The Goat Topic: Tips & Techniques

[ned]

Apparently, goat is quite delicious-- thus the incentive to give it a try and the reason I've got so many volunteers willing to risk it.  My husband gets a dreamy look when he mentions it (and the roasted octopus he ate in Zanzibar, but I think that must be all the spices in the air there).

Thanks for the tips!

I'm curious to hear how the goat turned out. I just returned from Chinatown in NYC with a few pounds of cubed goat shoulder for a stew, inspired by this thread.

I also first had goat in Africa, Kenya in my case, when I was fifteen. I'd never heard of anyone eating it previous to that. Returned to the US, sheltered liberal arts trajectory and only since moving to NYC have found it can be bought here. Last Christmas, traveling with family I had the opportunity to spit-roast an 8 or nine pound goat in Cadaques, Spain. Tender like I would never imagine goat could be. Still whenever I eat goat, I always think of the Kenyan method of skewering cut pieces of meat on sticks and standing them up alongside the fire to cook. That musky gamey flavor is unlike any other meat.

[iguana]

On the goat topic, but not of direct relevance to roasting (and too late for icicle's party anyway, there was a mouth-watering article about meat eating in Monterrey, Mexico in Saveur #76 (Jan 2004, pp 38-51). This article featured some gorgeous photos of roasted and roasting goat, but no roasting how-to. There was one kid stew recipe that looked tasty, as well as some good information about suppliers, etc.

So, how did it turn out??

[Milt]

My first experience with goat was in Kansas City about thirty years ago. A church friend had an annual goat roast at his dental partner's home - more spacious grounds - and they invited church friends, dental clients, dental staff and neighbors of each. They did a whole goat in the ground, much the same as a pig roast. I could not tell much difference in goat and pig at the time. The goat was tasty, moist and tender. Since moving to Georgia, I have eaten goat in a stew type dish at both Indian and Dominican restaurants. In both cases the meat is very tender and tasty - but lots of bone relative to the amount of meat. I'm sure the cut is why the bone/meat ratio is so high.

For some time, I have been wanting to prepare goat at home, but living in a subdivision I don't feel that a pit would be appreciated. Doing something in the oven seems more appropriate - or possibly on the grill. The above comments have reawakened my interest in preparing goat. Any additional comments or suggestions would be most helpful.

[andiesenji]

This site has some very nice recipes for goat recipes here

And this site has a couple of goat meat shippers, both in New York state, as well as an excellent recipe for roast leg of goat Florentine which I have made with beautiful results.

recipes and meat

Out here most Mexican carnicerias sell goat meat as a regular item and cut it to order so you have to ask. I usually order it a few days in advance to make sure they have it fresh and they will show me the carcass and cut the meat to order while I am there.

I have not ordered meat from either of those suppliers but have used their recipes.

The following site was recommended to me by a friend in Midland, TX who has bought from her.

goat meat

[Carrot Top]

Apparently, goat is quite delicious-- thus the incentive to give it a try and the reason I've got so many volunteers willing to risk it.  My husband gets a dreamy look when he mentions it (and the roasted octopus he ate in Zanzibar, but I think that must be all the spices in the air there).

Thanks for the tips!

I'm curious to hear how the goat turned out. I just returned from Chinatown in NYC with a few pounds of cubed goat shoulder for a stew, inspired by this thread.

I also first had goat in Africa, Kenya in my case, when I was fifteen. I'd never heard of anyone eating it previous to that. Returned to the US, sheltered liberal arts trajectory and only since moving to NYC have found it can be bought here. Last Christmas, traveling with family I had the opportunity to spit-roast an 8 or nine pound goat in Cadaques, Spain. Tender like I would never imagine goat could be. Still whenever I eat goat, I always think of the Kenyan method of skewering cut pieces of meat on sticks and standing them up alongside the fire to cook. That musky gamey flavor is unlike any other meat.

If you have a hankering for an excellent roast goat in NYC and do not mind paying a pretty penny for it, Primavera Ristorante at 1578 First Avenue does a fantastic job.

They have been making this for at least twenty years....I once had a client who insisted that I match their roast goat for a dinner party he was hosting for guests, and was nice (and demanding) enough to insist I partake of their offering (at his expense).

Mmmmm.

Yum.

[Free Martha]

I agree with Ned on roasting goat in term of treating it like we do lamb.

My favorite preperation is Birria, a regional Mexican Goat Stew, very popular in the State of Jalisco. accompanied with Spanish rice, Pico de Gallo and alot of cervesa.

I also like the East Indian Curried Goat served with Nam bread.

The Jamaicans do their version of Goat Curry served with dumplings, boiled green banana or roasted Breadfruit. Also I can't forget Manish water, a Goat Tripe Soup found in the Caribbean usually at a road side stand or a festival.

[mrbigjas]

On the goat topic, but not of direct relevance to roasting (and too late for icicle's party anyway, there was a mouth-watering article about meat eating in Monterrey, Mexico in Saveur #76 (Jan 2004, pp 38-51). This article featured some gorgeous photos of roasted and roasting goat, but no roasting how-to. There was one kid stew recipe that looked tasty, as well as some good information about suppliers, etc.

