AI-generated image
Chivito al asador
Spit-roasted whole goat
Chivito al asador: whole young goat splayed on an iron cross and slow-roasted beside a wood fire, Malargüe style
Malargüe, in the dry south of Mendoza, holds a goat festival every summer, and the star is the chivito: a milk-fed kid opened flat, wired to an iron cross and planted at an angle beside a fire of jarilla or other hardwood. It cooks from the side, never over the flames, basted with a garlicky salmuera until the skin turns glassy and crackling and the meat pulls apart. Serve it straight from the cross with salad, bread and chimichurri. Order a whole kid of 5–7 kg dressed weight from a specialist or halal butcher, and check the cross fits it before the day. Most failures come from setting it too close to the fire, which burns the outside while the thick legs stay raw. Kid is lean, so cook it right through, as in Mendoza: the thickest part of the leg should reach at least 70 °C. Chef's tip: cook bone side to the fire for two-thirds of the time; the ribs protect the meat, and the skin goes on last so it crisps instead of scorching.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 13 ¼ lb whole kid goatdressed weight, butterflied flat; ask the butcher to crack the spine
For the salmuera (basting brine)
- 4 ¼ cups warm water
- 2 ⅛ oz coarse salt
- 1 head garliccloves peeled and crushed
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ají molidoor mild chilli flakes
- ½ cup white vinegar
To serve
- 3 lemons (optional)cut into wedges
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir 2 ⅛ oz coarse salt into 4 ¼ cups warm water until dissolved, then add 1 head garlic, 2 tbsp dried oregano, 2 tsp ají molido and ½ cup white vinegar. Pour into a bottle with a few holes in the cap, or keep a bowl and a brush handy.
Step 2: Open 13 ¼ lb whole kid goat flat on the cross, ribs facing you, and fix it firmly at the shoulders, spine and legs with wire, so it can't slip as it softens.
Step 3: Light a generous wood fire on the ground and let it burn for 30–40 minutes to build a bed of embers with a steady flame behind.
40 minStep 4: Drive the cross into the ground at about a 70° angle, 70–80 cm from the fire, with the bone side facing the heat. Hold your hand at the meat for a slow count of eight: if you have to pull away sooner, move it back.
Step 5: Roast bone side to the fire, basting with the salmuera every 20 minutes and feeding the fire to keep the heat even, until the ribs are dark gold and the meat has shrunk back from the bone ends.
140 minStep 6: Turn the cross so the skin faces the fire. Baste once more and roast until the skin is blistered, crisp and amber.
60 minStep 7: Check the thickest part of a hind leg with a thermometer: it should read at least 158°F and the juices should run clear. If not, give it another 10–15 minutes and check again.
10 minStep 8: Lift the cross away from the heat and rest the meat for 10 minutes. Cut it into pieces straight off the cross with a heavy knife and serve with 3 lemons if you like.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 58 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chivito al asador take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of dried oregano?
- Dried thyme or marjoram, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian