butchering

[Al. Countryboy]

I know of some people that cut up a goat and put in a washpot,add different seasonings and boil it until tender. Has anyone cooked a goat this way? Have any of you done this or simular and froze it for later use? We don't have alot of room in our freezer. I figure that after the meat was cooked, we could strip it of the bones and would save room. I don't think cooked meat keeps as long in the freezer as raw meat, but fill we would finish it before it goes bad.

[geminigoats]

I've made the recipie I posted under recipies that Yankee1 asked for that is similiar to yours, however, it didn't last as long to freeze. It originally calls for 40#'s of meat so I am thinking it may serve your purpose for freezing. I usually like to can my meat and after having taken our first goat to the butcher last yr and had it a bit tough, (she was well fed and fatty but 3 yrs old, wouldn't breed) I will can it in the future.

Here is how I can raw deer meat, I got this recipie out of Carla Emery's book long ago....and it serves me well. I take cut up bits of meat, raw pack into a qt canning jar, add some salt, about 1/4 teaspoon, then add no water and process under 10 #'s pressure for 1 and 1/2 hrs. This meat comes out very tender and tastes so good. Make sure you don't underprocess and check the seals. Hope this helps.

Bernice

[Al. Countryboy]

Thanks Bernice, Canning was also something that I had considered, but wasn't sure how to process. I was thinking that the other way might be quicker and easier and faster. I may give both ways a try and eat from the freezer first. I guess the canning method would last for years. It is good to hear from you. A few years ago you were so good in helping me with an old goat that was sick from Faith Farms. I will never forget how nice you were. You were having problems during that time also, don't remember if it was from the move you had made or tryng to start up a dairy maybe? You took time to help a newbe with goats and I remember and appreciate the help that you gave. Hope things are running smooth for you now. Thanks again.

[geminigoats]

You are so very welcome Countryboy! I much prefer the canned meat over the frozen, but I really do like goat burger, thats really good.

Yes, I do remember the situation with your goat. That seems so long ago.

It was The dairy became too much, it overwhelmed not only me but my husband too. There were problems we experienced that we had never before experienced with farm management and we blamed each other. It was hard, and it only spiraled downward from there, got worse and then hit bottom. I worked myself literally til I got sick trying to make the dairy work out. Having the dairy was a real learning experience, you learn things that aren't written about in all those articles you read or books. Its not all a fluffy story.

Things seem better now, things seem more on track again. Thanks for asking. I sure hope I haven't lost that gracious, caring and nice part of me, with all that happened its really hard to be the bubbly person I used to be.

Bernice

[Al. Countryboy]

Glad to see your post. It has been awhile since I had read any of your post, but when I saw your posts last week for the first time in a couple of years, I could tell that things were better in your neck of the woods. :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no:

[Al. Countryboy]

Glad to see your post. It has been awhile since I had read any of your post, but when I saw your posts last week for the first time in a couple of years, I could tell that things were better in your neck of the woods.

[Al. Countryboy]

Don't know how all those sad blue faces got on my posts. They were suppose to be all smiling ones.

[geminigoats]

LOL I just repiled to your smiley faces on the Hoegger Worm thread, boy, thought I had enough caffine this morning! Thanks for the smiley faces, they sure warmed my heart on this rainy Monday morning. Have a great day!

Bernice

[Tango]

Originally Posted by geminigoats

It was The dairy became too much, it overwhelmed not only me but my husband too. There were problems we experienced that we had never before experienced with farm management and we blamed each other. It was hard, and it only spiraled downward from there, got worse and then hit bottom. I worked myself literally til I got sick trying to make the dairy work out. Having the dairy was a real learning experience, you learn things that aren't written about in all those articles you read or books. Its not all a fluffy story.
Bernice

Countryboy, the only goat we've butchered was roasted whole (yummy!) but we'll probably render into pieces and vacuum-pack like we do the pigs when we have a couple to butcher at one time. If you are able to purchase a food vacuum system- even used at a fleamarket or such- your cooked foods will keep as long as raw foods. Two years is avg.

Bernice, do you still have a dairy? I'm sorry about the trouble you went through. There is a definite lack of sound information available for ventures on that scale. I went through a thing with pigs this year. A customer told me he would purchase all the pigs I produced so I went from one sow (for my family) to four sows. I produced 26 piglets in May (having raised the sows to age beforehand) and the customer left me stranded. The feed bill was astronomical. I was miserable caring for so many, with no end in sight. In summer, Floridians aren't looking for pigs to grow out, so we couldn't sell them either.

I've decided to let my side business go. What the hurricanes didn't destroy, my lack of energy has no desire to continue. Ironically it is at these times that "customers" come out of the woodwork.I've got a lot of thought to do about my direction. What/ how did you finally decide?

[Dawndra]

we're going to butcher our goats Saturday.

We keep roasts (I cook 2x. once to get the meat off the bone & then to reheat the next day... makes them extra tender), tenderloins, stew meat (for canning), steaks & the rest is hamburger.

I don't think that I'd cook it then freeze it. If you wanted to preserve it, I'd can it. Trim it off the bones & can it like mentioned above.

We take our canned meat & make BBQ, stew, veggie soup... all kinds of stuff.. I can make goat & noodles in 15 min. that way... it's awesome!

