Goat Chilli
Goat Chilli, with chunks of tender meat and black beans in a rich, spicy sauce, makes a great change from the usual beef (although beef chunks can be subbed in this recipe too). So easy to put together, this delicious chilli-spiked stew can be simmered either on top of the stove or in the oven.
Thick and delicious, you can serve this chilli either over rice, with cornbread, or try it in a flatbread with cheese, soured cream and a fresh tomato, onion and avocado salsa.
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DON’T FEAR THE GOAT
Here in the UK, goat meat is one of the most underrated meats. Ask most people to name something you’d make with goat meat and I bet the only one they’ come up with is goat curry/curry goat. Because it seems that while goats milk and cheese are widely consumed, outside of some ethnic minority communities few people in Britain want to eat goat.
I think this is a real shame. Perhaps if you haven’t eaten goat then you might think it has a strong taste? Personally, I find it very similar to good quality lamb or the older hogget. Like venison, goat has a relatively low level of saturated fat so makes it a good option if you need to watch your intake.
But I’d like to think that the availability of goat, both on restaurant menus and to cook at home, is growing. And that’s thanks to small producers which you’ll often find at farmer’s markets.
I bought the diced goat you see in this post from the Beaudesert Park Farm at Stone Farmers Market. Beaudesert Park is a traditional family farm in Cannock Chase. I’d previously bought lovely rolled and stuffed breast of goat from them, so I knew it was going to be good.
NOTE if you can’t get goat, the recipe below works equally well with stewing BEEF.
GOAT CHILLI
Cooked low and slow, goat meat becomes wonderfully tender. And its full flavour also marries beautifully with bold flavours. So a spicy Goat Chilli is an obvious dish to make with it. Chilli is basically a meat stew or casserole so the method is incredibly simple.
You’ll find a recipe card below with ingredient amounts and full instructions. But briefly it goes like this.
- Brown the cubes of goat in oil and set aside.
- Soften the aromatics: onion, garlic, chillies.
- Add the meat back in along with stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, optional sugar, plus herbs (dried oregano and sage plus fresh coriander) and spices (ground cumin, smoked paprika, chilli flakes or powder).
- Simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce wonderfully thick and rich.
You can simmer the chilli either on top of the stove or in the oven. How long the meat will take to get tender will vary. But plan on 1.5 to 3 hours. When it’s done, you stir in a tin or two of beans. Almost any beans will work. I like black beans and/or a tin of mixed beans.
Once the beans are warmed through in the sauce, I stir in more fresh coriander leaf and a squeeze of lime.
SERVING GOAT CHILLI
I know most people in Britain wouldn’t dream of eating chilli without rice. I often don’t though. Because it’s equally good just topped with soured cream, grated cheese and salsa. Take a look at my veggie Black Bean Chilli with Pepper & Corn and you’ll see what I mean.
But I also love all kinds of chilli served with bread. My easy Cheese & Chilli Cornbread is made for chilli. But for the Goat Chilli you see in this post I thought its intense flavour worked brilliantly well in small portions wrapped in my easy tortilla-like no-yeast Quick Flatbreads.
Rolled up in the chewy bread with cooling soured cream, melting cheese and tangy lime and coriander salsa, the tender, flavourful goat in its spicy, hot sauce was a real treat.
Whether you’re new to goat or are already a fan and want something beyond curry goat, I hope you’ll give Goat Chilli a try. Or maybe just try it with beef if you can’t get goat?
If you’ve made this recipe, please do leave a comment and star rating.
Goat Chilli
With chunks of tender goat plus beans in a rich, spicy sauce, Goat Chilli makes a great change from the usual beef (although if you can't get goat chunks of stewing beef can be used instead).
Simmer on top of the stove or in the oven. Use the larger amount of beans to stretch the meat further, adding extra stock (or water) as necessary.
Please read the accompanying blog post before starting.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp oil (e.g. light olive oil)
- 500 g diced goat meat (stewing beef or lamb can be substituted)
- salt and black pepper
- 2 medium onions (roughly chopped)
- 6 large cloves garlic (finely chopped or sliced)
- 2 fresh chillies, red or green (finely chopped, seeds removed or left in)
- 2 rounded tsp ground cumin
- 2 rounded tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 - 2 tsp mild chilli powder or flakes
- 1 medium bunch coriander (chop stems finely, the leaves roughly)
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 400 ml beef stock
- 1 - 2 tsp sugar (optional)
- 240 - 480 g cooked beans (e.g. black, kidney, borlotti or a mixture) (note: 240 g is the approximate drained weight of a standard tin)
- 0.5 lime juice only
Instructions
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The chilli can be cooked on top of the stove or in the oven: if using the oven, preheat it to 170° C /150° C Fan /Gas 3 /325° F.
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Put 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole dish or saucepan and put over medium high heat.
Toss the diced goat with a little salt and pepper.
Quickly brown the goat meat in the hot oil: do this in batches if necessary and transfer to a plate when done. Add more oil if needed.
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Turn down the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring often until starting to soften and brown (10-12 min).
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Stir in the tomato puree, all the spices and dried herbs plus the coriander stems (reserve the leaves for later). Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and stock (swish the stock around the empty tomato tin first to get all the tomato out).
Season lightly with salt and pepper plus 1 tsp sugar if using.
Return the browned goat meat to the pot, including any juices that have collected on the plate.
Give everything a good stir then put on a lid and bring to a boil.
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If cooking on top of the stove: turn down the heat so that the chilli simmers gently.
If using the oven: put the casserole in the preheated oven.
Cook until the meat is very tender (1.5 - 3 hrs), stirring now and then to make sure the chilli isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot and adding a splash more water or stock if it looks at all dry.
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Taste and add more seasoning or sugar if needed.
If you want to thicken the chilli, take off the lid and allow to bubble and reduce for a few minutes. To thin it, add a splash of stock or water.
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Stir in the beans and cook gently for a few minutes to warm them through.
Before serving, stir in the reserved coriander leaf and squeeze in the lime juice.
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Cooled chilli can be stored in a container in the fridge for 2 days or can be frozen.
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