The French call it chevon, the Italians capretto, and the Spanish cabrito. Unfortunately, most Americans don’t call it anything at all because we do not eat it. At least not yet. We’re embarrassingly late to the party—goat meat is the world’s most widely eaten meat, accounting for 70 percent of all red meat consumed.
One of the main things standing between most Americans and their first bite of goat meat is a mistaken belief that it will taste the way a mature male goat smells—stinky. But in truth, most goat meat is not at all gamy. In fact, it is far milder than lamb, with a pleasing, slightly sweet flavor. Meat from older animals can have a more pungent flavor that is actually prized by many cultures. But the vast majority of goat meat sold in the US—and here in the Hudson Valley—comes from animals under a year old who have not yet had the time to muster that distinctive, goaty musk. As a result, unless you were to specifically seek out meat from an older goat, you will find that the flavor is remarkably mild.
“Goat meat has a bad rap here in America. People are afraid to eat it, but it is the next meat, gentle to the land and delicious,” says Gianni Scappin, a professor of advanced Italian cooking at the Culinary Institute of America and executive chef and co-owner of Cucina, Market Street, and Gusto restaurants in Woodstock, Rhinebeck, and Poughkeepsie, respectively.
Goat is also surprisingly healthful, packing a more powerful nutritional punch than beef, with far less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. And not only does goat have beef beat, but it’s also higher in protein and iron and lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than pork, chicken, and lamb. Calorie-wise, goat is nearly identical to chicken, with 122 calories per three-ounce cooked portion to chicken’s 120 calories.
But good flavor and nutrition aren’t the only reasons to like goat—their little, cloven hooves can also help reduce our hefty carbon footprint while meeting the increasing demand for local, sustainable, and humanely raised meat. Goats require far less acreage and fewer inputs to raise than cattle. One reason for this is that goats are browsers rather than grazers and thrive in scrubby brush-land on plants that a cow or sheep would not touch. “They don’t really like grass—they’ll only eat it if there are no better options,” says Donald Arrant, the livestock manager at Glynwood Farm in Cold Spring.
Landscape Architects
More farmers are starting to use goats as an environmentally friendly way to help reclaim overgrown, disrupted pasture and tame marginal, scrubby areas. Farmer Kris Karl of Karl Family Farms in Modena has developed a particularly effective one-two punch for reclaiming former pasture and scrubby border lands. He begins by bringing his herd of Kiko-Boer goats in to enthusiastically strip young trees of their leaves and bark and happily devour problem plants like the invasive bramble rose rosa multiflora, bedstraw weed, and poison ivy. Then he moves the goats to new acreage and lets his herd of Large Black and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs take over, rooting up anything bushy with their powerful snouts. “Within two to three years you can take a field that’s completely overgrown and turn it into pasture that you can run any animal on. The goats and pigs do the bulk of the work, though we do have to get in there and pull up any stumps. It almost pays for itself since I don’t have to use a lot of fossil fuels and the goats don’t require a lot,” says Karl.
As I stand in the windy sunshine, hastily scribbling notes about Karl’s goats, one of them begins to nibble delicately yet determinedly on my jeans. I gently brush her off and she takes a few steps back to stand with her head cocked, an inquisitive look in her eyes. After a moment’s contemplation, she walks back up to me and matter-of-factly resumes her oral exploration of my Levis and the tops of my rubber boots. As we continue this little brush-off-back-away-come, back dance, I start to grasp the compelling mixture of charm, stubbornness, and playfulness that makes farmers enjoy raising these animals. After five years of raising goats at Glynwood, Arrant has become a convert “My list of favorite animals to raise has changed over the years. Goats were initially at the bottom with chickens but now they’re near the top—they’ve just got so much personality.”
Get Your Goat
The list of farmers raising meat goats here in the Hudson Valley is growing, along with the number of local chefs making use of this fresh, flavorful meat. “We love goat; it’s kind of a delicacy,” says Constantine Kalandranis, executive chef and co-owner of 8 North Broadway in Nyack. Beginning in December, Kalandranis will feature goat on his menu in many tempting forms—served in its jus over potatoes with a side of wild greens, mixed with fresh Parmesan and ricotta cheeses in delightfully plump ravioli that look like little pasta zeppelins, as the base for their delicious avgolemono soup, and more. “Right now, we’re doing one where we marinate a whole goat in yogurt, then wrap it in grape leaves and let it steam slowly in the oven for at least six hours. We put some fennel and other herbs and vegetables, a whole bunch of white wine, a little lemon juice, and some ouzo in the bottom of the pan and we baste it with any liquid that comes off every 45 minutes or so. At the end it comes out super-juicy and we can do a lot of things with it,” says Kalandranis.
