# To those who have eaten goat meat...?



## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Does goat meat need to be prepared differently? Can you just use the ground stuff like you would hamburger.....? Just curious... Looking to butcher my first goats in a few months...


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have dairy goat wethers so the meat is very lean. I have it processed into stew meat, steak, ribs, ground, chops, roasts, etc. 

The ground goat I use just like ground beef, fry it in the frying pan as a patty, top it with BBQ sauce and cheese and plunk it between 2 buns. Or, I cook it crumbly with BBQ sauce and plop it on bread or a bun (like a sloppy Joe)

The chops, roast and such I slow cook in the over or crock pot. I add herbs or marinaid or whatever and it cooks so that it about melts in my mouth.

I guess I treat the goat meat like I do beef, pork or chicken. However, the steaks I don't just fry or broil at a high temp for a matter of seconds, it comes out sort of tough. I slow bake them in a marinaid.

Others may do it differently. This is only the 3rd year I have been eating goat. It took over 30 years for me to bring myself to eat one of my goats.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

lottsagoats1 said:


> I have dairy goat wethers so the meat is very lean. I have it processed into stew meat, steak, ribs, ground, chops, roasts, etc.
> 
> The ground goat I use just like ground beef, fry it in the frying pan as a patty, top it with BBQ sauce and cheese and plunk it between 2 buns. Or, I cook it crumbly with BBQ sauce and plop it on bread or a bun (like a sloppy Joe)
> 
> ...


Cool, thanks.... It's a hard decision for me, but one that makes sense... It's going on 4 years for me, so I'm hoping I can stomach it to do it. I feel that it's better than selling my wethers as pets, to end up at auction, or to be mistreated somewhere. At least I'll know where the meat comes from and that it had a happy life being here.... It's a part of self-sustainability..


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We cook anything ground just like any other meat.
Don't forget brats & Italian sausage!
Steaks & roasts with plenty of liquid of your choice and your favorite herbs & spices; in a covered Dutch oven at 300 for 2 hours. It falls off the bone.
Keep in mind that since there is no marbling, meat will be dense.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

nancy d said:


> We cook anything ground just like any other meat.
> Keep in mind that since there is no marbling, meat will be dense.


 Just had this experience last night. I had done a rump in the crock pot and put 3oz. (normal serving of meat) on my plate. I could barely finish it.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

For the best taste, finish him out on a good grain. Champion is a good CHS grain. This will clean up the meet. Can do some alfalfa pellets as well. But you will still wanna remove as much fast as you can. Then hit the butcher for a few pounds of beef fat to grind into the meet you grind up for burgers. Roughly 10% beef fact by weight.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

janeen128 said:


> I feel that it's better than selling my wethers as pets, to end up at auction, or to be mistreated somewhere. At least I'll know where the meat comes from and that it had a happy life being here.... It's a part of self-sustainability..


 I totally agree. We usually do wethers under 18 months. This year we were forced to cull Dotsie. She was eating like a full grown Nubian but only having a single kid per year and a quart or so of milk a day. Just not pulling her weight. I could not palm her off as a milk goat or just take her to the auction not knowing her fate; so we felt we did the right thing.
Anyway, I took her hind leg and cut as much meat as I could get off in one piece. So, a rump roast, right? I put it in the Crockpot on low overnight and through the day. She was 4 years old and it came out tender and tasty.

We have been eating from our current herd for 5 years and keep learning better ways to prepare. We have done kids, juniors and adults. Does, wethers and bucks. The only thing I take into account in cooking is age. If over 18 months they get ground, canned or slow cooked for tenderness.
We are really trying to downsize due to the drought and our desire to retire. So, we have done 5 goats over the past 3 weeks. We do our own butchering. Hubby slaughters and dresses and I process.
Needles to say; I have had to figure out what to do with a *lot* of meat.
As others have mentioned, ground is just like hamburger or add spices for sausages. I make two baking dishes of small meatballs (I use a cookie scoop), bake them and then freeze them 8 to a 1/2 pint jar. Perfect serving for the two of us plain or with sauce.
Due to running out of freezer space I have taken to canning. Note: one must have a pressure canner to do this safely:!: It can be done raw so all I have to do is cut cubes of meat add salt and seal the jars. The canner does the rest. The meat is so tender and can be tossed with vegetables or into a soup.
Good luck with this. Once you start eating your own meat and realize it is just meat (no injected water or fillers) you will have a hard time stomaching the stuff in plastic rap at the store.;-)


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

We really like to use our goat meat in stir fry and salads.

If we use it as a pot roast or as ground meat (in lasagna or spaghetti), you can't tell the difference from beef. I am sure it wouldn't taste right as a hamburger but we haven't tried it.

