Moroccan Spiced Goat Shoulder
Bold, aromatic, fall-apart tender. Harissa, cumin, coriander, garlic, lemon, olive oil, paprika and cinnamon. Smoke, then wrap or braise, because goat is lean (FSIS).
Test kitchen, draft 1. Not yet cooked and logged.
- Yield
- A 4 to 5 lb bone-in shoulder serves 5 to 6
- Prep
- 20 minutes, plus 4 hours to overnight in the paste
- Cook
- 5 to 7 hours at 240 F, wrapped with liquid for the second half, plus a 30 minute rest. Estimate.
- Wood
- Oak, Pecan
Safe first. Then done.
145 F (62.8 C), then rest at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming
Steaks, chops and roasts (whole muscle). Food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, read before removing from the heat source. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
195 to 205 F, probe tender
Lamb and goat shoulder, shank and breast are collagen cuts. The American Lamb Board says shoulder benefits from slow cooking to break down connective tissue and shanks practically melt off the bone when slow cooked; FSIS says less tender goat cuts should be braised or stewed. For pulling, backyard convention finishes them probe tender around 195 to 205 F. Goat is very lean, so wrap early and keep the pit gentle.
Pit temperature: Low and slow for collagen cuts (brisket, pork butt) means 200 to 250 F pit air so the outside does not overcook while the centre catches up (Texas A&M). FSIS's food-safety band for a smoker is 225 to 300 F. Poultry skin crisps better at the top of the band or above it.
Goat
- 1bone-in goat shoulder, 4 to 5 lb
Spice paste
- 3 tbspharissa paste
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1 tbspground cumin
- 2 tspground coriander
- 2 tsppaprika
- 1/2 tspground cinnamon
- 4garlic cloves, grated
- 1lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tspkosher salt
Wrap
- 1 cupchicken or vegetable stock
- 1 sheetheavy foil, or a Dutch oven
Pantry items to check before you start. Print the page and tick them off.
- Harissa PUR Spices Medium Harissa Paste I Hot Sauce, 6oz
- Ground Cumin Amazon Grocery, 2.6 Oz
- Ground Coriander Badia Ground Coriander, 14 oz
- Paprika Spice Classics Paprika, 16 oz
- Ground Cinnamon Amazon Grocery, 2.5 Oz
- Olive Oil Atlas Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt Morton Kosher Salt Coarse Cooking Salt (48 oz / 3 lb)
As an Amazon Associate, Pit Log earns from qualifying purchases. We pick these by name and type, checked against Amazon’s own records. Not by what pays best. We show no prices. A price on a page goes stale fast. Checked 2026-09-03.
- 01
Mix the paste. Rub it over the whole shoulder and into every seam. Refrigerate, covered, 4 hours to overnight. USDA FSIS: marinate in the fridge, never on the counter.
- 02
Run the pit at 240 F with oak, or oak and a little pecan. Goat is lean; keep the pit gentle. Shoulder on for about 3 hours, until the paste has set into a crust.
- 03
Move the shoulder to a foil pan or a Dutch oven. Pour in the stock. Cover tight. Back on the pit, or into a 275 F oven. USDA FSIS says less tender goat cuts should be braised or stewed, and this is the braise.
- 04
Start checking after 2 more hours. It is done when a probe slides into the thickest meat, away from the blade bone, with almost no resistance, usually 195 to 205 F. USDA FSIS calls goat safe at 145 F with a 3 minute rest; this cook passed that long ago. The extra is about collagen.
- 05
Rest, covered, 30 minutes. Keep it above 140 F if you hold it longer.
- 06
Pull the meat and toss it in the pan juices. Finish with lemon and chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve over couscous or rice.
- Untested draft. Concept from the approved Pit Log goat graphic.
- Harissa heat varies by brand. Taste the paste before it goes on and cut it with more olive oil if it is fierce.
- Leave-in probe / wireless thermometerFSIS: use two thermometers, one for the pit air and one for the food. Every low-and-slow page.
- Dutch ovenSmoke-then-braise for shanks, hocks, goat.
- Heavy-duty foilRibs, belly, holding. Consumable.
As an Amazon Associate, Pit Log earns from qualifying purchases. We pick these by name and type, checked against Amazon’s own records. Not by what pays best. We show no prices. A price on a page goes stale fast. Checked 2026-09-03.
- Goat shoulder guide, in the works
- Oak smoke
- Pecan smoke
- The full temperature chart
Open it in Pit Master Log
The log opens with custom, oak, 240 F and foil already filled in. Change anything. Then cook.