Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe
My Jamaican curry goat recipe is an incredibly delicious slow-cooked stew full of fork-tender goat meat and spicy Jamaican flavor, all smothered in a creamy gravy! An absolutely must-make Jamaican recipe that takes out-of-the-ordinary into spicy deliciousness! Incredibly easy with minimal prep makes it even better.
We enjoy goat meat quite regularly in my beloved Cameroon. So when I tried curry goat in a Jamaican restaurant, it was like going home. Adding this recipe to my repertoire was only natural.
Ask anyone who loves Jamaican food to choose their favorite recipe, and curry goat will appear on the list. Although it has become increasingly popular in the States due to the influx of different cultures, it’s not celebrated nearly as it should be. While food choice is a personal matter, my personal opinion is that having an open mind leads to more joy.
Did you know that goat is the most consumed meat throughout the world? Plus, because goats and sheep are more likely to be free-range and pasture-fed, they’re better for us than commercially raised beef and chicken.
However, I love the flavor when properly cooked. I like it thick and creamy but sometimes adjust flavors and textures for the family. It would be a crime to miss out on trying this curry at least once in your life.
Jamaican Curry, the Perfect Spice Mix for Goat
The aromatic blend of garlic, ginger, thyme, onion, and hot pepper added to traditional curry spices takes center stage in Jamaican curry powder. Something about those spices marries well with the unique flavor of goat. For even more amazing results, make your own. You can use less of the homemade version because it doesn’t contain fillers, and fresh spices pack a bigger flavor punch.
How to Make Jamaican Curry Goat
- Season the meat with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Sear: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sear the goat meat, stirring frequently, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pot. (Photo 1)
- Spice: Add the curry powder and stir for 1-2 minutes to bloom the flavors. Add the garlic, ginger, white pepper, onions, thyme, tomato paste, scallions (green onions), and scotch bonnet pepper and stir for another minute. (Photos 2-3)
- Simmer: Pour in just enough water to cover the meat, bring it to a boil, and simmer until tender. (It takes about 2 hours, depending on the cut and altitude.) Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. (Photo 4)
- Add the potatoes and bouillon powder about 20 minutes before removing the pot from the heat. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender (for thicker stew, cook them until they start falling apart. (Photo 5)
- Serve: Adjust the stew’s thickness with water or stock. Remove from the heat and enjoy. (Photo 6)
Recipe Tips
- Goat meat is available at most international, halal, and Latin American markets. It’s comparable to beef shanks or briskets, so feel free to swap out beef if you can’t find it.
- Searing is optional but adds flavor. Sometimes, I skip that, assemble everything in a crockpot, and let it take care of itself when I’m short on time.
Batch Cooking and Storage
Making a double batch of stew and freezing it in serving or meal-size portions is a fantastic time-saver. It also helps me stay on a healthy diet without stressing.
Goat stew lasts 3-4 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
What to Serve With Jamaican Curry Goat
Rice and peas or beans and fried plantains are my favorite sides. You’ll be so happy you tried it. Enjoy!
More Mind-Blowing Goat Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”nJSsvpCs” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:36:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Jamaican Curry Goat” description=”Jamaican Curry Goat – insanely delicious slow cooked Jamaican Spiced Curry that is full of flavour and tender to the bone! An absolutely must-make Jamaican food! So easy to make with minimal prep.”]
This blog post was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Jamaican Curry Goat
Ingredients
- 3-3½ pounds (1.5-2k) goat meat (cut into chunks)
- ¼ cup (60ml) cooking oil
- 4-5 tablespoons (30-40g) Jamaican curry powder
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10g) minced ginger
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons (1-2g) fresh thyme
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) tomato paste
- water to cover
- 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (or any hot pepper; adjust to suit tastes)
- 1 tablespoon (10g) bouillon powder (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Season the goat meat with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat until hot, then add the meat, stirring frequently and scraping browned bits off the bottom.
- When the meat has browned, add the curry powder and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the garlic, ginger, onion, white pepper, thyme, scallions (green onions), tomato paste, and scotch bonnet pepper, and stir for another minute.
