Goat Meat: A Lean and Tasty Meat

There are many foods I have not tried as yet and many more I would like to. One food I dearly love though, is goat meat.

Living on a farm we had opportunity to produce our own stock for meat consumption and our our preferred choice for red meat was goat. At that time, it was easier for us managing a small herd of goats than cattle. Since my husband worked elsewhere as well as home on the farm, we had small children and/or I was pregnant, goats were much more 'Mum friendly' for me to handle if I had no help available.

If you are conscious of your health, goat meat is an excellent choice. It is very lean, and although similar to lamb in many other ways, goat meat is extremely low in fat content by comparison. Because of this, some care should be taken when cooking as it can become a little dry. Baked, braised or roasted, goat meat is very tasty, not a strong flavor, and can be served with almost anything.

With the ethnic population on the rise, the United States is seeing more people interested in purchasing commercially produced goat meat, and farmers are being afforded yet another avenue of diversification by doing just that. In many parts of the world, goat meat is a dietary staple and is also served in specialty dishes, particularly at festive gatherings. Back home in Australia, we had a large local population of amazing Italian folk who were constantly calling me asking if I had goat meat available. Since it was not legal for me to sell the meat, I traded for produce and eggs, homemade Italian salami, fresh goat milk during times when our small herd had kids suckling, or a crash cooking lesson on some wonderful Italian dishes from the ladies.

Goat meat is much like Venison in that it has a tendency to be tough is not slowly cooked, or cooked with adequate liquid but not covered to retain moisture. A small hind quarter of goat is a mouthwatering meal when cooked in a cast iron oven over coals, with the addition of only water.