Goat Meat
 

What does it taste like? What is the texture like?

When a goat is butchered for meat, is it mostly ground? Or do you get little roasts or steaks, too?

As you can see, I know nothing about goat meat or preparing a meal with goat meat ... so I apologize, in advance, for my dumb question.

Thank you for helping me understand, though, for I am very curious/interested.

:)

I think it would depend on the age at butcher (much like the difference between lamb and mutton). I have *heard* that some people will butcher the younger weaned bucks for cabrito and if they butcher an older goat, it goes to sausage.

Sorry I can't be more help!

Thank you for responding ... anything is better than nothing.

:)

The only meats I have ever eaten are beef, chicken, deer and turkey ... well, and fish.

I am so clueless about meats beyond those that I don't even know the difference between lamb and mutton.

~~~

Edited to add: whoops, wait, at certain restaurants I've had "rack of lamb" ... it was delicious.

:D

I found this interesting comparison chart of meats.
http://www.goatmeats.com/asp/informa...ison-Table.asp

Lamb is young & mutton is from an older one. Dont know when it becomes mutton.

Hi Mama Crow! We package up our chevon (goat meat) into steaks chops roasts etc if they are less than 6 or 8 mos.
Last month we had an almost 2yr old buck in rut & 10mo old done. We had the older one all ground & the younger one half bratz & half Italian sausage.
Everything is absolutley delicious & I will never go back to store bought ground mush even from the butcher!
It has a flavor all it's own, not over powering, sweet but not sugary sweet. Akin to venison with no gameiness.
Burgers take longer to fry up than beef cause theres NO fat, in fact there is no marbleing whatsoever.
All the other cuts go in a dutch oven for a couple hours with liquid as chevon can be dry.
I havent come close to success with any other method.

We eat alot of goat meat at our place now as we've had many bottle babies given to us this year. The only strong goaty smelling/tasting meat we've had was from one older intact buck we butchered, but he was the only one of three all around the same age that wasn't delicious.
We have lots of the meat ground, but have also eaten and sold nice roasts and chops and shoulder steaks.

My DH loves the stuff. I prefer pork and beef, but eat the goat meat, too.

Goat is by far the most commonly eaten meat worldwide. Much of the third world relies heavily on it.

Goat meat is great. Very similar to venison in how you prepare it, like a previous poster replied, due to how lean it is.

We've had the 8 month olds from 4H fair projects and the meat was AMAZING cooked in a smoker, or BBQ'd. We processed a 1 yr old boer wether and it was just as great. My husband was skeptical ~until~ he tried the meat. Now he tells other skeptics that it's like really good prime rib in flavor. We like roasts, diced up for stew, ground up, brats, jerky, etc...

We don't tell the fussy Grandma she's eating goat as she previously refused flat out to eat "euuuw goat, disgusting! ". HA HA ..but if/when she eats at our home, she eats goat and venison , unknowingly. LOL. It's so good she doesn't suspect. *FTR, I do not like mutton at all.*

DH mentioned tonight that he thinks we need to start raising boers again for our meat sources. Fri and Sat after T-giving, we are replacing our pasture fencing from 10 yrs ago when we first got into goats as 4H projects for our three kids- now adults.


-scrt crk

I've wondered the same thing about goat meat. Would any of you be willing to share some recipes? What is the best age to butcher?

My Hispanic cabrito customers want them at weaning age.

Best age to butcher is 3-6mos but anytime after that is equally as delicious.
Just as you would with beef or chicken as far as spices go, roasts & chops cooked slowly in whatever base you feel like; coconut milk, your favorite BBQ sauce or even just part of a can of 7up with lots of garlic or onion..just be sure to cover the meat in it, put it in dutch oven, 300 degrees for two hrs.

Hey Sonshine, that link that IndyGardenGal gave us ... it's a great little site, and I looked around and found some recipes there.

http://www.goatmeats.com/asp/Informa...eatrecipes.asp

I'd like to thank everyone who has shared their experiences and knowledge, and opinion, about goat meat with me ... it has helped me imagine (a little better) what cooking, and eating, it will be like.

secretcreek, your contribution made me smile ... if Grandma is eating it, and doesn't know she is eating it, then it ought to be some GOOD stuff!!!

I think I am ready to explore this new cuisine ... hopefully, someday soon.

Again, thank you all.

:)

