what does goat meat taste like? texture?

[preparing]

As soon as the buck is out of rut he's gone!! Same for an older doe. I have been grain feeding in anticipation of butchering. Will we eat these goats? Never tried it and I know no one who has.

That's my concern. DH says no but I know he will eat it if it tastes good. We like canned venison if that helps in comparison examples.

[Goat Servant]

The meat is somewhat similar to venison but absolutely no gamey taste.
On the older ones we like them all plain ground & into sausage or Brats.
Legs are way too large for roasts unless you have giant roasting pan.

[CaliannG]

To me, it tastes like a cross between antelope and beef.

Or maybe like lamb, but with less fat.

Or maybe like venison with more fat.

Or maybe....

It is really difficult to describe the taste of anything to someone who has never tried it. If a Muslim or a Kosher Jew asked you, "What does bacon taste like?", could you describe it in a meaningful way?

If ya'll like red meat (venison, beef, lamb, etc.), then you'll like goat. Cook it much like you would a mature deer, but you will need less added fat.

~grinz~ You can always start them out with chili! Especially since it seems like the doe, at least, is quite mature. (After 2 years old, you are best off just turning everything into ground meat, sausages, stew meat, etc.) Very few people can HONESTLY say that they can tell what kind of meat is in a good, strong chili.

[preparing]

It is really difficult to describe the taste of anything to someone who has never tried it. If a Muslim or a Kosher Jew asked you, "What does bacon taste like?", could you describe it in a meaningful way?

Good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

[finnsheep]

Goat also makes delicious jerky. I know of someone who gets his older does/wethers processed into the best jerky I have ever tasted. It's like a cross between venison and lamb, to me, but it doesn't quite taste the same. I am a HUGE lamb fan, haven't eaten much chevon but I agree that if you like red meat, you will probably love goat (chevon, whatever you like to call it).

[Shygal]

Simple, Bacon tastes like heaven on earth

They have frozen goat chunks in the supermarket here Just big cubes of it cut up, I cant imagine those would taste anything like a home grown goat would, but I have been tempted

[mrs.H]

Originally Posted by Shygal

Simple, Bacon tastes like heaven on earth

That is exactly what I was thinking! Our Preacher says he thinks they weren't allowed to eat pork in the Old Testament, because God was saving it for a giant BBQ when we all get to Heaven!

If bacon tastes this good here, well...

(that's not doctrine by the way )

[Hollowdweller]

I think up to about 4 months it tastes like venison, sort of like a young spike buck.

When it gets older it has a stronger taste like lamb and gets stringier.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

You're making me wish we picked up my doe's buckling. We just bought a smoker and did some jerky with the 2 deer we got. I want to try making sausage.

Caliann my turn to *THUNK* You add fat to deer?! We cut it all off.

[lasergrl]

I have a hard time telling the difference between goat and a hair sheep's meat. Very similar since the hair sheep don't taste as Lamby. Non gamey venison is a good description too.

[punchiepal]

When my mom tried some for the first time (crockpot roasted leg) she said it tasted like really really nice beef roast without the fat. Kinda surprised me since dad used to hunt deer.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Have never eaten antelope as another poster compared it to...
I've eaten goat and really find it to be almost like veal...as in a light beef like flavor but with no fat, so very very lean.
To us it tastes nothing like lamb or venison...we hunt and raise sheep so we are very familiar with those flavors.

[CaliannG]

Originally Posted by Squeaky McMurdo

Caliann my turn to *THUNK* You add fat to deer?! We cut it all off.

Depends upon the year, Squeaky. Many years, we add fat, as the bucks can get rather lean. Years with doe tags, we don't.

Texas Whitetails are pretty small. It also depends upon the area. My DH, from Colorado, thought we had some sort of Mini breed of whitetail down here, because of their small size. I told him that we should visit the Hill Country, because the whitetails THERE seem Mini to *me*. He would think they are micro.

Hill country deer, and West Texas deer, IMO, tend to be leaner. East Texas and South East (Piney woods) tend to have more fat.

