couscous or rice.