More deliciously sustainable goat meat.
Do you remember the goat shoulder recipe I posted a short while ago? Well, I hope you liked it, because here is another goat recipe!
“Were are you getting all this goat meat?” you might ask…The answer is simple: At Chaffin Family Farms.
As you, dear faithful reader might know by now, I am big on supporting local farmers. ESPECIALLY when it comes to meat. I NEED to know where the animal I am eating came, from, how it was treated, what it ate and how it was processed.
We are part of the cycle of life and health!
Think about it, it is all a chain:
A Grass grows on soil, was the soil organic? How was it fertilized? Did the farmer know about the importance of soil biology for the nutritional value of what is grown on it?
B Animal eats grass, was that grass sprayed with toxic chemicals? Was the pasture seeded with GMO seeds? Was the pasture irrigated, depleting the aquifers?
C Human eats animal, was the animal pastured? Was it fed supplemental minerals and probiotics that kept them really healthy? Was it treated humanely so that it did not have to suffer pain and stress all its life (flooding the meat with stress hormones)?
When I buy from a local farmer I can ask ALL THOSE QUESTIONS, and get honest answers, and guess what I can go check it out and see with my own eyes.
I can buy from people who share my same ethics and my same views on health and sustainability. I can buy from people who love and respect their animals!
Long story short, the Chaffin are one of them!
Read all about the farm and farming practices on their website www.chaffinfamilyorchards.com
How to roast a leg of goat.
Roasting goat can be just as easy as any other roast, as long as you know a few tricks to insure your success.
Goat can be an amazingly tasty meat, but it can also be tough and dry, that is why cooking it the right way is important.
Of course you can de-bone your leg cut, and cook it as a stew or a curry, but here I want to talk about ways to successfully roast it on the bone.
First: I think a marinade is important. Marinading the meat overnight will tenderize it and add subtle flavors.
Second: The initial sear will lock in juices and prevent over-drying.
Third: A long roasting time (can be as long as 20 min per pound) at low temperature with plenty of added moisture to keep the meat tender.
I think that with those elements in place success should be assured!
- 1 pastured goat leg
- 1 pound of frozen peach slices
- 2 organic apples
- 1 meyers lemon
- pink peppercorn, freshly ground
- coarse celtic sea salt
- 2 cups white wine
- water
- Marinade
- The morning before roasting defrost the goat leg. Defrost the peaches too.
- At night put the leg on a cookie sheet (will probably not fit in a standard pan) laying it on a couple of long pieces of aluminium foil, so it can be easily wrapped.
- Zest the meyer lemon and spread the zest on the leg.
- Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper, then lay peaches on top and around the leg.
- Core and coarsely chop apples and lay on the meat also.
- Wrap tightly with the foil, and place back in the refrigerator overnight.
- The roast
- On the next day, take out meat from the refrigerator about 3 hours before roasting, to bring to room temperature.
- Unwrap the leg, and lay back on the cookie sheet (or roasting pan if you have one large enough).
- Lay marinade around it.
- Pour one cup of wine on the cookie sheet.
- Cover the leg very loosely with the foil, to create a sort of tent.
- Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Place the leg in the oven and reduce temperature immediately to 200 degrees.
- Roast the leg for about ⅚ hours, checking that when the fluid is completely absorbed you refill it with the second cup of wine.
- When the meat reaches internal temperature of 120 degrees turn on the broiler on high and REMOVE foil.
- The meat should brown nicely on the top.
- When the meat reaches 125 degrees internal temperature remove from the oven.
- Remove the leg from the oven and cover with foil and a towel to keep warm.
- Let rest for about 15 minutes, then slice against the grain at an angle.
- You can use the pan drippings, if not burnt, to reduce with ½ cup white wine for a quick sauce.
I am trying your recipe today. We raise meat goats for our table. I, too, like to know where my meat comes from. Goats are inexpensive to raise and the meat is very nutritious. Thank you for the recipe.
That is awesome! I wish I could raise my own goats, but as I know myself they would all become pets and end up sleeping on dogbeds in the house 😛
Hi, I’m attempting this today but wondering if i misread or if there is a typo in the temperature? My legs are at 140 and no where near done, did you mean 125 after many hours in a 200 degree oven? Help ! Thanks:)
Did you measure the temperature of the meat near the bone? What kind of thermometer did you use? Once the temp of the meat is 125 it should be medium rare. If you like yours more cooked you can bake it longer, but it might get tough.
After 3 to 4 hours it should be done!
I’m in Australia so I’m wondering are the temps Celsius?
Sorry Nic, as I am in the USA the temps are Fahrenheit.
Hi there
I really want to try this recipe, just want to check what you mean by step 11. Lay in marinade, when mention of marinade is only described. Do you mean just the wine and water from ingredient list?
Thanks Ayla
Ayla, if you read the recipe, the first part calls for laying the leg in a marinade overnight. Then you take that very marinade and arrange it around the leg on the cookie sheet before roasting it.
I hope this helps!
How much water do you have to put in the pan with the wine
About a cup!