HOW TO COOK GOAT MEAT

By Arlene W. Correll

Though I am a practicing vegetarian, I often get requests for recipes containing meat.  This time is was about goat meat, venison and other wild game.  My research has resulted in a series of articles that hopefully will help those of you who enjoy raising your own meat, or hunting for it and especially eating it.  

To the right is a picture of Saint Pasqual, known as the Patron Saint of Cooks, or the Saint of the Kitchen.

to purchase your goat are local 4H groups, a nearby goat ranch, or a recommended breeder (animals from these three sources are usually very well taken care of).  Auctions leave a lot to be desired.  One usually pays too much. The animals are scared or stressed and unless you are bringing it home to just butcher it, you do not know much about it.

Cabrito or capretto means baby goat and is usually a ten-to-eighteen-pound, suckling kid slaughtered at thirty to forty days of age. Older goat is often passed off as cabrito, but once they start browsing on grass, goats develop an unmistakable mutton flavor. They are also tough. The best time to get real cabrito is May through October. After October, you should be skeptical as to whether you are truly buying or getting Cabrito. 

degree oven, turning every twenty minutes or so. Sure beats having to dig up the back yard.

Goat meat, also called chevon, needs to be marinated before cooking.  Marinating will enhance the flavor and make the meat more tender. Goat meat or Chevon, is a delicious meat product that can be eaten stewed, baked, grilled, barbequed, canned, or made into sausage or jerky.  It can be eaten at any age of the goat, depending upon your preference, or how overcrowded your herd is getting.

Chevon is popular because it is low in fat and cholesterol.  It is similar to venison in its flavor and texture, but it doesn't have that gamey taste.  Goat meat from a young goat resembles veal.  Meat from older goats taste more like a beef-venison mix.  Most people prefer their goat meat from an animal that is under one year of age because it is more tender.  

Goat meat is lower in cholesterol than venison or rabbit.  The saturated fat in cooked goat meat is 40% less than that of chicken, even with the skin removed.  It is 50-65% lower in fat than similarly prepared beef, but has the same or more protein content.

Some of these recipes have metric measurements.  From the mid 60�s on, Americans seem to be dragging their feet on metric conversions and we live in this international world with one foot in one measurement and one foot in the other. So here is an easy chart for you to deal with.

Metric Conversion Chart

US                  Canadian            Australian

1/4 tsp             1 mL                1 ml

1/2 tsp             2 mL                2 ml

1 tsp               5 mL                5 ml

1 Tbl               15 mL               20 ml

1/4 cup             50 mL               60 ml

1/3 cup             75 mL               80 ml

1/2 cup             125 mL              125 ml

2/3 cup             150 mL              170 ml

3/4 cup             175 mL              190 ml

1 cup               250 mL              250 ml

1 quart             1 liter             1 litre

Weight

1 ounce             30 grams            30 grams

2  "                55  "               60  "

3  "                85  "               90  "

4  "                115 "               125 "

8  "                225 "               225 "

16 "                455 "               500 " (1/2 kilogram)

CAPRETTO OR KID UP TO 3 MONTHS

BRAISED KID

Ingredients:
500 gms capretto, cut into small pieces
25gms butter
1 large onion
250 gms mushrooms
25 gms flour
500mls stock or water
4 rashers bacon
1 tspn peppercorns
1 tspn Allspice powder

Fry the meat in butter until slightly brown. Remove from pan. Dice bacon rashers and fry with the sliced onion and mushrooms, adding a little more butter if necessary. Add the flour and cook until brown. Add stock or water and bring to the boil stirring constantly. Place the meat in a casserole dish and add the sauce. Put the peppercorns and Allspice into a muslin bag and place in casserole. Cook slowly in a pre-heated oven at 160C for 2 hours. Remove spice bag and serve.

Optional: a glass of red wine can be added to the stock before cooking if desired.

