Jamaican Curry Goat
Bone-in goat marinated overnight in curry powder, allspice, thyme, garlic, ginger and scallions, browned and simmered for hours with a whole Scotch bonnet, then finished with potatoes until the meat falls from the bone.
The first indentured Indian workers to reach Jamaica landed at Old Harbour Bay on May 10, 1845, aboard the Blundell Hunter, 261 people bound for the sugar estates; more than 36,400 followed before the migration ended in 1912, according to the Jamaica Information Service. Serious Eats' guide to curry powder says the spice blend began appearing on the island in the 19th century with those workers, and that Jamaican cooks marinate goat, chicken or oxtail in curry powder for hours before browning and stewing it.
Riaz Phillips, whose recipe this follows, writes in his book "West Winds" that curry goat has been popular in Jamaica for nearly a century and was once considered for the national dish, and that it brings together West African fondness for goat and the slow-cooked curries indentured Indians brought (via Penguin's The Happy Foodie:). He insists the bones are the point. Wikipedia notes that curried goat is party and special-occasion food in Jamaica and a fixture at Caribbean carnivals in Britain.
Why it works the kitchen science
Bones and time
Phillips cooks the goat on the bone for about 2 1/2 hours, so the collagen in the bones and connective tissue melts into the sauce and the lean meat turns tender.
Two rounds of curry
A big dose in the marinade becomes the base of the sauce, and a fresh teaspoon added near the end brings back the bright, toasty curry smell that long simmering fades.
Step by step
- Step 1
Mix all the marinade ingredients except the goat in a large bowl. Add the goat and work the seasoning in with gloved hands until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
- Step 2
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Lift the goat out of the marinade (keep the bowl and everything left in it) and brown it in batches, about 5 minutes per batch, adding oil as needed, so it browns instead of steaming.
- Step 3
Return all the meat to the pot. Stir 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of the hot stock into the marinade bowl and pour it over the meat. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, turn the heat to low and cook 45 to 60 minutes. At 45 minutes, add the remaining stock if the pot looks dry and stir so nothing sticks.
- Step 4
Season with salt and pepper and stir in the brown sugar. Add the thyme, 1 tsp curry powder and coconut milk and cook 5 minutes. Drop in the whole Scotch bonnet (don't let it burst), cover and simmer on low 30 to 45 minutes.
- Step 5
Add the potato and the remaining bell pepper, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until the potato is tender and the goat pulls easily from the bone. If it is still firm, cook 20 minutes more; if the sauce is dry, stir in 3 to 5 tbsp water. (The goat is far past USDA's 145°F minimum long before it is tender.)
- Step 6
Turn off the heat, fish out the Scotch bonnet and thyme stems, and rest the curry 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice and peas.
Jamaican Curry Goat
Serves 4 · about 8 cups · 3 hr 25 min total
Marinade
- 2.2 lb (1 kg) goat meat on the bone, cut into bite-size pieces (ask the butcher)
- 3 tbsp curry powder (a Jamaican brand if you can find one)
- 6 allspice berries, crushed, or 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- Pinch each of salt and black pepper
Curry
- 5 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil, plus more as needed
- 1.5 liters (about 6 1/3 cups) hot beef or goat stock, or hot water
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp coconut milk or coconut cream
- 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 large potato, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
To serve
- Rice and peas
Method
- Mix all the marinade ingredients except the goat in a large bowl. Add the goat and work the seasoning in with gloved hands until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Lift the goat out of the marinade (keep the bowl and everything left in it) and brown it in batches, about 5 minutes per batch, adding oil as needed, so it browns instead of steaming.
- Return all the meat to the pot. Stir 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of the hot stock into the marinade bowl and pour it over the meat. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, turn the heat to low and cook 45 to 60 minutes. At 45 minutes, add the remaining stock if the pot looks dry and stir so nothing sticks.
- Season with salt and pepper and stir in the brown sugar. Add the thyme, 1 tsp curry powder and coconut milk and cook 5 minutes. Drop in the whole Scotch bonnet (don't let it burst), cover and simmer on low 30 to 45 minutes.
- Add the potato and the remaining bell pepper, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until the potato is tender and the goat pulls easily from the bone. If it is still firm, cook 20 minutes more; if the sauce is dry, stir in 3 to 5 tbsp water. (The goat is far past USDA's 145°F minimum long before it is tender.)
