Jamaican Curry Goat: Flavor Packed Authentic Recipe

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. 

This Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe came from my podcast guest, Neil Hudson, and his father, owner and operator of the Hummingbird Restaurant in Jamaica. Make sure you listen to Neil's episode, Jamaican Cuisine Goes Global: The Scotch Boyz Journey while you make his famous Curry Goat

Jamaica's most famous curry dish combines marinated and slowly cooked succulent meat, with the island's ubiquitous scotch bonnet pepper, allspice, and many more layers of flavor from the West Indies. As Neil explains in his episode, this special dish was made for birthdays, anniversaries, and particularly the Jamaican funeral celebration of Nine Night. Neil's father owned the Hummingbird Restaurant in Neil's hometown, where Curry Goat was his signature dish.  

P.S. Pair with another Jamaican dish, Coconut Corn on the Cob (boiled in coconut milk), for a complete meal!

Cooking with Goat

Goat is a far healthier protein option than I ever realized. According to The Hay Manager goat is "lower in fat than chicken and higher in protein than beef." (P.S. I highly recommend the entire article for choosing cuts and cooking methods.) 

For me, Neil's recipe was my first opportunity to work with goat meat. Here's what I learned from him in our conversation:

• How to find goat in the United States: Neil recommended Halal markets. The closest one to me gave me multiple options for cuts and delivered fresh, cubed boneless leg meat within just a few minutes waiting time.
• Best cuts: The leg is a common cut for curry goat, as it's easy to get boneless chunks and it lends itself well to moist cooking methods, like curry.
• Clean the goat: Thoroughly wash the meat with water and pat dry with a paper towel. As my guest Kathiana taught me, it's also common to clean meat with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice before marinating and cooking. Goat is no exception.
• Marinate the goat in a heavy dose of seasonings.
• Brown the meat first before braising. Deglaze the pan afterward with water, chicken stock, and beef broth.

Curry Powder Choices

As you probably know, curry is a leaf. Curry powder is a different thing entirely. In fact, there are a plethora of Curry powders, all made from a varying array of spices.

Here are two types you can try in your curry goat:

• My Trini friend, Moy Lovell gave me several versions of madras curry powder, which I leaned on heavily when making Neil's recipe. This brand, Kala Brand, is my absolute favorite blend.
• A good bet for this dish is Jamaican Curry Powder. (Logical, isn't it?)

More Seasoning Options

• Neil's recipe calls for vegetable seasoning and this is my favorite brand. You could also use all purpose seasoning.
• The recipe also calls for meat seasoning and I think there is *nothing* better than Montreal steak seasoning for any red meat.
• Neil and almost every other Curry Goat recipe-maker will suggest fresh thyme. You'll add this to the top of the curry as it simmers.
• Scotch bonnet pepper is a MUST. In this case, I used Scotchboyz Scotch Bonnet Pepper Powder - of course, as this was the company by 4 Jamaican friends, including Neil.
• Allspice berries or ground allspice. Neil's recipe doesn't call for this, but many do. I like allspice, so I added some 🙂
• Worcestershire sauce - Again, not in Neil's but no unheard of. If you like it - why not?!
• Fresh ginger - Another flavor twist - not in Neil's, but in this great recipe from Butter Be Ready.
• Beef or chicken broth instead of water
• Tomato paste - tomatoes are common in many curry dishes and they're no exception in many curry goat recipes.

Basic Instructions

• Wash and marinate goat.
• Brown goat, then settle in with hot pepper and fresh thyme sprigs for a long braise.
• Chop, add, and cook other ingredients - chopped onions, potatoes, and carrots.
• Finish the curry with butter.

Serve with 

• Fried plantains or these super fun Haitian plantain cups
• Jamaican Rice and Peas
• Jamaican Corn Cooked in Coconut Milk with Spicy Butter

Equipment

• Large pot, dutch oven
• Slow cooker
• Pressure cooker - for directions on using a pressure cooker, references Butter Be Ready

Storage

• Store in properly cooled refrigerator (33-36 degrees) up to a week.
• For longer storage, freeze in a Ziploc or airtight container up to 3 months.

More Caribbean Dishes

More Soups, Stews, and Curries

Listen: Memories of Curry Goat in Jamaica

In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Hudson, Co-founder of Scotchboyz, a brand that’s brought authentic Jamaican flavors to the mainstream American market - and far beyond, as well. 

I initially liked this story of 4 childhood friends coming together to build an international business, all while pouring back into the communities that raised them and Jamaican farms that produce their ingredients. I mean, what’s not to love about that story!?

But just a little ways into our conversation, I grew to like and respect Neil for his own thoughtful insights into business and working with friends, his obvious interest in others, and his understated sense of humor.

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Recipe

Curry Goat: Authentic Jamaican Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Flavor packed Jamaican Curry Goat. Recipe passed on from an authentic restaurant in Jamaica and features spicy scotch bonnet peppers, fresh thyme, and layers of seasoning.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 lbs 2 kg goat meat (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 4 tbsp curry seasoning
• 2 tbsp meat seasoning
• 2 tbsp vegetable seasoning
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil (adjust based on the amount of meat)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper OR
• 2 tbsp Scotch Boyz Pepper Powder
• 1 lb red potatoes (2-3 potatoes)
• Salt and black pepper (to taste)

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Instructions

Listen to Episode

Make sure to listen to Neil's episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast Episode 178 Jamaican Cuisine Goes Global: The Scotchboyz Journey while you make his Curry Goat, first made famous in the Hummingbird Restaurant, owned and operated by Neil's father in Columbia!

Make The Recipe

Marinating the Goat Meat:

1. Prepare the meat: Rinse the goat meat with water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Marinate: In a large bowl, combine the goat meat with curry seasoning, meat seasoning, thyme, and vegetable seasoning. Mix well to coat the meat evenly. Cover and let it marinate for 24 to 48 hours.

Cooking the Curry Goat:

1. Heat the oil: In a thick pot, pour in the vegetable oil (use an amount proportional to the meat, approximately 4 tablespoon for 4 lbs of meat). Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the seasoned meat: Add the seasoned goat meat to the pot to brown the goat meat. Stir occasionally to ensure it does not burn.
3. Add Scotch Bonnet Pepper or Scotch Boyz Pepper Powder to the pot.
4. Simmer: Once browned, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.
5. Reduce- the goat will produce significant water, pour off half in a container to reintroduce later if needed. The water/gravy produced should be level with the meat.
6. Cook until the meat starts to soften.
7. Season to taste: Taste the curry and add salt, Scotch Boyz Scotch Bonnet Pepper Powder and black pepper as needed.
8. Add the diced potatoes and sliced carrots
9. Add chopped onion: and continue to cook until the onions are softened.
10. Final 30 minutes: About 30 minutes before the curry goat is done, add 2 tablespoon of butter to the pot. Stir well to melt and incorporate the butter into the sauce.

Finishing and Serving:

1. Check for doneness: The curry goat is done when the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined. This usually takes about 1.5 to 2 hours of total cooking time.
2. Serve the curry goat hot with steamed white rice, rice, and peas, or roti.
3. Enjoy your delicious curry goat!

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Category: Curries, Goat, Main Course
• Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican

Nutrition

• Calories: 805
• Sugar: 1
• Sodium: 191
• Fat: 66
• Saturated Fat: 28
• Carbohydrates: 12
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 39
• Cholesterol: 181