Cabrito is a dish made from young goat meat, which is tender and flavorful. It is a regional specialty in various Iberian and Latin American cuisines, including Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, and Mexico. Cabrito is often roasted, although it can also be stewed or grilled. The kid used to make cabrito is usually between one and three months old, and it is milk-fed and slaughtered young, which makes the meat more tender. Cabrito is sometimes called the veal of the goat world.

In northern Mexico, cabrito is cooked in various ways, including cabrito al pastor, cabrito al horno, cabrito en salsa, and cabrito en sangre. Cabrito al pastor is the most popular form, where the whole carcass is opened flat and impaled on a spit, then roasted slowly in the open air without seasonings other than the light scent it will absorb from the slow-burning charcoal. Cabrito en sangre is a less common preparation in which the blood of the animal is collected when it is slaughtered and becomes the basis for the sauce that the goat is braised in, along with the animals liver, kidneys, and heart, and other seasonings.

Monterrey, Mexico, is generally viewed as the world headquarters of cabrito, and many restaurants prepare theirs “Monterrey Style” . There are several traditional ways to make the dish, including roasting a whole kid on a spit over a slow-burning charcoal fire, turning it frequently and basting well to enhance the flavor. Cabrito can also be prepared in a pit roast, which is popular for big parties, as the kid can be buried and then ignored for several hours before being dug up to eat. Cabrito can be eaten straight, folded in tortillas, dipped in salsa, or shredded over rice and beans. In Texas, it is common to see cabrito burgers and other more American adaptations of this dish, melding the intense flavor of goat with foods popular in the United States.