Braised Goat Shoulder with Sweet Paprika

The following recipe, excerpt, and photographs were provided By Chef Benedicto Marinas.

“Chef Talley Lambert gave me this recipe a long, long time ago, but it was only yesterday that I got around to executing it. Of course, I made some changes. How did the shoulder taste? It was great! It has that distinct quality that you get from roasted foodstuff when done properly. The sweet paprika added another impressive layer of flavor. I love how succulent the meat was. As you may know, most Americans are not big fans of goat meat. But I served it last night for my dinner party (or as my friends call it, tasting party), and it was a big hit.”

 
Paprika is ground pepper pods and is very popular throughout the world. Some sources rank it as the fourth most used spice on the planet. Paprika is added to bring out flavor and color. Different varieties of pepper are used to make the paprika powder resulting in the different colors and tastes. There are mild sweet along with spicy powders. These qualities give the dishes different tastes and aroma. The two most popular spices are the sweet paprika and the mild, regular paprika. Sweet paprika is what makes this dish special.

Ingredients:

2-3 lb goat shoulder

Kosher salt
Black pepper freshly ground
1-2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimenton de la vera dulce)
Canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 to 3 small carrots, diced
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1½ cups chicken stock
1½ cups veal stock
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Method: 

• 1-2 hours before cooking, sprinkle the goat liberally with salt, pepper, and a light (but thorough) dusting of sweet (dulce) smoked paprika. Place on a plate in the fridge. Remove the goat from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat oven to 275˚F
• Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high until hot.
• Brown the goat generously on all sides until very brown (never skimp on the browning) and remove from the pan.
• Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots to the pan and sweat the vegetables on medium-low for about 5 minutes.
• Add white wine and sherry vinegar and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and veal stock, return goat to pan.
• Place pan in preheated oven and bring almost to a boil (but don’t let it boil.)

Suggestion

Cut out a circular piece of parchment paper just large enough to cover the meat and it’s cooking liquid and place it on the braise, put in the oven. You can also just put a lid loosely on the top, but the goal here is to prevent the braise from ever coming to a boil in the oven. If you cover it tightly with a lid, the internal temperature will easily get above boiling, but using parchment paper or keeping the pot partially uncovered will allow transfer of heat out of the pot and prevent it from coming to a boil. Still, it always helps to check and make sure the braise isn’t boiling occasionally.

Additional Notes

• Turn every hour or so.
• Check after 3 hours. The goat may not (and probably will not) be tender, turn and return to the oven for another 30 to 90 minutes, checking every 45 minutes or so until very tender.
• When tender, remove the meat from braise and cover with foil in a warm place.
• Strain the sauce into a saucepan and reduce the sauce on medium-high heat until just beginning to thicken.
• You should end up with roughly ½ cup of liquid.
• Add a pinch of salt to taste.
• Let it simmer and simmer
• When pleased with the consistency of the sauce, (it should be pretty thick and definitely coat the back of a spoon) remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
• When ready to serve, slice the goat and fan the slices on a pre-warmed plate.
• Spoon the sauce over the meat.

Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy!

Note: photographs contributed and used with permission of customer.