Goat Meat Chili

(makes about 14 cups)
 2 tbsp cooking oil
 1 tbsp salt
 2 cup chopped onions
 3 lbs lean ground goat meat
 1 tbsp ground oregano
 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chili powder
 2 tbsp ground cumin
 1/2 cup flour
 1 tsp garlic powder
 8 cup boiling water

In heavy pot, saut�` onions in cooking oil, add oregano, cumin, garlic powder and salt.
Stir and saut�` until onion is almost clear, then add ground meat and cook and stir until
crumbly and almost gray. Add chili powder and then flour, stirring vigorously until
thoroughly blended. Lastly, add boiling water, bring mixture to a boil, and simmer for
not more than one hour. Seasonings may be adjusted to individual taste. Adding pinto
beans to this chili, before or after cooking, is not recommended; serve beans as a side dish.

ITALIAN KID

Ingredients:
500gms capretto from leg or shoulder
25gms flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
250gms tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree or paste
1or 2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
white vinegar

Place the meat in a dish and cover with a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 16 parts water. Refrigerate. Leave overnight if possible or for at least 2 hours. Remove, wash well and flavor with salt and pepper. Leave for about 1/2 an hour.

Cut the meat into small pieces and flour lightly on both sides. Brown gently in a pan with oil. Remove meat and fry the onions, sliced, until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, peeled and chopped, and fry until cooked. Add the garlic, finely chopped and fry until soft. Stir the tomato puree or paste into the mixture, adding a little water to create a smooth liquid sauce. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Place the meat in the sauce and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add a glass of red wine, if desired and continue to cook until tender.

Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese or a mixture of roast vegetables.

ROAST KID

Rub the meat with olive oil. Sprinkle with herbs, marjoram, rosemary and thyme. Wrap in foil and put in an oven on a medium heat [165C]. Cook for 30 minutes per 500gms of meat, plus 30 minutes.

Make a sauce by chopping onions, celery, parsley, thyme and a bay leaf. Place them in a pan with 750mls of stock or water and simmer for 20 minutes. Heat 25gms butter in a pan, add 25gms and stir until brown. Strain the stock and add to the browned flour. Stir until stock thickens, then simmer for 10 minutes.

GOAT MINCE RISSOLES

Ingredients:
500gms goat meat, minced
125gms bacon, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
� tspn ground cloves
� tspn ground coriander
� tspn ground nutmeg
2 tspn soy or Worcester sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 beaten egg
a little flour or breadcrumbs

Add seasonings, sauce and egg to mince, bacon and onion. Mix well. Shape into round rissoles and roll in flour or breadcrumbs. Fry in a pan with hot oil until well cooked. Serve with vegetables or salad.

GOAT MEAT CURRY

Ingredients:
2kg lean goat meat [shoulder]
Oil for frying
1 sliced onion
3 tspn cumin seeds
1� tspn fenugreek seeds
3cm piece cinnamon
8 whole cloves
1 tspn crushed green ginger
4 cloves garlic [crushed]
3 tspn curry powder
1 tbsp paprika
� tspn chili powder
500gms tomatoes
1 tspn cardamom

Cut meat into small pieces. Pour enough oil into a pan to cover the base and heat well. Add the sliced onion and cook until half browned. Add the cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon and cloves. Cook gently until the onions are browned. Add ginger and crushed garlic, fry for 30 seconds. Add meat and cook until well browned. Reduce heat and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add curry powder, paprika and chili powder. Add peeled, chopped tomatoes and stir well to combine with other ingredients. Place in an oven-proof dish. Stir in 500mls water and sprinkle cardamom over the top. Cover and simmer for 11/2 to 2 hours. Add more water if necessary during cooking time. Serve with boiled jasmine rice, mango chutney, cucumber mixed with natural yoghurt and puppodums. (Crisp and light, these crackers known as puppodums are a traditional accompaniment to Indian meals)

GOAT MEAT KEBABS

Ingredients:
1�kg Chevon leg steak
1 clove crushed garlic
Large can pineapple pieces
2 large red capsicums
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp  lemon juice

Cut the steak into 5 cm cubes, drain the pineapple and put aside the juice for the marinade. Remove seeds from the capsicums and cut the flesh into 5cm pieces. Combine 250mls of pineapple juice with the soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic. Add the meat and stir well. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours. Thread meat on skewers, alternating it with the pineapple and capsicum. Grill or barbecue for 10 minutes or until tender, basting frequently with the marinade.