It depends.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by Squeaky McMurdo

You're making me wish we picked up my doe's buckling. We just bought a smoker and did some jerky with the 2 deer we got. I want to try making sausage.

Caliann my turn to *THUNK* You add fat to deer?! We cut it all off.

Originally Posted by CaliannG

Depends upon the year, Squeaky. Many years, we add fat, as the bucks can get rather lean. Years with doe tags, we don't.

Texas Whitetails are pretty small. It also depends upon the area. My DH, from Colorado, thought we had some sort of Mini breed of whitetail down here, because of their small size. I told him that we should visit the Hill Country, because the whitetails THERE seem Mini to *me*. He would think they are micro.

Hill country deer, and West Texas deer, IMO, tend to be leaner. East Texas and South East (Piney woods) tend to have more fat.

It depends.

I do believe that CailannG means she adds some other fat to her venison...as the fat from deer is not very tasty...I know we cut all ours off also but we purchase beef fat from local markets for adding to the ground meat or for making sausages from it. I see lots of people around here that add bacon or pork to their venison as well.

[Heritagefarm]

Originally Posted by preparing

As soon as the buck is out of rut he's gone!! Same for an older doe. I have been grain feeding in anticipation of butchering. Will we eat these goats? Never tried it and I know no one who has.

That's my concern. DH says no but I know he will eat it if it tastes good. We like canned venison if that helps in comparison examples.

Tastes just like chicken.

[CaliannG]

Originally Posted by suzyhomemaker09

I do believe that CailannG means she adds some other fat to her venison...as the fat from deer is not very tasty...I know we cut all ours off also but we purchase beef fat from local markets for adding to the ground meat or for making sausages from it. I see lots of people around here that add bacon or pork to their venison as well.

That is true also. But mainly it applies to bucks. Buck deer in rut fat is NOT good. It is fine for rendering for soap, or feeding to the other carnivores that share my life, but not for me.

Some years, and in some areas, we get really FAT deer. Down in the Sam Houston Forest Area, or the Piney Woods...or, for that matter, pretty much anywhere in East Texas, the deer have layers of fat, even in drought. But if it is a buck, the fat gets fed to dogs or rendered for uses that do not include food for humans.

In other areas of the State, the deer stay leaner, and you need to add fat. The Panhandle can be like that, or the Hill Country. Some areas of far West Texas.

If we have doe tags, and are hunting here in the East, we don't need to add fat. Doe fat doesn't taste bad.

At any rate, unless we bagged a doe in the Eastern part of the state, we add pork fat to our venison. East Texas deer tend to have a milder flavor than West Texas deer. I don't know what the deer are like in South Texas; perhaps Alice can tell me. I actually prefer the stronger flavor of West Texas and Hill Country deer, even if they are smaller. It is like they are "pre-seasoned" and I don't have to add sage or thyme when I cook.

You don't have to do that with goats, because the fat tastes fine, and it is easy to get a "well conditioned" goat if it is healthy. No truly lean meat, and no need to discard the fat.

[HDRider]

It tastes good.
As you think it should
It is good in stew
It is good BBQ
Good on a grill
Eat your fill
Good in a curry
Cook it slow, don’t hurry
Over an open fire
Or in a fancy oven
Eatin’ goat you’re going to be lovin

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Lol, I meant it's a perfectly good piece of fat free tasty meat. We don't add fat..around my house beef fat is just as nasty as deer or elk fat. For hamburgers I use oatmeal to get the patties to stick together.

We have big mule deer here in SW Wyoming. And now it's elk season, so of course the really big deer are coming out of hiding.

[LadyHawk77]

Good thread.
Our deer pop is way down due to EHD. I do not plan to take a whitetail doe this season. So the 5 month old "very loud" female nubian cross that I brought home to clear the pasture will take the place of the venison.
How is goat ground into burger? Do you let them hang and age like you do venison?

[preparing]

Thanks all.

Sounds as if I should make them into jerky or sausage or something since they are older.

Maybe I can try a younger one next year. (don't tell my DH about next year!)