Country style goat spit-roast “kontosouvli”

A parcel we received from our friend Tasos, who lives in Kefalonia (Greece), was the reason behind this recipe. Goat meat from Kefalonia is always high quality. There was a large piece of goat meat inside the parcel that our friend Tasos sent us. The buck was a year of age and castrated. It is usually referred to as “manouli”(wether). It’s the best type of meat and a great challenge for the griller. We took over the grilling, whereas our friend and partner of our YouTube channel, George Karagiannis, gave us the idea and his unique recipe. His mixture of spices and herbs is excellent. We followed the recipe in every last detail and cooked this country-style goat spit-roast on our charcoal grill for three hours over high heat. We couldn’t help but also trying something new; we grilled goat ribs on rotation. Let’s see every step of the process so that you can make this delicious spit-roast and enjoy it with your friends. Happy grilling everyone!

INGREDIENTS

For 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) of boneless goat meat (leg and loin):

50 g salt (preferably fleur de sel)
7 g black peppercorns
4 tsp oregano
3.5 g allspice
1.5 g nutmeg
5 g coriander
10 g onion powder
10 garlic cloves (grated)
10 g sweet chili flakes
150 g Kefalotyri cheese (grated)
3 medium Florina peppers (blend them and discard the liquid)
150 ml sunflower oil
3-4 very large onions (sliced for the spit-roast)

For the yogurt sauce:

2 cups of Greek yogurt (made from sheep milk)
4 tbsp mild mustard
0.5 g black pepper
1 dash of salt
1 tsp mild curry powder

PREPARATION

Debone only the leg and cut the meat into large pieces suitable for skewering in the large rod. Firstly, place the whole spices in a mortar and grind them. Bash them well before you add the rest of the spices along with the salt. Spread the pieces of meat in a large vessel and cover all sides with the spice blend. Mix well to spread the spices and the salt evenly.

Then, add the Florina peppers -that you have blended and strained- and mix well. It’s time to add the Kefalotyri cheese; cover the pieces of meat evenly and mix well one more time. Lastly, add the sunflower oil. Leave the meat to marinate at room temperature for at least three hours. You could also marinate it in the fridge for 24 hours (it works better).

COOKED ON amber.q A

COOKING

After you have lit the charcoals, skewer the pieces of meat. Thread alternating pieces of goat meat and onion slices onto the rod. Once you’ve skewered all the pieces, prepare the yogurt sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Use a brush to coat the meat with the sauce. Apply enough sauce to cover the surface of the pieces (just one coat). Use 4-5 sheets of parchment paper to wrap the meat and tie it with string. Close the ends loosely, so that steam and excess liquid can escape.

Use a type of charcoal that can emit strong heat for a long period of time, such as large charcoal briquettes. When the charcoals are fully lit, place the rod above the charcoals, in a position where the heat is strong enough. Leave the meat wrapped in the parchment paper during the grilling process. Don’t remove it before the spit-roast is done; otherwise, you will lose the liquids and the roast will end up dry. Every time you grill meat wrapped in parchment paper, follow the same rule. This way of grilling works best for goat meat since it’s tough and it needs time to soften.

When you remove the spit-roast from the charcoal grill, wait for 20-30 minutes before you serve. Enjoy the roast with your friends. Fine red wine is a must.

Happy grilling everyone!