Until recently, getting goat meat in Ireland was near impossible. There are plenty of farmers producing excellent goat’s milk and cheese. But, goat meat, no. Thankfully, that is no longer the case with some more adventurous farmers now producing top quality goat. Some of our more progressive butchers are stocking it too. And that’s how I got my hands on a part deconstructed shoulder of goat. Perfect for preparing a goat curry. I have cooked goat a couple of times before and found it to be a delicious, lean meat. It is unworthy of it’s reputation for being tough and tasteless. When it comes to flavour and texture, there really is a new kid on the block.

Lots of flavours deliver lots of flavour.
To prepare this delicious goat curry for six people, you will need the following ingredients;
- 1 goat shoulder
- 4 medium onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 500ml of good chicken stock
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 slices of ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 8 to 10 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons of turmeric
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoons of garam marsala
- Salt and pepper
Despite the long list, this is an easy curry to construct. First, get your kid on the block.

Get that goat joke? Get your kid on the block!
Slice the meat into bite size pieces. Don’t discard the bones. The bones and the marrow will add flavour and texture to our curry. There is no need to trim the fat. There is so little that you will need it all. Heat a casserole and brown the meat in a little oil.

Brown everything on the meat, even the bones.
Pod the cardamom seeds. Chop the garlic up small. Quarter the onions.

You can even cut the onions into eights, if you wish.
When the meat is browned, reserve and soften the onions in the same casserole. Sweat them with a little of the stock, over a low heat. When they are done, add back the meat. Add all the remaining ingredients bar the garam marsala.

There is a lot of flavour going in to this delicious curry.
Bring the dish to a gentle boil. Cover tightly and place in a 160ºC oven for three to four hours. Stir in the garam marsala about half an hour before serving. The end result will be a warming curry with delicious sweet meat. Serve with plain rice and a big dollop of mango chutney.