A couple things we really like about goat meat is, we can take it out of the freezer and it thaws really fast. The other is that it takes flavors easily and quickly. You only need to marinate it for a short time for it to pick up flavors.

I would also recommend to cook it to rare if you are eating it as a steak...no matter how much you might not like a rare beef steak. If it is over cooked it gets dry and tough. I wouldn't say it replaces our beef consumption (I mean, there is nothing like a good T-Bone ) but it definitely reduces our beef buying as we find new and awesome ways to use it!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Planning to raise a few bottle calves next season and keeping at least 1 for our use, however if this is a hit, we might forgo that plan, but then again we might just keep a quarter and sell the rest and use my wethers for the meat supply...


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## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

We tasted our first goat meat just last week. The hubby swore he wasnt gonna eat goat meat when i told him I wanted to get goats. Well...he is on board now! No idea what kind of cut it was, but he did a marinade and slow cook in the crock pot. Melts in your mouth! Very similar to a super tender roast beef, but didn't seem to have all the chunks of fat, slightly different color to the meat. It was really good.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Don't forget to try it smoked either, it makes the best jerky and smoked chops. It picks up any flavor you want. Try resting a roast in the fridge overnight brushed with Italian dressing and put in the slow cooker for the day.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

So, if they were born in May, is it too soon to butcher in October, should I wait until early spring, so they have meat on them...?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Oh, how about a 2 year old buck and a 1 yr old buck... Right now both are out of rut... Since they have been used as bucks does it taint the meat?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Not if it's done right. We had a 2 yr old in rut done, had him all ground & another couple of intact 1 yr olds made into sausage & brats.
We figured if the meat wasn't good it would be dog food. Guess what? The dogs never got a whiff of it!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Cool! I think they might be going first, since I want a year off from breeding..... Although I'm attached to the buggers....


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We have butchered many intact bucks. We do not even castrate anymore unless we want to leave them with their mothers past 4 months. The meat has been fine. One two year old we ground except for a rump roast. I thawed it out a while back; put it in the crockpot for a day; it was delicious and tender.
Like nancy d, we were thinking dog food. No such luck for them. We ate it all.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

I just butchered my first goat kid this morning. Poor dear had a bad leg that wasn't getting any better. I have done deer myself before, so I figured I could do it and there is no way my tight self would be paying anyone to do this for me. My wife said she would never eat one of our goats, but after I turned it into pieces of meat she packaged it up and put it away like it was gold, so I'm pretty sure she is going to try it. I have so many kids this year and not all of them are perfect to sell as registered, and with the price of meat at the store, I plan on doing a lot more this fall if this first one eats okay.

My question is: What about the flank meat and rib racks? I saved them, but there was not much meat there. There might have actually been more flank meat than what's between those ribs. Does anybody use these cuts too? And for what? I was thinking that flank meat might be awesome for taco meat if I trim it up good.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We have eaten the ribs. There isn't a lot of meat there but I put it in a roaster with sauerkraut and bake them. Love ribs and kraut!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I like to slow cook adult ribs from adults and serve with sauce. But kids ribs usually go to the cats or dog. There really is almost no meat on kid's ribs.

I grind the flank meat.


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

luvmyherd said:


> Due to running out of freezer space I have taken to canning. Note: one must have a pressure canner to do this safely:!: It can be done raw so all I have to do is cut cubes of meat add salt and seal the jars. The canner does the rest. The meat is so tender and can be tossed with vegetables or into a soup.


Could you tell us how you do this exactly? I have always wanted to can meat and I have the right tools, but I have never been brave enough to try.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have had 7 month old Lamancha wethers processed and the ribs were meaty and awesome slow cooked in BBQ sauce.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Used2bmimi said:


> Could you tell us how you do this exactly? I have always wanted to can meat and I have the right tools, but I have never been brave enough to try.


 It is really easy. I cut the meat into chunks. I do no sterilize my jars, the canner does that. I put it raw into pint or quart jars with 1/2t salt for pints 1t for quarts. Pack it fairly tight leaving one inch head space. You do not need to add liquid.
Follow canner directions for water amount and releasing air. If you do no have your instructions look them up online.
I still pour boiling water over my lids. I think I get better seals when I do. Then put them on and turn rings finger tight.
Processing is generally 11 pounds pressure 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
Just google *canning raw meat* and you will get lots of links with step by step instructions and pictures.


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

Thank you! Hmm, maybe I will get brave. I have a pressure canner, cases of wide mouth jars and some wethers ready on the first of August......


