Why no goat?

[Chicky2]

I am rather new to the TF label, although I've cooked in a very similar way for years. What I'm wondering is why do I not hear or read of goat meat being used? Is there a particular reason, or is it just that not as many people eat goat in the U.S.? Is there a thread on rural cookery following the TF methods?

[elliebean]

I've thought about this too--and I think its just that goat meat doesn't taste very good or so I've heard any ways :

[tanyalynn]

I assume it's just because it's not as available or familiar as beef, pork and poultry.

I've never seen a thread specifically on rural cookery or "other" meats or anything. Maybe you should start one (and suburbanites like me can sit and learn).

[guestmama9910]

While I love goat meat myself (really, anyone who says it "doesn't taste good" has not had either Indian or Jamaican goat curry), it's not easy to come by in our area, otherwise I would write about it. I'm fond of rabbit and other meats that I can get ahold of, but mostly people will write what they know.
--
AnnaArcturus

[Niamh]

It's a cultural thing. We (and the authors of these books) aren't familiar with goat, so they don't write about it (and we don't read about it). Goat is very much a traditional food (for thousands of years) for some cultures and it's very healthy.

We eat goat because we have it as a result of my milk goats - you have to have babies to get milk. If it's raised well, slaughtered well, and cooked well, it's fantastic. Goat broth is good also.

If you need some recipes, I can give you some that work well for us. We eat young goat, not older bucks or does, but even those can taste good if prepared well.

[mamadelbosque]

I think its just cause' most people have neve HAD goat, and thus don't know much (if anything) about it. We're getting our second goat here soon (first one we split with friends, this one is all ours ), and think its delicious. Very similar to lamb actually. Goat burgers are awesome!! And it actually has less fat (by FAR) than beef... google 'goat meat' or chevon for the statistics on fat/protien ratios in goat compared to beef/chicken/turkey/pork... its pretty amazing, really!!

[tinybutterfly]

I think it's a cultural/regional thing. My mom had goat growing up and I know up in Chicago my aunt used to take us to a grocery that carried it.

[Chicky2]

Thanks for the responses! We eat goat meat every week. We butchered 9 this past summer. We eat the younger ones, too. I would not a want to eat 'bucky' goat. To us, it tastes very similar to beef, just a different texture since the fat doesn't marble thru the meat like beef. It kind of sits inbetween the layers of meat. The gelatinous stock IS wonderful!

I'd appreciate any goat recipes! I have so many cuts that I'm always looking for ways to use it.

We also have guinea, home grown chickens, and domestic rabbits that we raise, butcher, and eat. We have fresh caught fish, fresh caught shrimp, my hubby shot some squirrels, and my mom's hubby traps wild pigs as a favor to their neighbors (they are tearing up their yards) etc....I use all the bones to make stock each week. Oh, and my neighbor got 2 deer so I taught him how to process them in exchange for all his bones, and some stew meat and ribs. :

I have asked around on MDC about domestic rabbit and goat eaters before and only one or two people responded. Maybe I can try again to get a thread started.

[Niamh]

Good lord, woman, I want to be your friend!

Have you seen this website - http://womennotdabbling.wordpress.com/

Their blog isn't too terribly gripping for me, but their associated Yahoo group is a lot of fun!

[Staciemao]

There are TONS of meat goat farms in Oregon. We have dairy breeds and they are very very lean, but next year I'm planning to buy a meat breed buckling, breed him to a couple of my bigger does, butcher and eat him, and butcher and eat his kids.

Rawr. This post sounds very carnivore-ish.

When we get goat (from some of our neighbors) we tend to trim off as much of the fat as possible...we've found that the "bucky" taste tends to be concentrated in the fat. Then we use it for French dip sandwiches. Yum!

[lil_miss_understood]

I haven't tried goat but I want to.
I love rabbit and I'd seriously go hunt my own deer and partridge right now (if I had a gun, permit and knew where the good hunting was around here ).

[EdnaMarie]

I've had goat. It's really tasty. I ate it in Asia. I don't know why people don't eat it more here. I guess the association with what goats eat- people think they eat trash- is not so good. I would totally buy goat's meat if I could find it organically raised.

To those who asked for recipes, goat kebabs are really delicious. Just like you would do shishkebabs, but with a simple marinade, no teriyaki, only their own fat, and a bit of salt and cayenne pepper- oooohhhh. It is really good.

(Just saw that someone said they heard it didn't taste good. This is not true. If it is grass-fed and slaughtered and butchered properly, it should taste better than cow, even if you aren't used to it. It's a lot easier to stomach than, say, mutton or venison, which take some getting used to.)

[Rainbow2911]

I tend to treat goat like lamb. It is similar, just milder tasting and delicious! (Yes goat is milder - not what most people expect) Goat curry is just gorgeous. I think it is just that you can't get it in most supermarkets so people haven't tasted it. And I think people expect it to be 'goaty' when in fact it is not at all.

[crunchy_mama]

I had got goat meat once from a lady and I could only eat 1 meal of it, I found it so disgusting. Dh liked it fine though. Too bad we were thinking of raising them.

[SageR]

We had a new cooperative vendor at our farmer's market last summer selling goat. On their website it says goat is the most widely eaten meat in the world. Everything we tried was fantastic. I think it tastes similar to lamb. We especially like it in stew.

I throw a couple pounds of meat into the crockpot with two cups of chicken stock, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, and a bunch of potatoes and carrots, and let it simmer all day. I usually add some butter too because I find the goat to be a little lean and we all like the mouthfeel of the stew better with more fat.

I recall seeing rabbit at the market too but I never got any. I'd like to try some though.

[Junegoddess]

I read somewhere that goat is the most-eaten meat in the world. The farmer's market in Austin has a vendor that sells it, but it's really expensive. We bought some steaks that looked like itty bitty t-bones, and hubby grilled them up.. they were the most-delicious steaks I've ever eaten. I LOVE goat. It's just hard to get. I'm hoping to find freezer room to buy a side or whole goat... but I'm getting a quarter cow soon, so it'll be a while.

[Brown Lioness]

Mmm, now Im hungry for some goat roti, lol. :

[lil_miss_understood]

Roti sounds so good.

Does anyone know if there's cross-reactivity (allergy wise) between lamb and goat? DS1 has tested allergic to lamb (which I am dying to have but won't because of him).

[studentmama]

:
I love goat!
We get this rice dish from a somali restaurant and it has goat and it is sooooo good and filling.

I cook it in a stew and serve it with injera(and ethipoian flat bread).

If you can't find it maybe try looking for a halal market in your area.

[Arduinna]

ahh cabrito, was very popular in our old town. Personally I could never eat our goats because I got too attached to them, but I've eaten goat at others homes.

For real TF recipes I'd go to the source, the cultures that have a tradition of eating goat, like Mexico.