This is a really gorgeous curry. worthy of its status of new kid on the block.
It is great to see goat becoming a bit more mainstream here in Ireland. The meat is sweet, tasty and had a nice bite to it too. Why not give it a go? You could become the culinary new kid on your block. No kidding.
Linda Duffin | 18th April 2017
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Love goat. Love curry. Love your blog. xxx
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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Thanks Linda. But, do you love ME?
Sorry, a bit of Trump inspired egotism popped out there.
Linda Duffin | 18th April 2017
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Erm … I’d vote for you, does that help? 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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That will do it!
Mad Dog | 18th April 2017
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That looks delicious 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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Thanks MD. It was a good one. As the goat becomes a bit more available, I will be making more with it. Lovely meat.
Mad Dog | 18th April 2017
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Excellent news!
Lisa @ cheergerm | 18th April 2017
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Ha, you are such a kidder. I saw an interesting piece of TV from Jamie Oliver in regards to the horrendous amount of waste in the UK of male kids (that are a by product of goats milk products). Basically, they are just killed and thrown away. So, Jamie and some other bloke visited a farming couple who were trying to spearhead a change in their local community and get butchers to start selling the kids that they had taken on and were rearing as meat. So good on you and who doesn’t love a good curry!
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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There is a farmer over in the west of Ireland doing similar. It’s great to see. The complete commoditisation of animals is shameful. They should be given some chance at a decent life, even if it means ending up as a curry at some point.
katechiconi | 18th April 2017
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Goat is something we can get fairly easily, which is nice because a good goat curry is a splendid thing.
Wish I could get you some kangaroo. I’d love to see what you made with a nice big piece of roo tail, a very traditional cut, lots of nice cartilage to cook down slowly into a delicious thick brown stew. Although the idea of sending a north Queensland care package to Ireland with fresh mangoes and pineapples and lemongrass and ginger and a nice big chunky of Skippy is appealing, I suspect that by the time it arrived you’d find it a whole lot less appealing yourself…
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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I would expect our department of agriculture would have something nasty to say to you about that Kate. The roo tail sounds like it is cooked as we might do oxtail here. Really slow braising to break down the meat and release the marrow. It ends up as a delicious, nutritious, flavour packed stew. Mmmmm…
anotherfoodieblogger | 18th April 2017
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Now this post really got my goat! 😉 This curry looks fabulous, now if only I could find a kid to put on the block…
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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I suspect you will have more trouble than I had. Strangely, we were cycling in Wicklow yesterday and I spied a couple of bearded goats chewing on a hedgerow. I might have to go back and ‘investigate’.
anotherfoodieblogger | 18th April 2017
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Ahh, goats in disguise! I wonder if they sport the fake glasses and noses too…
StefanGourmet | 18th April 2017
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Great that you are doing Indian food. Lamb could easily be substituted — I wonder if I’d be able to distinguish between a lamb curry and a goat curry in a blind test. From the photo it looks like the shank was included, so doesn’t that make it a front leg rather than a shoulder? Love the flavors in this!
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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It was pretty well both. The shoulder doesn’t contain a lot of meat on its own.
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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And I wonder too if I could tell the difference. Though, the goat was beautifully sweet.
StefanGourmet | 18th April 2017
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The lamb tajine I had today at the cafeteria for lunch was also very sweet 🙂
StefanGourmet | 18th April 2017
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I tried goat with just salt and pepper and thought it was a lot like lamb. So with all those spices it would be even more difficult.
Marty | 18th April 2017
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Not baaaad; no kidding! (That’s all I got.) This looks delicious. I’m sure it was even better the next day, if there was any left. 🙂
A friend has goats as pets and I just saw the new adorable baby, so I’m not sure I could indulge in this dish right now. Perhaps substituting lamb, as Stefan mentioned, would work.
Conor Bofin | Author | 18th April 2017
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I reckon I will have to try some lamb. But, I saw some running around a field over the weekend. I had similar guilty feelings to you….
Eha | 19th April 2017
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Beautifully spiced mild curry allowing you to taste the gaminess of the goat. But I truly have to smile that two such experienced ‘foodies’ as Stefan and you think you might not pass a blind test twixt goat and lamb! As easy as pork and beef surely! But ‘cafeteria’ and ‘tajine’ in this country would usually still sadly belong in different places!!
Conor Bofin | 19th April 2017
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I do suppose it depends on the equality of the lamb and that of the goat too. The caff in our work is a long way from tajines too. They look after Stefan too well over in Amsterdam.
Tara Sparling | 20th April 2017
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I could say that I plan on cooking goat at some point in my life. But that would be a lie. In the meantime, I am perfectly content to see what you do with it 😉
Conor Bofin | Author | 22nd April 2017
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You have a history of telling the truth. What’s wrong with you?
Tara Sparling | 22nd April 2017
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Painfully ethical childhood, I think.
A Cookbook Collection | 21st April 2017
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Between this and the Goat Curry on The Restaurant last night I’m am dying to try some!
Conor Bofin | Author | 22nd April 2017
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I’m a trend setter! Lols.
ChgoJohn | 22nd April 2017
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Just yesterday I spoke with a butcher about the goat he was preparing. I should have bought some so that tomorrow I’d be feasting on your curry. Well, it won’t be tomorrow but I’ll be sure to give this dish a try. It sounds delicious, Conor.
Conor Bofin | Author | 22nd April 2017
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Excellent John. It’s a worthy one. I would recommend tossing a handful or two of sultanas. I love the sweet bursts in a curry. If you do cook it, please post it.
Best,
C
afoodiehousewife | 25th April 2017
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Love this, and your blog! 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 30th April 2017
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Thank you indeed. Your comment got caught in the works. I apologise for the delay in responding. Now, I’m over to yours for a look around.
Best,
Conor
afoodiehousewife | 30th April 2017
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No worries at all!😊
Claire | 17th May 2017
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uh oh …. things aren’t looking long-term for Zed right now!
Conor Bofin | Author | 22nd May 2017
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Poor Zed. However, this could be a good destination for him.