The key to goat meat is to cook it low and slow and keep it moist. We butcher most of ours around 6 months. We have butchered younger and a couple older. Usually we process for what we need in the freezer and our skill level which is still pretty low. I usually cut into roasts. I have found that it is better to cook the roast and then use that meat in whatever recipe I have since the meat is chewy if you try to cook it in a short amount of time. My favorite recipe for a roast is to place it in a pan with about a cup of water, season to taste, cover with foil and cook all night in a 200 degree oven. The meat is falling apart in the morning and I use it for burritos, tacos, spaghetti, hash, whatever I wanted beef for or just as a roast with potatoes, carrots and green beans. If we grind a goat then we use the meat just like we would with ground beef or venison. It has a nice rich flavor, not goaty, much like venison to me. It is fabulous, we love it and eat a lot of it. Goat, rabbit, and venison are our main meat staples. Blessings, Kat

Mama Crow. We will be butchering one this coming weekend, born in the Spring.
Some will be ground, but the rest I will cut into cubes and can using the raw pack method.
I can venison like this, just cube, put in jar, no liquids. I just add a clove of garlic, leave head room and pressure can according to instructions for your elevation.

It is SO easy.

I also use the meat, combined with lamb to make Gyro meat. Delicious!

It's similar to venison IMO.

Whisper: that is exactly how I cook a beef roast ... sear it good on both sides, season, wrap it up real good to trap the steam, put it in a HOT oven, and turn it down to low, low, low ... the meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. So nice to know I can do the same with goat meat.

:)

OLF: I love, Love, LOVE Gyros!!!

:grin:

Bret: I love, Love, LOVE venison, too ... especially deer meat chili!

:)

I have little skill in hacking up meat so I generally just have four roasts and the back strap and tenderloin. I often slice as much meat off the bone while the roasts are still partially frozen and use it to make curry (my version) in the crockpot. when we took a few to a processer (adults) we got roasts and ground as well as 'bits and peices'. we can definitley tell the difference between the young ones we have butchered and the older (2yrs??) that we took to the processer. teh younger ones are tastier and more tender although the pressure cooker does and adequate job of 'tenderizing' the older meat. I like the ground for chili but not meatloaf.

You may find goat meat at specialty meat shops, as we did...but from here out, I think I'm going to find a grower locally. The first leg of goat we got was fine, second one was strong flavored (bucky). From the meat shop, I have no idea how old the goat was when butchered. It was edible, but not as good. Fair warning.

I think goat meat is delicious and and can't exactly explain what it tastes like except that most folks who eat it unaware think it is beef. I have eaten a lot of goat burger. I had a family of big eaters and cooked lots of pasta and burger, and chili, and sloppy joes, etc. I like BBQ goat meat and smoked goat is very very tasty. I liked does for most meat but never had many young wethers as I sold them all. I have changed all that and have 3 wethers waiting for colder temperature. I don't think I could eat an old buck goat but I can say the same for any old uncut bull or boar and I hate mutton!

Since it's so lean, would a roast benefit from being wrapped in bacon? Just trying to think about how to get a little fat into it. :)

Sonshine ... excuse the sidenote here, but, did you see the link I posted up there for you?

LFRJ you're sure welcome come Feb come on out & pick your animal(s)! They can go just about anytime, by May they will be weaned.
If you are too far away maybe I could put you in touch with a few locals.(:
Last yr had a customer come back a week later in person to tell me it was the best & most he'd ever had; apparently he had bought previously somewhere else & all he got was bones & very little meat.

Sonshine some bacon wrapped on it might be nice, sounds good anyway! But the key is to cook long & slow with liquid. And a LID on on it:)

I am really enjoying the personal insights on this new (for me) meat ... thank y'all ... it doesn't seem as intimidating as I thought it might be.

Did now. :) Thanks. I don't know how I missed it. Gotta be the meds. I only take them at night, but they really affect me.

Mama Crow, thanks for the goat recipe web site. There are lots of very new and different recipes to try. I printed them all. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

To me, it is similar to venison with something else added in. I have butcherd young and old, male and female. All of it has been delicious. I grind as needed when I use it in spaghetti, tacos, etc. I've never had a problem with toughness, but I use the crockpot a lot which probably helps.

I do this with my venison, also ;)