[Al. Countryboy]

Thanks alot to all of you. We have killed a couple before and the meat was not tender. These tips will come in handy in the next few weeks. I noticed on a number sites that it suggested hanging them up for a period of time at forty degrees which would help to tenderize the meat, but we probably want get those day temps. till about January. Thanks again.

[TexCountryWoman]

I have no qualms about butchering my own animals and have butchered many of my own critters. But it is not cool enough here yet, in long enough stretches and our well is a bit off right now, plus I don't have the set up and tools i need right now. Do yall think it is cost feasable to take a three year old wether (wethered at 2 weeks, not an old buck) and have the meat market do it? They want a $14. kill fee and 35 cents/lb to cut, wrap and hard freeze. To be honest, we are a bit hungry right now as times are hard. That 1/2 Boer 1/2 Alpine wether, fat and healthy looks real good to us right now. He weighs about 150 or thereabouts. I expect the meat to be tougher than the young goats we have eaten in the past but I don't care, there are still nice ways to prepare the meat. I am unable to drive because of meds and getting him two towns over is a problem. So he keeps eating me out of house and home, taking feed away from goats that i intend to keep. Not very cost effective there either. What do yall think i should do? String him up myself and hope I don't spoil the meat or have the pro's do it and pay to be safe (if I can ever get him there)?

[churchwidow]

If one butcher's one's own goats, how does one go about killing the animal??

Also, if a goat is known to have CL, would the meat be safe to eat?? (Sorry if that's a really stupid question. I'm a really stupid goat owner. Not stupid in general, just stupid about goats!!)

Thanks,
Mary A.

[Yankee1]

When I butchered my goat I just laid him down put my knee on his chest and cut his throat. The dogs were looking at me kind of funny but they soon were full.

[Dawndra]

We shoot them right behind the ear.

We don't let ours get too old. I've been told that they get tough quickly. Our goats were born this spring.

If you double cook the roasts, they'll be a little more tender.

Texcountrywoman ~ I would do it yourself if you feel comfortable doing it and can as much as possible. That will make it more tender.

[TexCountryWoman]

I have no problem butchering things myself, have done quite a bit of it. Right now our well is "off", something crawled in it and died. So until we get that problem fixed it is not sanitary to butcher and not have water to clean. The reason the wether got so old is that he was "standby emergency food" for a while. Now we need him! Hard times have hit. I was out of the goat business for a while for several reasons, now back in (yeah!) We will have more meat next spring. To be honest, I am not supposed to even cook without supervision and canning right now seems a bit overwhelming. (I take too many meds for one thing). I would rather freeze as we would use it right away anyway. The meat may be tough because of his age, but he is fat and I can always find ways to prepare the meat that will compensate. I was just wondering if the local butcher's prices seemed fair. I was an Ag. Major at Texas A&M back in the 70's and sorta remember that hogs dressed out at 70%, cattle 60%, and sheep 50%. I imagine a dairy/meat cross goat would be on the low side, like a sheep. Does anybody have the scoop?

[westbrook]

cook your old goat... in a slow oven (250) for several hours

[churchwidow]

I have some friends who are excellent bow hunters. I have 3 deer from my land in my freezer at the moment. We butcher the deer ourselves. If they shot it at close range with bow and made sure to hit so it was a quick kill, I guess it wouldn't be much different than a deer, yes?

I've never cooked goat but when I've cooked the tougher peices of venison I sear the surfaces in oil then pressure cook the meat. Then I make a stew using tomato juice as the base. The acid in the juice tenderizes the meat beyond what was done in the pressure cooker. It comes out really tender.

Anybody have thoughts on whether the CL goat is safe to eat?

Mary A.

[ox]

We thank the Lord for His provision. This year we have butchered 16 goats so far. The days are hot but the mornings are very cool before the sun appears (30's F ) and we had been doing one or two a day. Our herd was running 80 +. Far more than the land can handle so the "not par" young bucks and old does go. This ungrades the herd and make it much healthier for the ones who remain.
We have had dairy goats for years (none now) and have raised angora goats for 20+. One winter in Montana we were dirt poor and ate beans and goat meat the whole time. Since then my wife hasn't been partial to the meat. ( I greatly enjoy it myself). After all this time I got out the old hand crank meat grinder, mixed in a bunch of good spices, fresh home grown garlic and onions and vioa la! she's on a goat meat eating binge with which I am very pleased. She's not a spoiled lady but some things she is very particular with. i don't mix any suit in with it at all since that is to our liking.
On butchering, we pray and slit their throat with an extremely sharp knife so there is minimal pain. It's a very hard thing for me to do even after all these years. It is the most humane and peaceful method I have used.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

We are as OX said. I do keep a rear leg for barbeque, the meat pulls right off the bone for sandwiches and tortillas the next days. I cut the backstrap, cut into pieces and pound flat, dredge in seasoned flouer and fry quickly, for chicken fried loin, maybe takes 3 mintues to cook, YUM...But the rest we grind for ground 'beef' and pan sausage. With older meat pieces, jerking them first (boiling) really helps. I am not a real goat steak kind of person, but love the meat ground, and eat goat sausage most mornings. Vicki