Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe

Jamaican Curry Goat is a bold, slow-simmered goat stew cooked in Jamaican curry powder, thyme, and Scotch bonnet for deep island flavor and tender meat. Goat pieces are seasoned hard, browned in hot oil, then simmered until soft in a rich, golden curry gravy with potatoes for extra body. The result is spicy, savory, and comforting, perfect ladled over rice for a classic Jamaican-style dinner.

Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe

Tender goat simmered in Jamaican curry, thyme, and Scotch bonnet for a rich, spicy, island-style stew.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Marinate Time: 4 hours hrs

Servings: 6

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Jamaican

Calories: 450

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For The Goat

• 3 lb goat meat bone-in pieces
• 2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder
• 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 stalks scallion chopped
• 1 tbsp vinegar or juice from 1 lime for rinsing optional

For Cooking

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder for burning/toasting
• 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper left whole or pierced
• 2 medium potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth as needed
• Extra salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Dutch oven
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons

Method

 

Clean And Season The Goat

1. Place the goat pieces in a large mixing bowl and rinse quickly under cold water, then drain well using your hands to hold back the meat.
2. Splash vinegar or lime juice over the goat in the bowl and rub it around with your hands to clean, then rinse again and drain fully so there is no standing water.
3. Add 2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder, all-purpose seasoning, allspice, salt, black pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, thyme, and scallion to the bowl, then mix everything with your hands or a wooden spoon until every piece is coated.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor and more tender meat.

Burn The Curry And Brown The Meat

1. Set a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat and add the vegetable oil using a measuring spoon.
2. When the oil looks hot and shimmery, sprinkle 2 tbsp curry powder into the pot and stir it constantly with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute, until it smells toasty and turns a slightly darker golden color.
3. Add the seasoned goat pieces from the bowl to the pot in a single layer as much as possible and stir with the wooden spoon so each side touches the bottom to brown.
4. Keep cooking and turning the goat for 8–10 minutes until the outside of the pieces is browned and there are dark, flavorful bits stuck on the bottom of the pot.

Build The Curry Gravy

1. Pour in enough water or broth from a measuring cup to just cover the goat meat, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits into the liquid.
2. Add the whole Scotch bonnet pepper and any thyme sprigs left in the bowl, then stir gently with the spoon so the pepper sits on top and does not burst.
3. Bring the pot up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat down to low so it simmers with small bubbles around the edges.
4. Cover the pot with its lid and let the goat cook, stirring every 20–30 minutes with the spoon and adding a splash of hot water if the liquid drops too low.

Tenderize And Finish

1. After about 1½ hours of steady simmering, check a piece of goat by poking it with the tip of a knife on the cutting board; it should feel soft and almost pull away from the bone.
2. Stir the potato chunks into the pot with the wooden spoon, making sure they sit under the curry liquid so they cook evenly and help thicken the gravy.
3. Simmer the curry uncovered for another 20–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has reduced to a thick, glossy sauce that coats the spoon.
4. Taste the curry goat and adjust with extra salt and black pepper using measuring spoons if needed, then remove the Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems before serving hot over rice.

Notes

• Use a Caribbean-style Jamaican curry powder for the right color and flavor, since mild yellow curry blends will taste flat here.
• If you want less heat, keep the Scotch bonnet whole and pull it out early, or swap for a milder chili while still letting the curry simmer long enough to break the goat down.
• For faster cooking, you can brown the meat in a pot, then pressure cook in an electric cooker before finishing on the stovetop to thicken the gravy.