Cinco de Mayo Smoked Goat

Prep Time:  12 Hours
Yields:  6-8 Servings

Comment:
This is one of my favorite recipes for Cinco de Mayo and it is simply wonderful, slow-cooked overnight.  Of course you can speed up the process and cook at higher temperatures in a conventional oven.  It will still taste great, but I promise my method is worth the wait.  NOTE: When purchasing a leg of goat from a meat supplier, they may very well require two legs as a minimum and often the loin and tenderloin are attached. The total weight of a single leg with loin is approximately 5 pounds and you may wish to save the second leg by freezing for later use.  Many cooks recommend marinating the leg in Wishbone Italian dressing for 24 hours to help flavor and add moisture to the meat, but this is optional.  I prefer cooking the leg in my outdoor smoker at low temperature overnight and then turning up the heat and adding smoke two hours prior to serving.

Ingredients:
1 (5-6 pound) goat leg
10 ounces Cajun Injector (Creole Butter) Marinade
¼ cup minced fresh rosemary
¼ cup minced fresh thyme
salt, pepper, granulated garlic to taste

Method:
Wash leg under cold water and pat dry.  Inject the leg and loin portion with the Cajun injector marinade or you may wish to make your own using your favorite local ingredients.  Once injected, season evenly with herbs, rubbing into the meat.  Season generously with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.  Place leg in smoker at 125º F and allow to cook 8-10 hours.  Internal temperature will not rise above 125º F.  Place favorite smokewood over the heat source and bring the temperature of the smoker up to 165º F.  Cook until internal temperature of the leg reaches this temperature.  Remove and allow to rest thirty minutes prior to slicing.