So, how did it turn out??

Wish I'd gotten that Saveur. The first time I had goat was about 10 years ago in Monterrey, and I've never forgotten it.

[Icicle]

Better late than never for a reply-- I should get online more often!

The party was a smashing success. The DC'ers brought a couple of cases of Tusker Beer -- hard to find outside of East Africa-- and that set the mood for the grand experiment. The goat did well also, though the oven roasted (baked, my husband rightly insists) leg meat was less so than the grilled shoulder bits. Roasted, it was uncannily like chicken, but grilled brought out more goaty flavor -- perhaps the high heat is the key to good goat? We mixed up a spicy peanut sauce and kachumbali (minced onion, tomato, chilis) as kebab dipping sauces. The heat, I think, mellows the unpleasant side of gamy, and the onion tang cuts any greasy aftertaste.

All in all, unless I was spit roasting an entire animal over coals (the nightmare our lone vegetarian guest envisioned), I'd go the curry/stew route in a heart beat. It IS a lean animal and roasting bits is not it's forte. Chewy, chewy, chewy Final verdict: a fun hands-on party food experience, but not the best use of the ingredient.

Thanks for the moral support and tasty advice!

Christina

[JEL]

anyone familiar with the different traditional preperations, and the ethnic groups they coincide with.........

i've heard all kinds of stuff about how the different cuisines want different size animals/cuts etc........

i'm wanting to dig a little deeper here than just an array of recipes, i can find them all over the web.......

needing some 411 with a little depth including markets where these meats are available.....

best regards, john

[Comfort Me]

I used to get goat in our old neighborhood -- we got them at a Jamaican fruit/produce/meat market -- my favorite dish was goat ribs braised with saurkraut and potatoes. Pretty foolproof, just be sure to rub the ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic and sear them off before adding the saurkraut.

[andiesenji]

I buy chivo (goat) at the local Mexican markets and meat markets (carnicerias).

I use it for stew, for chili, roasts or ribs, braised, and for rouladen, again braised but the meat is pounded out into a thin slab and rolled around a filling.

Goat meat is sweet and does not have the gamy flavor of "late" lamb or young mutton, which I do not like at all.

It is quite lean and I add beef suet or lardons when I do the roasts or rouladen and when I grind it for making a type of spiced meatball with a mixture of bulgur and rice (similar to kefta).

A hindquarter (upper thigh) should be cut crossways into rounds by the butcher and you then treat it as you would beef shanks or lamb shanks, braising is best here also.

Goat meat from the shoulder makes great kabobs, cut into cubes and marinated in a yogurt based marinade to tenderize the meat and also flavor it.

The flank meat is fairly tender and can be marinated and barbecued and sliced crossway as you would a London broil.

Kid is much more delicate than lamb and can be roasted whole in a large barbecue, rubbed with lemon and garlic, stuffed with lemons, onion and thyme and wrapped with a thin jacket of fat.

[Milagai]

also try indian / pakistani markets where you'll

regularly get goat meat.

also recipes from these regions.

milagai

[andiesenji]

In my last post where I mentioned the thin jacket of fat, I was referring to the fat that looks sort of like netting and which, for the life of me, I cannot recall the name right now. Perhaps senility IS setting in. It is something I should know but for some reason.........escapes me.

Edited February 18, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I thought you might enjoy looking at these web sites,

aunt Clara's Dominican recipes

In searching for goat recipes, you get more USEFUL hits if you use chivo, chevon or cabrito.

The following are all good, basic recipes.

goat recipes

Texas goat cookoff

another recipe

from Recipe source

and if you wanted to know how healthy it is

check this!

[Lone Star]

When I was younger, I lived in the panhandle are of Texas. Every once in a while, a lot of couples would get together and decide to have a goat roast.

Everyone would pitch in money and the guys would go find someone with a goat for sale. The goat would be brought back to whoevers farm was hosting the event and then slaughtered and butchered.

The goat was cooked slowly over a pit or sometimes on a spit over an open fire. It would need to be kept at least 20-24 inches above the heat source. It would first be given a rub of salt and pepper, and perhaps some cumin and chili powder.

During the roasting/grilling, the goat (barbado/cabrito) would be turned and basted frequently with a vinegary barbeque sauce - a "mopping" sauce.

The goat would cook for hours and in the meantime, a keg of beer would be consumed and vast quantities of potato salad and other sides made.

It was always a very festive time under the West Texas stars. After the meal, the party would go on with singing and lie-telling around the fire pit.

As for more commercial purposes, It is available in some supermarkets around the Houston area, packaged like any other meat. It is always available at the Carnicerias in the area.

I have never prepared it for any dishes at home.

My daughters goat was sold after the Livestock Show last year for .90 a pound on the hoof.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Here at the winery, the vineyard crew are always and forever cooking goat me (which I gleefully get to share in). Yes, it is called chivo when purchased but the finished dish I typically share in is called birria, which is like carnintas in that the meat is shredded, heavily spiced, and served with rice, salsa, and tortillas.

