I really should name this post “What to Do When Your Meal Plans Don’t Work Out” because that is what this meal has been for me. We bought a goat shoulder at the market a couple weeks ago and have been dying to make it. I wanted to do a slow roast on the grill. We had planned to do it the next time ComputerNerd ran the smoker which was supposed to be while he was on vacay. Well due to unforeseen circumstances… that was no longer the plan. But as I had already bought the veggies for sides I really had to make it sooner rather than later. So I decided today’s the day.

Ohio had other plans. It decided a blizzard was a great idea. So it’s been snowing all day and even though I cleared a patch of driveway for the grill and the charcoal starter, by the time I finished with the driveway… you could hardly tell that I had shoveled. On top of that, there was no charcoal, so I’m up a creek with no paddle. The goat is thawed and I can’t refreeze it. So I need a new plan. I’m going to roast it in the oven. So before my oven explodes and I’m onto plan C let’s get started.

Roasted Goat Shoulder

• 1 goat shoulder (get the butcher to cut the bones if you can)
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon allspice berries (whole)
• 2 Tablespoons black pepper (whole)
• 1 Tablespoon whole cumin
• 1/4 cup ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 10 cloves of garlic
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 Pacifico or other Mexican beer

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Grind all your whole spices in a spice grinder until they form a fine powder. Mix in the orange juice until you have a thick paste. Wash and pat dry the goat. Make a series of small incisions along the shoulder and stuff with whole cloves of garlic (or half slices if your garlic cloves are too large. Rub the shoulder all over with the paste making sure to completely cover the exterior of your meat. Bake for 1 hour.

Pour the Pacifico in a baking dish (I used an old 13X9 inch pan). Place it on a lower level of the oven and continue to bake for 2 hours until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165. Take the goat out of the oven and allow it to rest 5 minutes before slicing.