Goat Roast in Jersey City!

So, rarely do I venture forth to the Garden State. However, when Jay and Shai invited me over to Zeke’s goat roast, I had to see it and eat it, because it’s just not that common in the city, you know? Jay kept telling me about the last animal cook out they did… they cooked an ostrich. No kidding. They went to an ostrich farm, picked one out, they shot it and butchered it, and Shai cooked it. Apparently it was delicious. This time, they did a greek style goat roast.

The bookshelf below showcases all the skulls of animals consumed in previous roasts. I think there is a cow, another goat, ostrich, and a row of small rabbit skulls.

The goat was prepared and carved by Shai of Dovetail fame. The goat was stuffed with cilantro, herbs, lemon, and bulbs of garlic and basted in a herb olive oil blend every hour or so. The oven was a brick oven with coals on the bottom. He made some greek yogurt Tzatziki sauce and a cucumber and tomato (with jalepenos and red pepper) salad to accompany it. Otherwise, he asked guests to either bring some drinks or a side, and I came armed with a mediterranean treat, basbousa.

I suppose these sorts of things are quite common in other places, pig roasts and all, but having never lived outside of NYC, you never really see anything like this other than maybe a pig roasted on a spit at a street festival. I didn’t even know that you can cook a goat in an “oven” with coals on the bottom.

I was assured that this goat was picked up on a local farm, shot after leading a happy (as happy as they come when they are raised for eating) organic life.

Also, Zeke had a pet tortoise that we did not eat.

The goat cooked for a total of 9 or so hours before reaching the prime temperature. The final result was some tender delicious goat meat. The tenderloin was delicious, but also the leg and belly was good too. It was SO tender and really juicy. I wonder whether that’s the cooking or goat’s just really damn good?

Before cooking the goat, they marinated the organs in a red wine vinegar mix, and grilled them separately. The heart was cut, put on skewers, and was delicious! I’ve never eaten goat heart before. Chicken hearts, yes.

I had lots of wine, Ryan had some orange juice and campari, and we topped the evening off with some basbousa and chocolate smores over a fire pit. That’s what I love about leaving the city, 2 out of 4 times in the last 2 or so years, whenever I left the city for Jersey, it involved a fire pit and some smores. (One time I didn’t get smores was Rob’s wedding. :P The other time was when I went into Hoboken to go to a Zumba dance class with a coworker. Definitely didn’t get any smores that time…) It’s one of those things that although you can do it at home in front of a stove, or make some yourself in a toaster, it’s the not the same as cooking some smores on a stick…