Getting my goat

[puglogic]

Last night, I visited a friend for dinner and she prepared goat. It was braised and slow-cooked with beans and greens, and was truly amazing, one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Tender like lamb, but without the lamb gaminess.

I learned that the local CSA sells locally-raised pastured goat - whole and half - packaged for the freezer (chops, leg, ground, etc).

I've never considered goat very high up on my list of meats, always thought it would taste like shoe leather, but this experience definitely perked up my ears. Has anyone else ever eaten it?

[goldensmom]

I can’t imagine eating Blossom, Grace, Mary Belle, Aunt Bea, Flo, Buck, Sweet Pea, Eunice, Moses or Stanley. Maybe I should not have named them. A neighbor raises meat goats and sells a lot of them to middle eastern students at a local university but I don’t think I could ever eat goat. I am, however, glad to hear they are tasty.

[treehugger]

I have eaten goat in both Indian and Mexican restaurants, and enjoyed it, but never prepared it at home. If I had pet goats, I doubt I could eat it though, since I cannot eat rabbit and wouldn't eat dog or cat or horse.

Kara

[Gregg]

I bought a goat loin at a farmer's market a couple weeks ago and have been trying to decide what to do with it. Thanks for the inspiration puglogic!!!

[puglogic]

Gregg, it was this recipe, only she substituted goat for lamb -- truly spectacular in every way:

http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_lambflag.htm

[Gregg]

That sounds wonderful, thanks puglogic!

[loosechickens]

We've eaten goat lots of time.....when living in Mexico, and in Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants......and there's a little Pakistani store in southern CA with a little restaurant attached, and deli with meat market, where you can buy delicious goat meat. There's an Indian restaurant we frequent a lot that makes an incredible goat curry......my mouth waters just thinking about it.

I find it very similar to lamb, and since fews goats or lambs are raised in factory farming conditions, probably among the healthiest meats. Quite tasty........

[lhamo]

The flavor of goat depends a lot on what it has been eating. If it's been eating good grass, the flavor can be really nice. If it's been scrabbling around on rocks and scrub eating basically anything green (or brown) it can find, it is probably going to taste more gamey.

lhamo

[Selah]

I've eaten goat in Turkey (!) and in Mexican restaurants, and at a backyard barbeque in Nevada, where they roasted the whole thing, head and all. All of it was great, and I wonder why it's not eaten more in the U.S.

[Float On]

I've got some friends who raise meat goats and say their business has really increased over the last 7 years which is also when more foreigners started moving to their town to work in the factories. I've never tried it that I know of, usually when I get the opportunity to eat Pakistani or Indian I just tell the waitstaff to bring some of their favorites so who knows maybe I have had it. I really like lamb so I'd be willing to try it if I knew it was being served.

[Suzanne]

I raised goats in South Africa, and ate the surplus males. The meat was indeed very tasty, and not fatty.

[iris lily]

I had lamb last night at the Scottish restaurant we took friends to. I had it in Shepard's Pie. DH had fish, one friend had c-o-c-k a leekie pie. We passed on the Bubble and Squeak.

[daisy]

I've had goat at local Indian and Mexican restaurants, but I'm guessing by the taste and texture that we had old goat, not young goat. It was okay, but a little gamey and tough. We do buy lamb from a local farm and it is wonderful, without a hint of the gaminess that some people complain about in lamb.

[bae]

My daughter raises meat goats, and goat has become our favorite meat over the past several years. I basically treat it like lamb, recipe-wise.

[Tiam]

Last night, I visited a friend for dinner and she prepared goat. It was braised and slow-cooked with beans and greens, and was truly amazing, one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Tender like lamb, but without the lamb gaminess.

I learned that the local CSA sells locally-raised pastured goat - whole and half - packaged for the freezer (chops, leg, ground, etc).

I've never considered goat very high up on my list of meats, always thought it would taste like shoe leather, but this experience definitely perked up my ears. Has anyone else ever eaten it?

Twice. Once at a Mexican wedding, another at an Indian restaurant. Both times it was way too "Goaty" or gamey to stand. And I am a lover of lamb.

[Merski]

We discussed it and would like to buy some to see if we like it. Rather interested in the fact that it is difficult to factory farm them if I deduced carefully enough about what a poster wrote.

[rosarugosa]

We had it at an Indian restaurant once and loved it. Lamb is my favorite red meat, so I would think if you liked lamb that you would like goat. However, i see from some of the comments above that this is not necessarily the case. Having only eaten it once, I don't have enough experience to comment on the relative gamey factor, and what is typical/atypical, etc.

[bae]

None of the local goat we've had the past several years has had any "gamey" taste to it, it's more like lamb without the lamby taste, or lean beef/bison. Perhaps the diet of the animal, and how it is handled make a difference?

I certainly have found that to be the case with venison - improperly handled game meats tend to be "gamey", but with care there is no such problem.

[daisy]

Gregg, it was this recipe, only she substituted goat for lamb -- truly spectacular in every way:

http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_cook_lambflag.htm

I made this for supper tonight, using a lamb shoulder. I added some kale and mushrooms and halved the beans. Wow, was it ever good! Thank you for sharing the link!

[puglogic]

Daisy, did you make the garnish, too? So good. And we also added kale, and made a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the gravy. I swear, I can still taste this in my mind even though it was days ago. Glad you liked it too!!

[daisy]

I did make the garnish and we really liked it. Mmmm, I'm looking forward to the leftovers - I suspect it will be one of those dishes that gets better the second time around. :)

[chanterelle]

Frozen goat legs are a staple in most supermarkets in my area as many different ethnic cusines use them. On, Easter, Christmas and Ramadan the butcher shops all carry fresh whole goats as well a lambs. Many families still roast them on a spit in the backyard at holiday time. [Not the front yard liked they showed in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' !]