CITRUS CHEVON CHOPS

Ingredients:
1kg forequarter chops
1 tbsp butter
125mls orange juice
1 tspn dried mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated rind of 1 orange
1 tbsp honey
1 tspn fresh chopped mint
2 tspn corn starch

Heat butter in a pan and brown the chops on each side over high heat, then reduce heat. Combine rind, juice, mustard, honey and mint and pour over the chops. Add salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for 11/2 hours until tender. More juice or water may need to be added during cooking. When cooked, thicken if desired with the corn starch mixed to a paste with a little water.

MANGO CHEVON

Ingredients:
8 kid butterfly chops
125 mls lemon juice
2 tspn curry powder
2 tspn brown sugar
2 tspn  butter
1 tbsp corn starch
425 gm can sliced mangoes, drained, reserve juice
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

Marinate chops in a combination of lemon juice, curry powder and brown sugar for at least 10 minutes. Drain and reserve marinade. Heat butter in a frying pan. Fry chops for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm. Blend corn flour with mango juice and add to pan with reserved marinade and crumbled stock cube. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Add mango slices and allow to heat through. Serve chops with mango sauce accompanied by seasonal vegetables and steamed Basmati or Jasmine rice.

HONEYED CHEVON WITH SATAY SAUCE

Ingredients:
600 gms cubed kid meat
1 small red capsicum, cut into 5cm pieces
1 small green capsicum, cut into 5cm pieces
24 button mushrooms

Marinade:
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbspn sherry [optional]

Combine marinade ingredients. Marinade cubed kid meat for at least an hour. Drain and reserve marinade. Thread meat onto 8 oiled bamboo skewers alternately with the red and green capsicum and mushrooms. Cook under a pre-heated grill or barbecue grill on high for 5 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with marinade until cooked. Serve with satay sauce [see below], accompanied by salad or seasonal vegetables and boiled/steamed Basmati or Jasmine rice.

Satay Sauce:
30 gms butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbspns crunchy peanut butter
1 tspn curry powder
1 tspn light soy sauce
1 tspn chili sauce [sweet, mild or hot to taste]
125 mls water
1 tbspn lemon juice

Heat butter in a pan. Fry onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered until thickened as desired.

White Bean Chili

2 16-oz cans Navy Beans (4 small cans)
2-3 lbs ground Chevon
2 med onions, peeled and chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
2 4-oz cans chopped green chilies (or diced jalapenos)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cans chicken broth
1 tsp salt
20 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Cook the goat meat in a large pot, and add a little olive oil to keep it from sticking. While meat is cooking add the peppers, onions, chilies and garlic. When meat is done and the onions are soft, add the rest of the ingredients. It is best to let it simmer for a few hours so the flavor cooks through. This can also be done in a slow cooker.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
2 lbs lean ground goat meat
1 4-oz can green chilies, chopped
  (or 3 large fresh peppers, seeded and chopped)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can hot enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas (appox. 5-6" diameter)
1/2 pound mild cheddar cheese, grated

Saut� onions in oil in large skillet. Add meat and brown for a few minutes, breaking up with a spoon. Add chilies, soups and enchilada sauce, mixing well. Cook until thoroughly heated. Cut each tortilla in 8 pieces and arrange half in a layer in the bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of meat mixture. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top of the meat. Repeat with another layer. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes.

Serves 8

For those of you who like meat in their diet, goat can be an interesting addition.  Many people all over the world eat goat.  Just remember if you raise your own goats, decide whether you want a milk goat, a meat goat, a pet for the kids?  Your children will probably not enjoy eating something they have named and played with.

Here is an interesting note about goats.  Yes, it was strange, and now it's been banned � again. For many years, the annual Festival of St. Vincent in Manganeses de la Polvorosa, Spain, commenced with a goat toss. Teenage boys would carry a goat to the church belfry, let the goat fly 50 feet, and then catch the flailing animal in a tarp below. Animal rights activists cried foul, and a ban was instituted in 1992. Locals didn't much like the revised tradition of lowering the goat with ropes, and soon it was back to goat tossing. In 2000, however, the tossers, threatened with fines, decided to forego the throw. One news report said participants scoffed at using a stuffed goat, calling it "unmanly." With no goats to toss, the former goat hurlers may stick to drinking lots of wine and just plain hurling.

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