To help out on the last party, I went to the Latino market to purchase the chivo only to watch the butcher pull out the entire goat (sans had and legs) from the freezer and slice it in large, 10- and 12-inch sections (for easier handling). Then, last weekend, I was surprised to see it in the freezer section of 99 Ranch Market, but I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised... after all, that is where I can buy my beef pizzle and Rocky Mountain oysters.

[scordelia]

I live in a Hindu/Pakistani/Orothodox Jewish neighborhood (interesting grocery shopping to say the least). Many of neighborhood butchers sell goat legs. I have had goat and liked it, and now I want to cook a goat leg. Any tips or ideas?

Thanks!

[jamiemaw]

I live in a Hindu/Pakistani/Orothodox Jewish neighborhood (interesting grocery shopping to say the least). Many of neighborhood butchers sell goat legs. I have had goat and liked it, and now I want to cook a goat leg. Any tips or ideas?

Thanks!

←

Brown and braise. Best to marinate first though-- for half a day in red wine and bouquet garni (include some rosemary, sage) if domesticated. In fact, if you have a favourite osso buco recipe, just add a little extra cinammon and even some good olives an hour before you stop the braise. We had good luck with this in Mexico last winter, but made the gremolata with lime instead of lemon.

Jamie

Edited April 10, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[scordelia]

Brown and braise. Best to marinate first though-- for half a day in red wine and bouquet garni (include some rosemary, sage) if domesticated. In fact, if you have a favourite osso buco recipe, just add a little extra cinammon and even some good olives an hour before you stop the braise. We had good luck with this in Mexico last winter, but made the gremolata with lime instead of lemon.

Jamie

←

I have only had goat stewed. I was wondering if it is tougher than than a lamb leg. It sounds like it is if you are recommending braising it.

[culinary bear]

I'd treat it like mutton - which is to say braise, slow-roast (8 hours or so at 80C) or turn into stews or casseroles.

Curried goat is particularly nice.

With respect to Jamie, if I was marinating I'd leave out the red wine; better still, flame to remove the alcohol first. This tends to result in better tenderising action.

[scordelia]

I'd treat it like mutton - which is to say braise, slow-roast (8 hours or so at 80C) or turn into stews or casseroles.

Curried goat is particularly nice.

With respect to Jamie, if I was marinating I'd leave out the red wine; better still, flame to remove the alcohol first.  This tends to result in better tenderising action.

←

Never have cooked mutton. Can't get in the US, but I wish I could.

[jamiemaw]

Brown and braise. Best to marinate first though-- for half a day in red wine and bouquet garni (include some rosemary, sage) if domesticated. In fact, if you have a favourite osso buco recipe, just add a little extra cinammon and even some good olives an hour before you stop the braise. We had good luck with this in Mexico last winter, but made the gremolata with lime instead of lemon.

Jamie

←

I have only had goat stewed. I was wondering if it is tougher than than a lamb leg. It sounds like it is if you are recommending braising it.

←

Yes, but it's really the same effect. Marinate (bottle red wine, vegetables and herbs). Dry leg thoroughtly, brown on all sides, remove from pan. Use marinade wine to deglaze pan, replace leg, add back bouquet garni vegetables and herbs, now including cinammon, plus 1.5 cups chicken stock. Cover pan tightly. Braise in oven at 325 degrees for two and a half hours. Take a peek and see how it reacts to a fork-- it may require another hour. Remove leg to platter. Defat cooking liquid and reduce to three cups. Strain and thicken if necessary. Serve with cous cous, herbed rice or flat noodles and spring vegetables such as asparagus and young carrots.

Jamie

Edited April 11, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Mooshmouse]

Though I was rather skeptical about curried goat when I first saw it on a menu in Jamaica, I was immediately converted upon trying it. Absolutely delicious.

Googled curried goat and found this recipe, one of many.

Let us know how you decide to prepare it!

[HKDave]

Scordelia, you don't say if you want to cook the leg whole, or cut up. Jamie's advice is good for cooking it whole. If you don't have as much time, an alternative is to de-bone the leg, being careful to remove all the silverskin and glands, then cube the meat making sure you cut the muscles against the grain. I did one a couple weeks ago for the first time, it's not difficult if you have a non-flex boning knife.

Then brown in batches, deglaze and braise. About 1 hour braising time, depending on how small you make the cubes. If you're using home size pans, you'll need 2-3 frypans.

I did mine as a goat and spinach curry - after browning, remove the goat, add cumin seeds, add and very slowly carmelize an onion that has been processed with a bit of garlic, ginger and chile, add garam masala, add the browned goat, a bunch of chopped fresh spinach and a cup of chicken stock. Cover and slow braise 1 hr until goat is tender. Finish w/yogurt and chopped herbs.

[percyn]

Follow any recipe from the Curry Lamb Cookoff thread and you can almost always substitute goat for lamb in curry.