Cabrito Guisado

Puerto Rican-Style Stewed Goat

You’ve spent the morning driving through the green hills of central Puerto Rico, where the roads twist past coffee country, plantain groves, and little towns tucked into the mountains.

Around lunchtime, you stop at a small roadside restaurant where several heavy pots are lined up behind the counter.

There is rice, beans, plantains—and one pot you don’t recognize.

The woman serving lunch lifts the lid.

“Cabrito guisado.”

Inside, pieces of goat are simmering in a rich reddish sauce with potatoes, peppers, and green olives.

Your plate arrives with a mound of white rice, a piece of tender bone-in goat, and enough sauce to soak into everything around it.

The first bite is rich and savory, with garlic, herbs, tomato, and the salty bite of olive.

Outside, clouds are gathering over the mountains.

Inside, lunch is in no hurry.

Cabrito Guisado

Puerto Rican Goat Stew

Serves 5–6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in goat meat, cut into 2–3 inch pieces

• 2 teaspoons salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sofrito and Stew

• ½ cup Puerto Rican sofrito

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• ½ green bell pepper, sliced

• 3–4 ají dulce peppers, seeded and chopped

• ½ cup tomato sauce

• 1 packet sazón with achiote and coriander

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ cup green olives, preferably stuffed with pimiento

• 1 tablespoon capers, optional

• 2 cups water or light stock, plus more as needed

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

• ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Simple Puerto Rican Sofrito

If you don't already have sofrito, blend or finely chop:

• 1 small onion

• ½ green bell pepper

• 4 ají dulce peppers

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ cup cilantro

• 4–6 culantro leaves

Use about ½ cup for this recipe.

Culantro has a stronger, deeper flavor than cilantro and is one of the characteristic herbs of Puerto Rican sofrito.

Season the Goat

Place the goat in a large bowl.

Add the:

• salt

• black pepper

• oregano

• crushed garlic

• fresh lemon juice

Mix thoroughly so the seasoning coats the meat.

Let the goat marinate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours in the refrigerator if you have time.

Brown the Goat

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Remove the goat from the marinade and brown it in batches.

You don't need a dark crust.

Just give the meat some color before it begins stewing.

Transfer the browned goat to a plate.

Build the Flavor Base

Reduce the heat to medium.

Add the sofrito, sliced onion, bell pepper, and ají dulce.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomato sauce and sazón.

Cook for another 2–3 minutes.

Return the goat to the pot.

Add the:

• bay leaves

• oregano

• olives

• capers, if using

Stir everything together.

Slowly Stew the Goat

Add about 2 cups water or stock.

The liquid should come most of the way up the meat without completely covering it.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for about 1½–2 hours.

Stir occasionally.

If the liquid reduces too quickly, add a little more hot water.

Older goat may need considerably longer.

The goal is meat that is beginning to loosen from the bone but still holds together.

Add the Potatoes

When the goat is nearly tender, add the potato chunks.

Cover and continue cooking for another 25–30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the goat easily pulls away from the bone.

As the potatoes cook, some of their starch will naturally thicken the sauce.

Finish the Guisado

Remove the lid.

If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for another 10–15 minutes.

Stir in the fresh cilantro during the final few minutes.

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

The finished guisado should have plenty of sauce, but it should be richer and thicker than a soup.

The flavor should be distinctly Puerto Rican: garlic, sofrito, oregano, tomato, culantro, sweet peppers, olives, and slow-cooked goat.

Pressure Cooker Option

Season and brown the goat as directed.

Cook the sofrito, onion, peppers, tomato sauce, and sazón in the pressure cooker using the sauté setting.

Return the goat to the pot.

Add the olives, bay leaves, oregano, and about 1½ cups water or stock.

Cook at high pressure for about 30–35 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.

Open the cooker and add the potatoes.

Simmer uncovered until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Add fresh cilantro just before serving.

To Serve

Serve the cabrito guisado with:

• white rice

• arroz con gandules

• stewed beans

• fried sweet plantains or tostones

• avocado

• warm bread or boiled root vegetables

Spoon plenty of the sauce over the rice.

The rice should soak up the sofrito-rich sauce while the olives and peppers give little bursts of saltiness and sweetness around the tender goat.