Tacos de cabrito
Tacos de cabrito are tacos of young milk-fed goat, most famously spit-roasted over mesquite coals in the al pastor manner of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Cabrito is regarded as the emblematic dish of Monterrey and of the wider northeast of Mexico.
Definition
Cabrito refers to a young kid goat that has fed only on its mother's milk. Larousse Cocina notes that males are slaughtered for meat while females are kept for milking, and that the meat is delicate, comparable to milk-fed lamb. In Nuevo León the preferred animals are very young, generally around four to six weeks old; Mexico News Daily gives a range of 28 to 40 days, and a Monterrey report recommends no more than about 35 days.
History
Goats arrived with the Spanish in the sixteenth century and adapted better than sheep to the dry, rugged terrain of the northeast, where farming was difficult but herding thrived. Regional historians and food writers connect the cabrito tradition to the families who settled the New Kingdom of León after its founding in 1579 under Governor Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, many of whom are believed to have been conversos or crypto-Jews of Sephardic descent. This lineage is widely repeated in Monterrey but rests largely on tradition. Mexico News Daily quotes a local researcher who stresses that the way cabrito is eaten today, with tortillas and spicy salsas, is thoroughly Mexican.
Preparation
In cabrito al pastor, the whole animal is split open and fixed to a stake along the spine, then set at an angle beside a bed of mesquite coals so it roasts slowly from radiant heat for two to four hours. Some cooks use only salt; others add oregano, thyme or pepper.
Other preparations include cabrito al horno (oven-roasted), cabrito en salsa, braised in a tomato sauce with serrano chile, garlic and oregano, and fritada de cabrito, in which the offal is cooked in the animal's own blood.
Cuts and serving
Diners order by cut. The riñonada, the fatty portion around the kidneys, is the most prized, and machitos, made from the heart, liver and other offal, are also popular. The meat is eaten with tortillas and spicy salsas. El Rey del Cabrito and El Gran Pastor in Monterrey are frequently cited as the city's landmark cabrito restaurants, and Mercado Juárez sells kids already cleaned and opened for cooking at home.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kid goat hindquarter or 2 kg goat leg and shoulder, bone in
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp lard or oil
- 20 corn or flour tortillas
- Salsa roja, guacamole and grilled onions to serve
Steps
- Pat the goat dry and rub with salt, oregano, thyme and pepper. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a charcoal grill, ideally with mesquite, for indirect cooking, with the coals banked to one side.
- Place the meat on the cool side of the grate, brush with lard, cover and roast at about 150 C (300 F), turning every 30 minutes.
- Cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is browned and pulls easily from the bone. Move it over the coals for the last few minutes to crisp the surface.
- Rest 10 minutes, then pull the meat into pieces.
- Serve on warm tortillas with salsa, guacamole and grilled onions.
An oven at 160 C (325 F), with the meat on a rack over a little water, gives a softer cabrito al horno.
Where to try it
- El Rey del Cabrito, Monterrey: Cited by Mexico News Daily as an iconic cabrito restaurant.
- El Gran Pastor, Monterrey: Cited by Mexico News Daily as an iconic cabrito restaurant.
- El Cabrito, Santa Ana, California
- El Pipiripau, Monterrey
- Tacos El Charro, Monterrey
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
References
- "State by Plate: Cabrito of Nuevo León". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "La historia de cómo el cabrito se volvió el platillo típico de Monterrey". MVS Noticias. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Cabrito". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.