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📍 Nuevo León

Cabrito al pastor (spit-roasted kid goat)

· Lunch

Milk-fed kid goat skewered on a rod and slowly roasted over charcoal, an icon of Monterrey.

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Cabrito al pastor (spit-roasted kid goat): Milk-fed kid goat skewered on a rod and slowly roasted over charcoal, an icon of Monterrey.
Photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 180 min🍽 6 servings📊 Difficult🏷 Commonly associated🌱 Gluten-free🌱 Dairy-free
Preparation
30 min
Cooking
150 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

Goat came to the northeast with the goat herding introduced by Sephardic and Spanish settlers. In Nuevo León it became a celebration dish: the milk-fed kid is splayed open, skewered on a rod, and roasted vertically in front of the coals until the skin is golden and crisp.

Ingredients

Adjust quantities

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Salt the goat inside and out and skewer it on the rod.

  2. 2

    Set the rod beside the charcoal fire, skin facing outward.

  3. 3

    Roast slowly, turning the piece so it cooks evenly, about two and a half hours.

  4. 4

    At the end, move the skin close to the coals so it browns and crackles.

  5. 5

    Cut into pieces and serve with flour tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.

Cooking tips

  • Use indirect heat and a thermometer: thick pieces must reach at least 63 °C and rest 3 minutes.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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