- Pour in just enough water (or broth) to cover the meat, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender. The time will depend on the meat, altitude, and preference, but mine takes 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and add more liquid as needed.
- Add the potatoes and bouillon powder 15-20 minutes before the stew is done. Continue cooking it until the potatoes are tender. For a thicker stew, cook the potatoes until they start falling apart. You can thin it with water or stock if it gets too thick.
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker for this recipe. You may want to reduce the water or broth for a thicker stew
- Yuca, true yams, and sweet potatoes make tasty substitutes for potatoes
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
I am planning on trying this recipe tonight. The narrative with this recipe mentions using ginger. However, I don’t see ginger in the list of ingredients. If you use ginger, how much and what type?
Use 1-2 teaspoons minced ginger.
I made this for my family.
My aunt came round to collect some.
I’m now making some for her and her family, great recipe
Awesome!! Your aunt has got perfect timing lol. I am so glad this was a hit with your family. Thanks for the feedback, Michaela!
I tried this yesterday for the first time and it was amazing, thank you for making such an easy to follow recipe ❤️
Awesome!! Glad you loved it, Kirsty!
Hi. I have got all those ingredients but the only Curry I can access is Keen’s Curry. I’m in Australia but I think it’s English. Will that be sufficient? I ask because 5 tablespoons is a lot. I’m used to hot Curry and chilli so I won’t have a problem it’s just as I say a bit.
Thanks very much.
Turner.
Hi Turner,
Yes it would be. You can use less if desired. Happy cooking!!
Hi There,
The brilliant recipe I have been making this for a while now and enjoying the results.
Thank you for sharing this with us 🙂
Just a question around the recipe though, can allspice also be added to the curry for more flavor or will that just
ruin the taste of the curry?
Thanks
Hi Deepak! I am so glad you love this recipe :)! I haven’t tried all spice in this recipe but I do not think it will hurt. Just start small, maybe 1/4 teaspoon and go from there. Let me know it works out for you!
I diced the habanero pepper because I didn’t see you left it whole…am i going to die?
Hi Lindsay! Hahah. No, you won’t die :). If the dish is too peppery for you, take out all the pieces of the habanero pepper. Take out some of the soup and save for some other time. Then add some water/stock and season to taste. Hope this helps.
Hi! I’m getting ready to make this recipe! I love curry goat! Is it possible to make it in my instant pot pressure cooker and how long would that translate into? Can I add carrots and maybe celery? Thanks for any advice and for the great recipe!
Hi Kelly. I have never tried making this in a pressure pot, but I do not see why this wouldn’t work. It would definitely take less time, say about an hour or so. I suggest you switch to a regular pot before you add in the potatoes so that it does not get all mushy. Let me know how it works out for you :)!
I made this with my Instant Pot last night and out perfect! perfect! I set it to manual for 45 minutes then added 1/2 inch chunks of potatoes and carrots and pressure cooked it for 4 more minutes and the veggies were perfect! I scooped out most of the veggies but left a few potatoesto help thicken it, then boiled down the rest of the sauce. It was perfect! I added a diced tomato at the end and topped it with fresh sliced scallions. Amazing dish! Thank for your advice!
That sounds absolutely Delicious!! I am so glad it worked out great for you, Kelly :). Thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is spot-on! I lived in South London for several years, where there is a large Jamaican community (although my favorite jerk place was actually in North London – Finsbury Park!), and this dish brought back some good memories. The homemade curry powder mix given here is perfect, although I did tone down the (scotch bonnet) heat a great deal for the wife & kiddies. Managed to get goat meat from Cardenas. Served with simple rice and peas. Sadly no Red Stripe at the gas station around the corner…Never mind! Absolutely delicious dish. Thank you so much for posting this!
Fantastic! I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit with your family! Thank you for taking the time to leave this great feedback!
Did you use beef or chicken stock with the goat curry stew?
Hi Dinah. I used beef stock. But you really can use any stock you have at hand or even just water.
Can I use old chilli pepper sauce instead of scotch bonnet and they are to hot for the kids
And can I also use the tined tomato Juice as run out of purée want to cook this today
Yes you sure can .Use what you have on hand. Enjoy!
