To begin cooking extravaganza trim away any excess fat from the goat leg. Expose as much of the meat as possible the set it aside. Goat can be a rather tough meat if prepared incorrectly. The best way to tenderize the meat is a good brine. Take the first 2 bottles of Guinness and pour them into a small stock pot. Open the 3^rd bottle and enjoy. Add the 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of salt to the Guinness and simmer until dissolved. Add 3 cups of water to the mixture and allow it to cool. Place the goat leg in a container large enough that it can lay flat and pour the Guinness brine over the leg.  Leave in the brine for 3-5 hours rotating the leg every 30 mins. While we brine the leg…may as well have that other bottle of Guinness.

This would also be a great time to start working on the next step – BACON WEAVNG. Take a large sheet of aluminum foil (Large enough to cover the goat leg) and begin weaving. Think back to elementary school and making mats out of construction paper….it is the same, but with tasty, tasty bacon. If you aren’t a master bacon weaver, don’t worries you can lay out the bacon in overlapping strips.  This would also be a good time to bring your smoker up to 225 degrees.

After 3-5 hrs, remove the goat leg from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the entire leg down with the softened butter and minced garlic. Once rubbed down, sprinkle the shredded mint leaves over the leg. Now wrap the bacon around the leg. Make sure you leave no gaps…add more bacon. Now that it is happily wrapped in bacon wrap the leg in aluminum foil. Place the leg in the smoker and cook 12-14 hrs (depending on the size of the leg) at 225 degrees.

Take a nap…have a drink or two, like Robyn’s Grilled Margaritas.

An hour or so before the meat is done start working on your Cracked Pepper Red Wine Glaze and Blue Cheese Sauce.

Cracked Pepper Red Wine Glaze: Pour the wine into a medium sauce pan. Add the onion powder, garlic, cayenne and black pepper. Bring the mix to boil for 2-3 min then bring the heat down to a simmer for 10- 15 min.  Remove from heat and set to the side.  Pour yourself a glass or two of wine. It’s not too early is it?

Blue Cheese Sauce: Add the garlic, onions, and fire-roasted pepper to a large skillet and heat until the onions begin to sweat. Add the blue cheese and heavy cream to the mix and continue stirring until the cheese is blended smooth.

Now that the goat has been on for the 12-14 hours remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest 15 – 20 mins in the foil. Unwrap the foil and the bacon…but don’t discard the bacon…its bacon…eat it…It’s awesome. Pull the meat from the leg like you would a pork shoulder.  Place the meat on toasted wheat rolls.  Drizzle the cracked pepper wine glaze over the pulled goat.  Spoon the blue cheese sauce over top of the meat. Add a piece of lettuce or spinach and Viola!  Pour yourself a drink and Bon Appetite!”