What Does Goat Taste Like?

Nowadays, the goat is the most widely consumed red meat. Have you ever tried it before and wondered what does goat taste like? If not yet, this article is written to enlighten meat eaters and introduce them to another alternative which does not only taste good but also is rich in essential nutrients.

Goat is also red meat

Just like beef or pork, the goat is red meat. The main market of goat meat is developing countries because goat meat is a low-priced option. That is because raising goats is easy and cheap. About 93% of goats are consumed in Asia and Africa. About 70% of the world population include goat meat in their daily meals. However, it is not a popular choice in American people’s diets.

Goat is not well-liked worldwide for no reason.

People now are more aware of the environmental, social, and health consequences of industrial livestock production, including unchecked and uncontrolled deforestation for farmland, unproperly treated waste from production, the use of feed grains, antibiotics, and hormone. And goat seems to be a perfect fit when raising them can solve all the aforementioned problems.

• Goats can survive even in the most marginal environments and very severe climates from the coldest to the hottest weather, which means deforestation for farmland is not needed.
• Goats forage for food among bushes, barks, and weeds mainly, so their intake of grains is just 1/3 of that for beef and 1/5 for pork.
• Goats can give farmers a hand in weed control as they like to nibble at all fibrous plans. However, they can do harm to healthy trees and shrubs, so farmers need to keep an eye on their foraging areas.
• Goats do need to take antibiotics to prevent diseases but of course, growth hormones are not forbidden. Even imported chevon also takes drug, pesticide, and pollution residue tests before it is available for sale.

Apart from its benefits related to the environment and sustainability aspects, it is a top choice for iron and protein supply.  The amount of calories, fat, and cholesterol in goat is much lower than that in beef, pork, and chicken.  Still, too much of anything is bad as goat is still classified as “red meat”.

Read more: How Long Do Goats Live?

What does goat taste like?

There is no absolute answer to what does goat meat tastes like as the taste is pretty much affected by different factors. To briefly describe, if your favorite meat is lamb and mutton, there is a high possibility you will enjoy goat. In some cuisines, sheep can be replaced with the goat in recipes maybe because of the similar taste.

Normally, the best meat goat is baby goats from one-year-old and below. The older goats, the tougher and stronger taste the meat.

Meat goat can be called differently based on age, such as cabrito (less than 3 months old), chevon (between 6 and 9 months old), capretto, etc. Cabrito is considered as the veal of the goat world. The goats are slaughtered young when they are still milk-fed and not grass-eaten. As they are only raised by milk, so their meat is much more tender and mild-flavored, therefore, much more expensive compared to others.

How to cook goat meat?

As the amount of fat in goat is lower compared to other types of meat, it would be tougher if cooked at high temperatures. It is advised to marinate it well before cooking and the goat meat tastes better with slow cooking methods such as stew or braise.

Different body parts of goat require different cooking methods to produce the best dishes.

Leg

As the meat from the goat’s leg is thick but tender, it is suitable for braising or stewing. Low temperature allows the meat to be tenderized more. Moist heat methods that use water, liquid, or steam to transfer heat to food can be applied to leg.

It can be stewed with vegetables or butterflied first, then grilled because it is a thick cut of meat. Roasting at a low temperature can be another way of treating it.

Loin chop

This is portioned from the short loin lying towards the back of the goat, between the leg and the rack. It is one of the softest parts of the goat and ideal for grilling or sautéing. It is recommended to marinate it before grilling it or sautéed with butter or cooking oil for juicy meat.

The best temperature to cook goat loin chop is medium-rare heat. It can also be roasted in the oven.

Ribs

Rib goat can be cooked like beef or pork ribs, which means they are best when cooked with moist heat at a low temperature. Even though it is not as tender as other rib meat, they are equally delicious.

Grilling or cooking in a pan and wrapping in tinfoil can be taken into consideration with goat ribs. If cooked long enough, the bone and the ribs will be fallen apart.

Shoulder

The shoulder is a tougher part of meat goat; hence, it should be moistly heated to easily tenderize and braising until well done. Marinating the meat first and slow cooking it for about 2 hours can bring out the best result. Other options can be stew, broil, or roast.

Popular goat meat dishes

Goat meat can be easily found in daily meals in the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean with various recipes and cooking methods. Some well-famed dishes are Moroccan tagines, Mexican cabrito asado, Indian biryanis, Jamaican curry goat. In Southeast Asian, the Philippines has the considerable inclusion of goat meat in such dishes as papaitan (goat bile soup), kilawin kalding (a raw goat appetizer) and kalderatang kambing (goat stew).

FAQs

1. Do lamb and goat taste the same?

To most people, lamb and goat can be used interchangeably as these two types of meat taste the same. However, to picky eaters, goat meat is a bit tougher and has a less fat content. In contrast, lamb meat is softer, lacks nutritional value, and has higher cholesterol.

2. Is goat healthier than chicken?

Goat is considered superior nutritionally as it contains more iron, equal protein but lower levels of fat, calories, and cholesterol in comparison with chicken.

3. Who eats the most goat meat?

Sudan is the country that has the highest level of goat meat consumption. It is estimated that a person from Sudan eats 8.6 pounds of goat meat per year.

4. Can you eat an old goat?

Yes, you can. The meat of older goats is darker and tougher, but more juicy and flavorsome than baby goats.

5. Is goat meat bad for weight loss?

No, it is not. In fact, it helps people to lose weight as it is composed of Vitamin B, which helps meat-eaters to burn fat effectively.

Conclusion

Now that we have answered the question of what does goat taste like, we hope to have helped you opt for an alternative for red meat on your daily menu as it seems to be an all-in-one meat product with many great benefits.