Wow! Made this today for the first time and can say it is going to be a regular in our household! I had to use lamb as live in Thailand and couldn’t find goat (someone has since told me somewhere in Bangkok I can try so watch this space). The curry was superb, both my husband and I couldn’t get enough and ate ourselves into food comas! I also made your rice and beans to accompany it. I usually do my rice and peas (kidney beans) with just rice,peas,coconut milk and water so the additional seasonings were a great change!
The curry tasted as if my dearly departed dad had come to my house to cook for us and the smell is still lingering and making me think of home! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hahaha. Food comas! I can almost picture that 🙂 haha! I am so glad this was a hit with you and that it took you down memory lane. Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback, Alison! 🙂
Do you also cover the pot while the potatoes are cooking?
Hi MK! Yes, you do :).
Menu planning for tomorrow, as I’ve secured a delivery of New Zealand South Island wild goat, and I’ve long wanted to make a goat curry. This time, five years’ ago I was in Cuba… ahead of a Caribbean Cruise, so seems appropriate to try it a Jamaican way. I do have some home-grown red chillis sitting on my kitchen bench, and I’m *game* (pardon the pun) to try adding one of them, but it will absolutely be de-seeded (chillis and I do not see eye-to-eye, and I avoid them whenever possible).
Anyway before I go the whole hog (another bad pun) and make the rice & beans to go with it, I’ve a couple of queries… can I use sweet potato successfully in the curry, or some other root vegetable (you can likely tell the nightshade family is not my friend… and this also has tomato paste!) and will the rice be fine without *any* chilli or hot spice?
And one other questions… what are these “peas” you speak of? There’s not much I don’t know about food, and wondering if I’d know them by a different name in NZ?
Hahaha, loving all the puns 🙂 ! Yes, you can use sweet potato, but mind you, it takes less time to cook than the regular potatoes. Also, you are right on track serving this with rice and beans. No peas included in this recipe 🙂 ! Happy cooking!
The peas are red kidney beans ,or u can use gungo peas ,both delicious cooked in wight the rice,
Where can I find canned gungo peas?
This recipe was amazing! It was so full of flavor! I’m going to use this oxtails next!!!
Awesome!!! I am so glad this worked out for you 🙂 .
I am making this right now, using your curry spice recipe as well. Oh my goodness my apartment smells so good! I can’t wait to eat it. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe.
Your welcome!Thanks for taking time out to let me know .
Oh my goodness! It feels like the smell just wafted into my house haha. Do let me know how it turns out!
Do you think it would work well with pork if so which cut I live in Phuket and lamb and goat are hard to find
Yes it would. Pork shoulder or pork leg would do just fine.
What an amazing recipe!! A great introduction to cooking goat meat, so tender, falls right off the bone! Thank you so much for sharing!
My pleasure. Thanks so much
Tasted amazing ❤️❤️❤️Recipe easy to follow I would
Definitely recommend.
This Was Beautiful. I Love Curries And Make Them Often My first time not only cooking Caribbean curry but first time I have tasted it. Bloody hell it was so lovely I just had to invite my son and his family down for some. Deffo easier than making Indian curry’s like I normally do. Thank you So Much…The Indian Curry Is Out Of The Window Now.
This Was Beautiful. I Love Curries And Make Them Often Omg my first time not only cooking Caribbean curry but first time I have tasted it. Bloody hell it was so lovely I just had to invite my son and his family down for some. Deffo easier than making Indian curry’s like I normally do. Thankyou So Much…The Indian Curry Is Out Of The Window Now.
If your recipe has a total prep time of 1 hour 45 minutes, you can’t then have a line saying- simmer for at least 2 hours. I now have hungry grumpy tired children. Thanks.
This is why you read through a recipe first, Susan.
Hahaha love it
She is right. You should make sure your recipes are correct.
Prep time + cook time (+ rest time) = recipe time, right?
Hello Kevin. The total cook time has been adjusted. Thanks for stopping by!
Obviously it was a type-o. If you read it entirely, the Prep time 15 minutes, cook time 2 hours and 30 minutes, therefore, how can total time be 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The total time should have read 2 hours and 45 minutes
Awh get a grip bet you’re grumpy and kicking your self you didnt read it first s