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## anawhitfield (Jun 9, 2013)

We usually soak the meat in water+vinegar over nite. Then prepare it as you would beef (ground, roast, tips, etc)
I have an excellent recipe from a Greek chef for roast: 
-after soaking the meat over-nite, you pat it dry and rub it with oil and a mixture of herbs and seasonings (be generous). Then put it in a (deep) baking dish and bake it at 450 for 30 minutes. In the mean while make a gravy and set it aside. After 30 minutes, pour the gravy over the meat, cover well with foil and bake at 230-250 for about 6 hours. 
I recently made this using the meat from a really mean 4 year old buck. And after keeping the meat in the freezer for almost a year, I thought it would be tough and gamy. Not at all ! It was really tasty and very very tender. My dinner guests kept going for seconds


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

anawhitfield said:


> We usually soak the meat in water+vinegar over nite. Then prepare it as you would beef (ground, roast, tips, etc)
> I have an excellent recipe from a Greek chef for roast:
> -after soaking the meat over-nite, you pat it dry and rub it with oil and a mixture of herbs and seasonings (be generous). Then put it in a (deep) baking dish and bake it at 450 for 30 minutes. In the mean while make a gravy and set it aside. After 30 minutes, pour the gravy over the meat, cover well with foil and bake at 230-250 for about 6 hours.
> I recently made this using the meat from a really mean 4 year old buck. And after keeping the meat in the freezer for almost a year, I thought it would be tough and gamy. Not at all ! It was really tasty and very very tender. My dinner guests kept going for seconds


This sounds promising, anawhitfield. Do you mix the water and vinegar at about 50/50?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

^^^ that does sound good


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## FloatnRockRanch (Feb 7, 2015)

janeen128 said:


> ^^^ that does sound good


It's very good! Almost exactly how we did it, but used a crockpot instead of the oven.

We tasted the meat before putting the gravy on it. Fell in love! Soooooo so good! Honestly liked it better before the gravy. The gravy seemed to dilute the flavor and make it seem over done or too much. Hard to describe. The second time we did the same thing, but no gravy. Yep, definitely good.


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## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

Chops from a three month old Saanen/Alpine butchered yesterday. Just seasoned with sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary and paprika. Seared in a little olive oil over high heat. Melt in your mouth delicious and there was even a little rib meat to pick off the bones! (The other two cuts you see on the bottom right of the pan were the tenderloins which were equally good)

It's times like these I realized...we are going to need more wethers. Lol! I love my home grown meat and refuse to eat beef from the stores anymore because it isn't the same.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Oh my. We absolutely love goat meat. We love having the ground goat meat. It is the most tender. This year we butchered one wether. We kept the other one as a sweet pet. This was the first year that our wether was not so fat. In the past they ended up finishing out on blackberry bushes and free range pasture and they were all so very fat... too fat. The meat is so very tender. I don't like a meat that is strong tasting like lamb or venison. My husband loves that strong taste. Our goats don't have that strong lamby taste but it is mostly because I trim almost all the fat off. The fat will have that flavor. Also if you cook the meat in the bone, it will give that flavor as well. If you have lean ground meat, some people like to add a fat flavor to it like pig fat lard. We run our meat through the grinder twice and it seems to hold well together for patties. We have India influence in our family that loves goat meat. We also have so many ethnic friends of hispanic and Nigerian influence that all cook the meat differently. Goat meat is truly our favorite meat as it is so very tender. Our meat is very dark red. 2 wethers is all we usually need for a year for our freezer. 
Here is an awesome type Indian way of cooking ground goat- If it is lean- add a small amount of lard or coconut oil or add an egg or 2 to the ground meat. Add desired amount of Indian spices- ground Coriander, Curry, or buy a Masala mix that usually has a blend of these. Mix into the meat and then form length wise into long patties. Put these on a bbq stick and bbq. My daughter n law's parents who are from India cooked a huge dinner for us with all sorts of different ways to cook goat for a big Christmas dinner. That was the best goat I have ever tasted. Awesome food.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I like to cube the meat, season lightly, stir fry it in coconut oil; then add apple juice, cook until that evaporates out and makes a dark brown glaze on the meat. Then I like to add a can of coconut milk and India spices, along with peppers, onions or other vegies. We use a lot of cilantro, and coriander. The fresh cilantro can be added just before serving as cooking will destroy the flavor.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

janeen128 said:


> So, if they were born in May, is it too soon to butcher in October, should I wait until early spring, so they have meat on them...?


Janeen, a lot of people butcher them at 5 months old. We like to let ours grow a bit longer but then, it is usually dependent on our weather conditions. You don't want to butcher them when it is too hot as we like to let the meat chill well over night before cutting. Cutting meat that is chilled well is a lot easier and quicker and better. I would say you have a choice of anywhere between late October - January. Waiting isnt going to be a problem unless you have a big feed bill on them. If that's so... butcher them as soon as you can get some cool weather.


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