Slow Steamed Goat Or Lamb With Mild Chile Seasoningbirria De Chivo O De Carnero

Total Time: 8 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 8 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (5 lb) piece young goat meat, perferably a hind quarter or one 3 pound bone in lamb roast from the shoulder or butt-end of the leg
• 12 large chiles guajillos, stemmed,seeded and deveined
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups masa harina (mixed with 1 cup plus 2 t. hot tap water)
• 1 large ripe tomato, roasted,peeled and cored
• 1 teaspoon oregano (mexican if you can find it)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion
• 3 teaspoons fresh coriander
• 2 small limes

Recipe

• 1 the meat: trim most of the fat from the meat.
• 2 if it is a goat hindquarter cut into 2 pieces, severing it through the joint at the top of the leg.
• 3 place in a large, noncorrosive dish.
• 4 the chile marinade: heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat.
• 5 tea the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time, pressing them against the hot surface until they crackle and blister, then flip them over and repeat.
• 6 cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged and soak 30 minutes.
• 7 roast the garlic on the hot griddle until black on the outside, soft in the middle.
• 8 cool and peel.
• 9 drain the chiles and place in a blender jar with the garlic and vinegar.
• 10 add the cumin, pepper and salt and 3/4 cup water.
• 11 blend until smooth-then strain.
• 12 remove 1/2 cup, stir in the sugar, cover and set aside for the final glazing.
• 13 spread the rest of the chile paste over the meat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• 14 slow steaming: preheat the oven to 325.
• 15 ser a roasting rack into a deep, wide stockpot.
• 16 make sure the rack is 1 inch off the bottom.
• 17 measure in 3 cups of water then lay the marinated meat on the rack and spread any remaining marinade over it.
• 18 add water to the masa harina to make a soft dough.
• 19 roll tennis ball-size pieces between your palms to make a 3/4 inch rope, then press them gently all around the top edge of your pot.
• 20 set the lid in place and press it into the masa to seal.
• 21 bake for 3 hours.
• 22 finishing the broth: break the seal by tapping the hard masa with the back of a cleaver-watch out for the steam-and take off the lid; then carefully remove the tender meat.
• 23 take out the rack, spoon the fat off the broth and then measure it.
• 24 you need at least 1 quart-if necessary, add water to bring it to that level.
• 25 pour the broth into a small saucepan.
• 26 puree the tomato in a blender or food processor, add it to the broth along with the oregano, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
• 27 season with salt.
• 28 glazing and serving the birria: shortly before serving, remove the bones, large pieces of gristle and excess fat from the meat, keeping the pieces of meat as large as possible.
• 29 set the meat on a baking sheet, brush lightly withthe reserved chile paste glaze, then bake for 10 minutes to set the glaze.
• 30 either present the meat on a large platter and pass the warm broth separately, or slice the meat across the grain and serve it in deep plates, awash in the broth.
• 31 mix the onion and cilantro, and pass the lime at the table.