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Seco de Chivo

Name: Seco de Chivo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 1/2 lbs goat meat (or lamb shoulder), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; 1 cup lager beer or dry white wine; 2 tbsp achiote oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 red bell pepper, chopped; 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 cup beef or chicken broth, as needed; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 4 cups cooked white rice and 1 ripe plantain, fried, for serving

Fall-apart goat stewed in beer, tomatoes, and achiote until the sauce turns dark and glossy — Ecuador’s slow-simmered Sunday favorite.

⏱ 20 minPrep time

🔥 2 hrsCook time

🍽 6Servings

🏷 DinnerCategory

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Seco de chivo is the Andean stew that defines Ecuadorian Sundays: goat meat braised low and slow in beer or white wine with tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, and achiote. The word ‘seco’ means dry — a nod to the thick, concentrated sauce that clings to the meat — and it is always served with rice, fried plantain, and avocado.

Dark, glossy, and slow-simmered until the meat surrenders

After two hours of gentle simmering, the goat turns meltingly tender and the sauce reduces to a deep, savory glaze with a hint of citrus from the beer and a warm cumin-achiote backbone. Spooned over rice with sweet maduro plantain, it is rich, rustic, and profoundly comforting.

Ecuadorian recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Marinate the goat in the beer, half of the garlic, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and half of the salt for 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
Heat the achiote oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the meat in batches for 4 to 5 minutes per side; set the meat aside.
In the same pot, cook the onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes, add the remaining garlic, cumin, and the oregano, and cook 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, mashing them slightly, until they break down into a sauce.
Return the meat with its marinade to the pot, add enough broth to barely cover, and bring to a boil; reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
Uncover for the last 20 minutes to thicken the sauce, then stir in the cilantro and adjust the salt.
Serve over white rice with fried plantain and avocado on the side.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Goat rewards patience — an overnight marinade in the fridge makes it even more flavorful. Seco keeps 3 days refrigerated and only improves as the flavors settle.

Recipe details

Prep20 min

Cook2 hrs

Servings6

CategoryDinner

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Seco de Chivo

Dark, glossy, and slow-simmered until the meat surrenders

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

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Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

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Seco de Chivo

Dark, glossy, and slow-simmered until the meat surrenders

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

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