You can substitute goat for any lamb recipe. I prepare it on the grill, kabobs, whole loin, shredded chili, goat bourguignon stew, braised shanks...the list goes on and on. I've never had goat ground into hamburger - just seems a waste! The little extra meaty bits usually go to sausage (made with pork fat, not goat fat). Go to epicurious.com and pick yourself a recipe!

I think the best meat is from animals that are 8 months to 1 year, doe or buck. Anything older and I get a slight gamy flavor that I am *not* a fan of. I didn't care for the meat of a 3 year old buck. Doesn't matter if he's in rut or not, as I give bucks a BATH before I slaughter. I don't want to touch that ickiness and then touch my meat! LOL. I find goat tastes somewhere in between venison and beef with a touch of lamb, a bit sweeter on the finish. It's fantastic.

I usually debone everything when I butcher a goat myself. So, stew meat, boneless leg roast, loin, etc.

When I have the butcher do it, he has a meat saw and makes bone-in roasts, loin chops, steaks, and my favorite, rack. There is nothin' like an herb crusted grilled rack of goat. I french the rack to make it look like the rack of lamb in restaurants or grocery stores, rub it with salt, pepper, crushed garlic, chopped fresh herbs, and a little olive oil. Pop it on the grill for a few minutes each side, and you'll have a five-star entree. Another all-time favorite for entertaining is to debone a leg roast, butterfly it, spread the inside with fresh goat cheese, herbs, garlic, then roll it up again, tie it, and grill it over oak coals. You can't overcook goat on the grill or else it becomes little goat bricks - needs to be no more than slightly medium rare.

My butcher does regular sausage and smoked - kielbasa, spicy hunter's, jalapeno cheddar, Hawaiian teriyaki, apple.....mmmmm......

Some of my friends and family say it's the best meat they've ever had. I've had a lot of other people screw up their faces and say, "oh, no thanks, I've had goat in Mexico." LOL. As different as drinking mountain spring water versus a nice big gulp of the Tijuana River.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

Katherine

You're welcome, ks hobbit!

:)

This is such a fascinating thread for me ... thank y'all very much.

I am wondering a couple of things at this point.

1) If I were to ever want to make sausage, may I use another fat other than pork fat?

2) I keep seeing the words "in rut" and "icky-yucky" associated/implied with it ... so what does rut mean?

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all too ... loving my new friends here in this section.

:)

This thread has brought me out from lurking (*hi*). Is there anyone here who does not like goat milk/goat cheese but likes the meat? Just curious. I'm not a picky eater typically but I taste too much goat in the milk and cheese to eat it but wonder about the meat. I've only tried lamb once or twice and found it gamey but I have no idea the age of the animal.

I don't like lamb or mutton, it is the fat. I use goat milk for everything, needs to be cooled immediately. I put into cold quart jars, lids tight and into my springhouse. Rinse butter well with cold water. I butcher my goats at 6-8 months (mine are pygora) hang in the springhouse overnight, Put on a dry rub (dried onion, garlic, chili peppers, tomatoes and rosemary) Put in covered grill with a small fire until very tender. Pull the meat from the bones and use for everything, I don't grind goat meat....James

In rut is the season when the bucks are ready to breed. They produce a smell from glands on their head and also use urine as a cologne. They don't use just a dab either, but think if a little is good a lot is better. They have a smell all their own and it gets on everything.

I like deer meat, but I did NOT like goat meat. Perhaps if it had been prepared differently, or maybe sausage but I even did some ribs on the gril and no amount of sauce could fix that taste for me. But I do have a sensitive sense of taste and smell.

I have no problem with goat milk if it is chilled quickly and clean.

In rut usually means to me....the beautiful buck goat is now spraying urine all over himself. He is making strange goat noises and is in love with every goat in the pasture, some more than others. The buck manages to turn himself into this crusty oily, definitely oderific, lustful creature. This usually starts in early fall and carries on into deep winter. Some bucks are just a little stinky and there have been a few that have flat turned my stomach to be downwind of them. It seems to seep into the meat, it will rub off on your hands and clothes too. I have been told that if you band an older buck and keep him for awhile his meat loses the "bucky" taste. I hope I understood the question.

We processed a 7 month old wether this weekend and now have goat burger in our freezer. (Thanks to some good HT neighbors, Pigeon Lady and her DH, who loaned equipment, as our vacuum sealer and grinder have disappeared :eek:).

So now we have beef pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, goat and venison. Some canned some frozen.