Butchered our first goat today

Oat Bucket Farm · #21 05/23/11, 07:07 PM

This is a copied post from another forum. I actually didn't get around to making the bacon.But plan to in the future.

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The recipe:
Belly flaps (with fat/meat intact)
1 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)
black pepper or other dry seasonings to taste
Amount of salt/sugar will vary with how much meat you have to cover - just keep the proportions the same - half as much sugar as salt, mixed well.
Place meat in a non-reactive baking dish or pan & cover one side generously with salt/sugar mix. Flip and coat the other side. Cover the dish & place in refrigerator for 36-48 hours, depending on thickness/size of meat - thinner/smaller = less time. Lots of liquid will be lost during this stage & the meat will feel quite firm & 'cured' when done.
Remove from fridge, rinse meat & soak in cool water for an hour (longer if you'd like the meat to be even less salty). If you do not plan to eat the bacon within a week or so, just rinse & it will keep longer (don't forget to soak before you cook or smoke).
Smoke meat in a smoker for traditional flavor. The recipe that I used said to use cool smoke & bring meat to 140 degrees max, but my flaps were so small & thin that I hickory smoked very briefly (maybe 15 minutes total) to avoid cooking the fat & mine was nicely smokey.
Here's what they looked like post smoke

Butchered our first goat today - Goats

IMAG0416 by hooteus maximus, on Flickr
Slice across for mini bacon strips

Butchered our first goat today - Goats

IMAG0417 by hooteus maximus, on Flickr
Here's an idea of the size

Butchered our first goat today - Goats

IMAG0420 by hooteus maximus, on Flickr
Be careful with the heat in your skillet - they will burn quickly - cook on medium till desired crispness

Butchered our first goat today - Goats

IMAG0421 by hooteus maximus, on Flickr

Had I known it would be so good, I would have taken photos of the entire process - sorry that the photos start with the end product!

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anyway I plan to try this next time. If I had known goat meat was going to be so tasty, I would have done it this time.

Frugal Que · #22 06/22/12, 05:08 PM

It wasn't as bad as I thought. We already do rabbits and chickens so we had some experience. We read alot and watch Youtube alot before we tried it.

Actually we had the mobile butcher come by and he did two goats for us and he gladly showed us how he did everything.

A few months later, we did our own and it was fine. We now have two more that have wore out their welcome. Not sure when we are going to do them because we are so worn out when we get home from work and so busy on the weekends. It will be soon though.

southerngurl · #23 06/22/12, 05:26 PM

That's how I am, I just don't like killing stuff. I don't mind doing the work afterwards though. Congrats on learning a new skill! It's excellent smoked!

andabigmac · #24 06/22/12, 06:03 PM

We're going to have to kill our first for a family bbq this fall. Usually my butcher does it for free for me. Every time I go there to pick my meat up my truck gets robbed though. I like to carry around 5 gallons of goat milk with me where ever I go and it always gets stolen when I go there

Hmmmm. Go figure. Its a quandary.

I hope we can be as brave as you self butchers are.

ozark_jewels · #25 06/24/12, 10:53 PM

Congrats to the first time butchers! Just butchered four last week, two of mine and two of a friends. Its kinda hot, will have to do the next one early in the AM.
I was asked once if I enjoyed the killing part.....WHAT?? No way! But it is a job and I do it. Its the only part that bothers me at all. Once they are dead, its just a job.
"Enjoy" the killing.......if I did, I should be worried.

tinknal · #26 06/25/12, 04:46 AM

I do not enjoy the killing, but I'm proud that I can do it in a quick, humane, and efficient manner. I slit throats. Sounds brutal, but if you have ever seen it done properly the goat shows no distress, it just peacefully lies down and goes to sleep.

Frugal Que · #27 06/26/12, 02:19 PM

Tinknal,

Would you describe exactly how you do your method of slitting the throat. We shot our goat and it was quick and easy. I don't know if we would do your method but I am interested anyway.

bpawb · #28 06/26/12, 04:15 PM

I'm interested too, It seems like the animal would bleed-out better that way

prairiedog · #29 06/26/12, 04:19 PM

I decided that before we do another I want a screened in area to do the butchering part. I hate flies.

ozark_jewels · #30 06/26/12, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpawb

I'm interested too, It seems like the animal would bleed-out better that way

I've seen the slit throat method and the bullet to the brain/slit throat bled out the same as the just slit throat.

KrisD · #31 06/26/12, 04:39 PM

Of our two butchers one charges a flat rate fee of $75 for everything and one charges $55 or the kill and then .60/# for cut and wrap or $30 if it is over a 100 pounds. That seems pretty pricy. I don't know if I could do it myself though and I would like a lot of it ground into burger and sausage which is a lot of work.

tinknal · #32 06/26/12, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frugal Que

Tinknal,

Would you describe exactly how you do your method of slitting the throat. We shot our goat and it was quick and easy. I don't know if we would do your method but I am interested anyway.

I straddle the goat, grasping it under the chin and pulling upward so that it's nose is pointed straight in the air. I use a very sharp, very pointed boning knife. Imagine the anatomy of the goat. The front (bottom if standing normally) of the neck has the windpipe, esophagus, and the major blood vessels. The back (top) of the neck has the spinal column. The goal is to quickly thrust the knife from the side, edge outward, through the neck, just below the jawbone between the spinal column and the windpipe, esophagus, and blood vessels. In the same motion thrust the blade forward, cutting through all the vital vessels. Use a firm and bold stroke. This is no time to be hesitant.

Done right, from start to finish, the goat will be dead in less time than it takes you to read this.

ozark_jewels · #33 06/26/12, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

I straddle the goat, grasping it under the chin and pulling upward so that it's nose is pointed straight in the air. I use a very sharp, very pointed boning knife. Imagine the anatomy of the goat. The front (bottom if standing normally) of the neck has the windpipe, esophagus, and the major blood vessels. The back (top) of the neck has the spinal column. The goal is to quickly thrust the knife from the side, edge outward, through the neck, just below the jawbone between the spinal column and the windpipe, esophagus, and blood vessels. In the same motion thrust the blade forward, cutting through all the vital vessels. Use a firm and bold stroke. This is no time to be hesitant.

Done right, from start to finish, the goat will be dead in less time than it takes you to read this.

That is a great description. Its exactly the way I slit the throat the second after I shoot the .22. Very accurate description.