8 large red radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
Flour or corn tortillas, for serving
Pico de Gallo or salsa verde, for serving
Preparation
1. Mix together the salt, pepper, and cumin. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Prepare a wood fire in a large fire pit and let it burn down to coals. Using a shovel, push about half of the coals to one side of the pit and maintain a small fire on the other side, adding more wood as needed to keep it going. Arrange the two hindquarters on the grill about 8 inches above the coals.
3. Grill the hindquarters for 2 to 3 hours, turning them every 20 minutes. Then wrap the cabrito in foil, place in a roasting pan and transfer to a 121° C (250° F) oven. Cook until the meat is falling off the bone, 2 to 3 hours more. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Using a fork, coarsely shred the meat, reserving the juices in the foil packet, and discarding the bones.
4. Place the shredded meat in a warmed dish, top with the juices, the chopped cilantro and radishes. Serve accompanied by warm tortillas and salsa.
Denise Landis had been employed as an archeologist for seven years before a food editor hired her to test some recipes from a cookbook manuscript. This short stint led to longer assignments, and two years later she began testing recipes for the New York Times. She has been a professional recipe tester and editor for over 25 years, is the author of a New York Times cookbook, and has written for numerous publications. She is a member of the New York Chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier.