Holiday Goat Meat

H0liday Goat Meat

Dorcas Annette Walker

Tired of eating the traditional turkey or ham this holiday? Why not try goat meat instead. I didn't realize how popular goat meat was until the day I ended up selling our two goats: Billy Boy and Bessie. After raising and putting Bobby in the freezer we decided to sell the parent goats as they had cleaned out our woods. Of course selling the goats was supposed to be in my husband's department. Dana called a fellow and arranged for him to come the following evening. Instead of coming when decided on two fellows showed up at my door around noon the next day. After inspecting our goats and chit chatting back and forth awhile like mountain traders here do, a price was finally decided on, and they left to get a trailer to haul the goats. An hour later the fellows arrived back at my place to load up the goats. Since the goats wouldn't go near the strangers they instructed me to grab the goat's horns for them. Bessie went like a lady, but Billie Boy was a different story. One of the fellows finally coaxed him close with some feed while the other fellow grabbed his horns. Immediately Billy Boy began bucking and kicking up the dust. It took both fellows quite some time to drag Billy Boy to their trailer. My husband was disgusted that I let the goats go for such a low price, but by then dirty and covered with dust, I was ready to pay anyone to take the goats.

Goat meat is often called chevon or kid. Some 63% of red meat consumed worldwide is goat meat. Goat is a staple of Africa, Asia, and South/Central America. The cuisines most well-konwn for their use of goat include the Middle East, Indian, Pakistan, Mexico, and the Caribbean. While in the past goat meat in the West was confined to ethnic markets, it can now be found in upscale restaurants in cities such as New York and San Francisco. The goat meat industry in the United States is largely supported by production in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

The ethnic demand for goat meat is derived from a number of social and religious traditions such as the Greek or Orthodox Easter, Jewish New Year, Passover, and other festivals. As a result, there is a lot of seasonal demand for goat meat. Two of the main peaks occur in early spring and late fall from October to February. Other holidays when goat meat is consumed include Christmas, July 4th weekend, and the numerous Caribbean holidays in August.

Holiday Goat Meat can be prepared in a variety of ways including: stewed, curried, baked, grilled, barbecued, minced, canned, fried, made into sausage, served in sandwitches, or marinated. Goat jerky is also another popular variety. Despite being classified as red meat, goat is leaner and contains less cholesterol and fat than both lamb and beef. This makes it healthier to eat, but can require low-heat and slow cooking to preserve tenderness and moisture as the texture is coarser.

Holiday Goat Meat

2 lb goat meat

1/2 c vinegar

1 tb mustard

1 tb minced onion

garlic salt

9.5 oz bottle vinaigrette dressing any flavor

In a large Crockpot cover the goat meat with with vinegar and mustard. Sprinkle on onion and garlic salt and then pour the dressing totally covering the meat. Cook on medium for about eight hours. This recipe serves six to eight. Garnish with lemon or mint!

Weekly Tip: Leftover goat meat can be frozen or used as a substitute for any beef recipes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer for Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin Blog at: http://www.dorcasannettewalker.com