Cabrito, kid, chevon, are all names for baby goat. And whatever you want to call it I don’t eat it or cook it. BUT our friend Mike McIntosh and his lovely wife Julie Wickett invited us over Sunday afternoon for a bbq and that is what they were serving. Jesse and Dashiell were up for it so off we went. I tasted a small bite of the cabrito and it was delicious. I know I just said that I don’t eat baby goats but I had to try it because Mike is so sweet. Mike smoked it for hours in a special smoker that you add water to so the meat was moist and succulant. Our friend Tim made the tastiest pinto beans I’ve ever had. He did not skimp on the salt pork and they were really a meal in themselves. Julie made a lovely peach sorbet for dessert that hit the spot on this summer evening. I made fatoush, a Lebonese bread salad. Fatoush can be made with lettuce or not and adding garbanzo beans works too. I did add the lettuce this time, however, I have made it in the past with just the tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onions.
Fatoush
- 1/2 head of romaine lettuce
- 1 container of grape tomatoes
- 2 cucumbers
- 4 spring onions
- 1/2 cup of mint
- 1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- pita bread, cut into triangles
Cut all of the vegetables into bite size pieces, chop the mint and parsley and add to the salad. Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the vegetables. Toast the pita bread in the oven and toss with the salad.
2 Comments
Hey Lois, that was a great salad! It was the perfect compliment to the cabrito. We had a great time at Mike’s, even before we pulled out the guitars and started jamming. By the way, where did you go once we started playing? 🙂
Lois, thanks for the kind words.
For folks that are interested, I used a Brinkmann Smoker, which is a vertical-styled smoker with a water pan that sells for about $50 and lasts darn near for ever. (Academy generally has them in stock.) You build a charcoal or wood fire in the bottom, and then put liquid (usually just water) in the pan that sits above the fire. The water both helps control the temperature and moisturizes the cooking meat. Add either some additional wood chunks or damp wood chips just as you add the meat to increase the smoke.
The meat is seasoned with a dry rub. The key ingredients in the rub are garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. You can add chile powder and cumin if you are looking to emphasize the Mexican origins of this local dish. Or, you can use Greek or North African seasonings if you prefer. Young goat is eaten across the world, so you can take this dish wherever you like, in terms of ethnic influences.
Slow cooking with charcoal is not an easy thing to time, so if I am an hour away from serving and my meat isn’t as tender as I would like, I often shift the smoked meat into a roasting pan, add just a little liquid (no more than a cup) cover the pan and continue the cooking in the oven at around 275 degrees F. Finish by uncovering the pan for the last fifteen to twenty minutes of cooking to crisp it up. The meat should be falling off the bone. I generally go ahead and strip the meat from the bone for everything except for the ribs, which I’ll cut into two rib portions. It makes it easier to serve.
In this case, we ended up with a very Mediterranean mix of side dishes, and that is entirely appropriate. As you mentioned, this is a dish that is served across the globe. It is versatile in the way that it can accept a variety of seasonings, and it pairs well with many different side dishes. The key to preparing it, whether you cook it over fire or in the oven, is to cook it slowly at a low temperature to retain the moisture and render away the fat. It is perfect for a large gathering, and the meat is becoming increasingly available, especially at Mexican and Muslim grocery stores. There are many ranches in Texas that have shifted to raising goats for their milk and meat. Some have also gone into cheese making, and consequently there are some great finds to be made at local farmer’s markets.
Thanks again for featuring the cabrito on your blog. We look forward to seeing y’all again soon!