Anyone buy a whole goat (meat)?

[Metasequoia]

I've been thinking of buying a whole goat but all I've ever really eaten have been goat meat tacos. I can think of a lot of middle eastern recipes I'd like to make.

Do any of you buy whole goats? What do you make? Is there anything I should know? I do know that I don't want an old goat and that some goat meat smells like the goat - but I don't know the specifics on this. There's a local farm where you can pick out your goat & they butcher it for you.

[YummyYarnAddict]

I just bought half a goat last week because I'm buying a quarter cow and a whole lamb (I also have some rabbit and venison and my freezer is only 8.5 cubit feet!). My goat was fairly young and I got a mix of cuts but a lot of stew meat, chops, and ground goat. I'm not big on recipes and tend to be creative depending on my mood. My kids love the stews the best and I tend to make them very savory with pumpkin, basil, coconut, basil, and things like that. I mix the ground goat with lamb and beef to make breakfast sausages ...

Our goat isn't at all goat-y and tastes pretty close to lamb. I actually had some of this goat's milk for a while!

ETA: I just dashed off an email to the farmer I bought our goat meat from to ask her how old her goats are when she slaughters them. She's also the one I'm buying the whole lamb from and I know she told me how old they are when she slaughters them... so I have all this information rolling around in my head! I did buy ground goat meat and chops from three different farmers before deciding which one to "commit" to and place an order with. Ditto for the lamb and beef. It's a lot of $$ to invest. I also grilled them on what they feed them to make sure the goats are primarily grass fed (as goats almost always get some grain feed) and to make sure that feed is 100% organic and contains no soy. If there is corn in the feed, you have to be sure that it's non-GMO corn even if they say the feed is organic because they sometimes get it from other farmers and aren't as careful as they should be. Cows and lambs, however, should be 100% organic grass fed in summer and 100% organic hay fed in winter (or off season) when at all possible (and absolutely no corn or soy).

[Metasequoia]

Good suggestions, thank you!

You'll have to post some of those recipes - the pumpkin one in particular sounds delicious.

[Koalamom]

Good thing you posted the speciic about meat, because I have bought plenty of living goats for pets and milk. I have never eaten the meat though. I have thought of it, but I have always gotten to attached to the ones I own. I have used freshly killed goat hides for projects (not eating).

Does goat really taste like lamb? I don't really likelamb. I think it tastes like stinky feet. Perhaps I won't like goat meat. But I would like to try it sometime.

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by YummyYarnAddict

I just bought half a goat last week because I'm buying a quarter cow and a whole lamb (I also have some rabbit and venison and my freezer is only 8.5 cubit feet!). My goat was fairly young and I got a mix of cuts but a lot of stew meat, chops, and ground goat. I'm not big on recipes and tend to be creative depending on my mood. My kids love the stews the best and I tend to make them very savory with pumpkin, basil, coconut, basil, and things like that. I mix the ground goat with lamb and beef to make breakfast sausages ...

Our goat isn't at all goat-y and tastes pretty close to lamb. I actually had some of this goat's milk for a while!

ETA: I just dashed off an email to the farmer I bought our goat meat from to ask her how old her goats are when she slaughters them. She's also the one I'm buying the whole lamb from and I know she told me how old they are when she slaughters them... so I have all this information rolling around in my head! I did buy ground goat meat and chops from three different farmers before deciding which one to "commit" to and place an order with. Ditto for the lamb and beef. It's a lot of $$ to invest. I also grilled them on what they feed them to make sure the goats are primarily grass fed (as goats almost always get some grain feed) and to make sure that feed is 100% organic and contains no soy. If there is corn in the feed, you have to be sure that it's non-GMO corn even if they say the feed is organic because they sometimes get it from other farmers and aren't as careful as they should be. Cows and lambs, however, should be 100% organic grass fed in summer and 100% organic hay fed in winter (or off season) when at all possible (and absolutely no corn or soy).

Holy toledo- I admire your freezer packing ability!

I haven't bought goat here, we tested some meat out because we were going to raise them but I thought the taste was nasty- and this was from someone we knew who raised them well.

[Junegoddess]

I've only ever bought ground goat meat and teeny, adorable little t-bones. I absolutely LOVED it. I thought the steaks tasted like beef... but... beefier. I don't like lamb much at all, and I didn't think there was any lamb taste to the goat. My kids even devoured some goat steak, and they're usually very picky. Then again, I didn't specifically tell them it was goat until they'd already said they liked it.

Anyway, I would love to buy a whole goat someday. I'm cramming half a small cow into our 8.5 cu ft freezer soon... no room for goat. I would love to get an idea of what to expect, though. How much meat, how many steaks... how it all breaks down, basically.

And is goat liver good eats? I tried lamb liver once and HATED it.

[ola olaigbe]

Hello

Are u in San Antonio? Can u please provide the contact info for the goat farmer? I will like to buy some. Thanks.