Smoked Goat Leg Tacos & Cemitas

Smoked Goat Leg Tacos & Cemitas

According to the "Washington Post" goat meat is the most widely consumed meat in the world. Why don’t more Americans eat goat meat? These are grass fed animals that have a very low fat content and it doesn’t have the gamey taste of lamb. With fewer calories than beef, chicken, lamb or pork and more protein than beef, goat meat should be a desirable choice of meat.

Since goat is low in fat, its needs to be braised at a low temperature over a long period of time. It’s similar to cooking a brisket. I decided to give it a try and serve goat meat to my family. On a weekend day, we smoked it for a couple of hours just to give it a nice smoke flavor and then braised it in the oven for a couple of house to make sure it was moist. Shock! They couldn’t tell the different between goat and pork. Cooked right, it just falls off the bone and can be used for several quick dinners throughout the week.

One of the advantages of living in Norcross is that hard to find whole goat legs can be ordered at any of the three locations of Jalisco Supermarkets located in the city. I purchased mine from Jalisco #3, 5261 Buford Hwy. I decided to smoke the goat leg for a couple of hours than finish it by braising it in the oven the remaining 2 hours. It yielded enough for two dinners for 4 and enough to freeze for chili this winter. It’s delicious and a must try!

Adobo Paste

5 dried Ancho chilies – stemmed, seeded and torn into 4” pieces

3 dried Chili de Arbol – spliced and seeded

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of oregano

½ teaspoon of ground allspice

2 teaspoons of salt

5 cloves of garlic

¼ cup of cider vinegar

Toast the dried chilies in a dry skillet until pliable about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place the chilies in a medium size heat proof bowl and pour boiling water over them just enough to cover. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain the chilies and reserve the soaking liquid. Place the chilies and everything else in a blender or food processor and add just enough soaking liquid to form a paste. Blend until smooth. Add more soaking liquid as needed.

Smoked Goat Leg

6-7 lbs. whole goat leg - thawed

Adobo paste recipe

4 chunks of mesquite wood

Charcoal

Chicken Stock

Rub the goat leg all over with the Adobo paste and bring the meat to room temperature. In a smoker, light the charcoal. When the charcoal is an ash color add the mesquite. Fill the pan with water and set the racks. When the temperature reaches 250 degrees, place the goat leg on the top rack and smoke for 2 hours. Remove the goat leg and place in a roasting pan. Add enough chicken stock to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with foil and roast at 300 degrees for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until meat falls off the bone, adding chicken stock as needed. The internal temperature should be between 150 -160 degrees. Tent lightly with foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Smoked Goat Tacos

Flour Tortillas - small

2 cups of shredded cabbage

2 Jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, ribs removed and finely diced

¼ cup of finely diced onions

½ cup of cilantro chopped

Juice & zest of 1 lime

2 teaspoons of canola oil

Salt & pepper to taste

3 cups of smoked goat meat chopped

Toast the flour tortillas in a dry skillet on both sides. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, lime juice & zest, oil and salt & pepper. Toss well. Fill the tortilla with ¾ cup of goat meat and top with jalapeno slaw. Serves 4

Smoked Goat Cemitas

4 Sesame seed egg rolls

Sliced smoked goat leg in Adobo sauce

4 Queso Blanco cheese slices

Avocado – sliced

Cilantro sprigs

½ cup Mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lime juice & zest

Toast the rolls in an oven at 350 until lightly toasted. Meanwhile mix the mayonnaise, lime juice & zest and set aside. Heat the goat slices in a skillet with a little bit of the braising liquid on medium low heat. Slather the rolls with the mayo mixture and add the warmed goat slices. In the same skillet add the cheese slices and cook until slightly melted about 1 minute on each side. Top the meat with the warm cheese. Top the cheese with the cilantro sprigs and slice avocado. Top with the other half of the roll and slice in half.

Serves 4.