Goat meat is red meat from domestic goats. Goat meat is lean, has less fat and it has a very bold flavor. The best way of preparing this meat is through low heat and slow cooking; this maintains the tenderness of goat meat.
Contents
Stewed Goat Meat
Ingredients
- 2 chopped medium onions
- 2 pounds cubed boneless goat meat
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 large diced carrots
- Salt
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- Half cup canola oil
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- Ground black pepper
- 6-ounce can tomato paste
Method
- Chop your goat meat: If your goat meat has not been cubed, cut it into bite sized pieces that will break down easily in the stew.
- Marinate the meat. Mix the vegetables first, carrots, onions, celery and pepper in the bowl with your goat meat and season with salt. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or foil and leave it in the fridge for at least two hours or you can leave it overnight at most.
- Brown the meat and vegetables. Pour oil in a pan and heat it over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the marinated goat meat and vegetables, spreading them evenly in the pan. Allow the meat to cook until it is browned on both sides.
- Add the tomato paste and stock. Stir to mix the tomato paste and stock well into the saucepan with the goat meat.
- Reduce Heat: Cover the pot and reduce the heat so that the meat can simmer for two hours, checking to see if there is enough liquid in the saucepan. Add water to keep the meat and vegetables covered to prevent the stew from drying out.
- Serve the meat. When the meat becomes tender, serve it hot.
Stewed Spicy Goat Meat: If you want your stewed goat meat spiced, add chopped half scotch bonnet pepper or half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Curried Goat Meat: For curried goat meat use a cup of coconut milk in place of a cup of stock and add 3 tablespoons of curry powder.
Roasted Goat Meat
You can roast your goat meat if you like. Here are the directions on how to do it.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless goat meat
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Half teaspoon cumin
- Half teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 cup yogurt
Method
- Choose the meat to roast. You can roast any cut of goat meat, therefore if you know which part you want, cube it and thread it into skewers.
- Marinate your goat meat. Mix yogurt, orange juice, coriander, salt, cumin and turmeric together in a bowl. Add the goat meat and coat it completely then leave it to sit in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Using low temperature allows the meat to cook slowly and tenderize.
- Wrap the meat in a foil. Place your meat on a foil paper and create a roasting pouch that won’t leak. This is done to trap the moisture in and keep the meat from drying.
- Roast the meat for an hour. Place the pouch on a baking sheet and allow the meat to roast for an hour. After an hour, the meat should be fall-apart tender, if not, return to the oven for a few more minute.
- Serve the meat. Once it comes apart easily when poked with a fork, the meat will be ready to serve.
How to Shop for Goat Meat
Some butchers might not really sell goat meat and others do not label it as goat meat, instead, they use the words like chevon (older goat meat), cabrito (young goat meat), capretto (which denotes the meat is goat meat). Once you find your goat meat, you should select a cut from fresh meat. You select a cut based on the recipe you have in mind. Goat cheeks or cubed meat is usually stewed, legs, leg steak, shoulder, and chops are used for marinate and roast.
Best Way to Cook Goat Meat
Goat meat contains less fat marbling and cholesterol and due to its leanness, it tends to dry and toughen out during the cooking process. The best way to cook goat meat is slow cooking; it breaks the tendons in the meat. Another way of tenderizing goat meat is by marinating it. If you have a slow cooker, use it to prepare your goat meat, cooking at low temperatures and with plenty of moisture. Make sure you make it appealing enough when serving.
What Does Goat Meat Taste Like?
Goat meat has a deep, earthy, gamey flavor. Most people dislike that gamey flavor, but you can actually tone it down by marinating the meat and pairing it with strong flavors.
International Dishes with Goat Meat
Goat meat is not only popular in Africa, but it is a mainstay in Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin and Caribbean cuisines too. In fact, goat meat is a common component in stews and soups since it toughens when not well cooked. We have listed some of the dishes made with goat meat.
- Jamaican curried goat: This stew has goat meat marinated in thyme, scotch nonet peppers, cumin, coriander, turmeric, served atop rice and beans.
- Biryani: This is an Indian goat based rice dish with caramelized onions, goat meat marinated in yogurt, turmeric and biryani masala.
- Mexican goat barbacoa tacos: This cuisine has goat wrapped in banana or agave leaves. The goat is slow cooked over an open flame or in an underground oven lined with hot coals.
- Birria: Birria is a Mexican soup dish made by marinating goat meat in paste made from dried chile peppers, braised until tender and served with tortillas, salsas and toppings.
- Goat Shawarma: This is a Middle Eastern dish with goat meat coated in a spice mix before being roasted on a rotating spit. The outer layer of the meat which will have been caramelized is shaved off and served over rice or in a flatbread sandwich.
- Yeomso Tang: This is a Korean dish of stewed goat meat seasoned with perilla seed, soybean paste and sesame oil.