- Turn off the heat, fish out the Scotch bonnet and thyme stems, and rest the curry 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice and peas.
Adapted from Riaz Phillips, "Curry Goat", from "West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica" (Penguin), published by The Happy Foodie, serves 4. The marinade, the browning in batches, the 1 liter of hot stock poured through the marinade bowl, the 45 to 60 minute first simmer, the second curry powder and coconut milk addition, the whole Scotch bonnet, the potatoes for the last 30 minutes and the 20 to 30 minute rest are Phillips's. We convert his metric amounts to US measures and leave out his optional jerk seasoning, mixed herbs and soy sauce. The food safety note is ours. The Happy Foodie. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- A pressure cooker works: Phillips browns the meat, cooks it 30 minutes under pressure with the stock and marinade, then finishes it in the pot for 45 minutes with the seasonings.
- Lamb or mutton is the usual stand-in when goat is hard to find (Wikipedia).
- For a hotter curry, prick the Scotch bonnet with a knife before it goes in.
- Phillips's optional marinade extras: 1 tbsp jerk seasoning, 1 tsp mixed dried herbs and 1 tsp soy sauce.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Indentured Indian workers brought curry to Jamaica. Documented as the account in Serious Eats' curry powder guide and in Riaz Phillips's book; the 1845 arrival is documented by the Jamaica Information Service.
- Curry goat nearly became Jamaica's national dish. Folklore: Phillips says it "was once considered"; we found no record of a vote or official process. (Ackee and saltfish is usually called the national dish; we did not source that either.)
- Boneless goat is better. Disputed: Phillips says the bones are central to the dish; many cooks abroad buy boneless meat for convenience.
- Never let the Scotch bonnet burst. Folklore: common advice for controlling heat; Phillips adds it whole.
Every other curry
Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Yogurt-coated chicken thighs broiled until charred at the edges, then folded into a smooth, gently spiced tomato sauce finished with cream and butter, the Delhi restaurant classic made with a home broiler instead of a tandoor.
Home-Style Indian Chicken Curry (Tamatar Murghi)
Raghavan Iyer's everyday chicken curry: onion, garlic and ginger browned in a skillet, a spice blend you grind yourself, tomatoes and a splash of half-and-half blended into a velvety orange sauce, with chicken simmered in it until just done.
Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Gaeng Khiao Waan Gai)
Green curry paste fried in coconut cream until the oil breaks free, then simmered with chicken thighs, makrut lime leaves and crisp Thai eggplants and finished with a handful of Thai basil: savory and spicy first, only faintly sweet.
Japanese Curry Rice (Kare Raisu)
Chicken thighs, potatoes and carrots simmered in broth and thickened at the end with a homemade curry roux of butter, flour, warm spices and miso, served the Japanese way: rice on one side of the bowl, curry on the other.
Beef Rendang
Chunks of beef chuck braised in coconut milk with a paste of shallots, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chiles and lime leaves until every drop of liquid is gone and the meat fries, dark and caramelized, in the coconut fat.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Spice-rubbed chicken breasts coated in garlicky yogurt and charred under the broiler, then cut up and stirred into a creamy, gently spiced tomato masala sauce: the British curry house favorite made at home.
Country Captain Chicken
Curry-rubbed bone-in chicken thighs browned in bacon fat and baked in a sweet-sour curried tomato sauce with green peppers and raisins, then topped with almonds and coconut toasted with cumin and coriander seeds.
Takeout-Style Red Curry Chicken
Chicken thighs glazed with fish sauce and brown sugar and seared hard, red peppers and onion charred in the same skillet, then everything simmered briefly in red curry paste and a can of coconut milk with lime: the Thai restaurant order Americans know, in 30 minutes.
One-Pot Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk and Peas
Bone-in chicken browned in a Dutch oven, then braised in a curry-powder base of onion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger and tomato paste, and finished with coconut milk, butter, fresh tomatoes and peas: the American home cook's curry, all in one pot.
30-Minute Chicken Curry with Green Beans
Browned chunks of chicken thigh, green beans and red pepper simmered in a quick sauce of curry powder, garlic, canned tomato sauce and broth, one skillet and done in 30 minutes.
Takeout-Style Chinese Chicken Curry
A takeout-style copycat from no particular restaurant: velvety stir-fried chicken and soft onion wedges in a glossy, bright yellow curry sauce thickened with cornstarch, ready in 20 minutes to spoon over rice.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.