But you don’t have to eat out to get good goat. You can and should try cooking it at home. Although the thought of cooking a new meat tends to be rather intimidating, goat is not as foreign as you might think. Adam Danforth, an expert on the humane slaughtering and butchering of farm animals, says, “I approach goat the same way that I approach lamb because they’re almost anatomically identical and roughly the same size. The only difference is that goats have one more lumbar vertebra in their lower back than sheep, which gives them a slightly longer loin.”
Danforth also urges people not to believe everything they’ve heard about goat. “The idea that most goat meat isn’t tender is just bullshit,” he says. “That’s just one result of the stigma surrounding goat that goes back a long way in our culture—it’s why we have words like ‘scapegoat’ and why goats are linked to images of devilry.”
What is true is that goat is a lean meat that can get dried out and tough if it’s not prepared properly. The mantra is “low, slow, and moist.” Braising and stewing will render even the tougher cuts from the shoulder, neck, and shank meltingly tender and deliciously flavored. (See the recipe below for one example of this approach.)
In terms of flavors, there’s no shortage of good options. Goat pairs beautifully with herbs, with spices, and with sweetness—curry powder, coconut milk, rosemary, thyme, mint, lemon, garlic, chilies, cumin, coriander, harissa, dried figs, and apricots are just a few good companions. Goat’s global popularity means that there are a lot of culinary interpretations to choose from including West Indian, North African, Greek, Mexican, and more.
Chef Rich Parente puts goat on his menu at The Clock Tower Grill in Brewster whenever Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie has meat available because he loves the flavor. Parente finds that “diners who’ve had it before are ecstatic to see it and the people who are reluctant to try it are surprised that it’s not at all gamy. They’re usually instant converts.”
If you’re not sure where to start, try Parente’s recipe for goat ragout, in which hearty chunks of goat stew meat are browned and then slow-cooked in a rich, sweet sauce flavored with fresh rosemary, figs, red wine, and tomatoes. When the meat is falling off the bone, you serve it over pappardelle.
Goat Ragout with Rosemary and Figs over Pappardelle from Chef Rich Parente of the Clocktower Grill in Brewster
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 lbs bone-in goat stew meat
2 large onions, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
1 quart beef stock
1 quart tomato puree or diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced dried figs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup red wine
¼ cup cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in roughly ¼ cup warm water)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb pappardelle pasta, cooked, drained, and tossed with olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Mix the flour with a teaspoon or so of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then dredge the stew meat in it, doing your best to coat all sides with the mixture.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven (you can also use a wide-bottomed metal pot or sauté pan with high sides, but it must be oven-safe since you’ll be finishing this dish in the oven) until it begins to shimmer, then add the meat to the pan, turning it to brown it on all sides— roughly two-three minutes per side. You’ll most likely need to do this in two batches to avoid crowding and achieve the proper sear.
Remove the meat and set it aside in a bowl. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic to the pan and sautè for 3-5 minutes, until the onions start to become translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any odds and ends and ensure that nothing is stuck to the bottom.
Add the meat back to the pan along with the beef stock and the tomato and bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce and stir thoroughly with a fork to distribute it throughout. Simmer for roughly 5 minutes before adding the chopped herbs and figs, then season with more salt and pepper, cover, and place in the oven for three to four hours, checking a few times to stir and make sure there’s enough liquid, until the meat is fork tender. Take the meat off the bones and return the shredded meat to the pot before serving over your favorite pappardelle pasta.
Wine pairing: Parente recommends Warwick Winery’s Black Dirt Red for its fruity forward notes of cherry, plum, and fig.
Where To Get Your Goat
Below is a listing of some of the many places you can purchase goat meat here in the Hudson Valley. It’s best to call ahead since the farmers all harvest their animals at different times of year and most herds are not large enough to ensure a constant supply. You can also order pasture-raised, antibiotic-free goat meat (some of which is sourced from Sunny Acres Farm in Athens) from Heritage Foods USA http://heritagefoodsusa.com/ a Brooklyn-based mail order operation.
305 Wire Road, Germantown
(917) 861-3002
You can buy from the farm year-round as well as at Montgomery Place Orchards
Market from June – November. Check the website for a list of available cuts.
307 Wall Street, Kingston
(845) 338-6666
Fleisher’s carries goats from J&D Farms in Eaton on a seasonal basis. Call in advance.
54 Steves Lane, Gardiner
(845) 255-5602
Purchase from the self-serve farm store, open daily from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Call or check their website to find out whether goat meat is available.
362 Glynwood Road, Cold Spring
(845) 265-3338
Purchase from the farm store (check site for days and times). You can also order through their online store and pick your order up at the farm store or at NoKa Joe’s in Katonah.
989 Broome Center Road, Preston Hollow
(518) 239-6234
Meat is usually in stock year-round at their farm store.
2207 Route 32, Modena
(845) 443-6963
Purchase from their farmstand or look for their products in the cooler at Wright’s Farm in Gardiner.
414 Church Road, Pine Bush
(
845) 744-6089
Meat is available year-round at the farm or you can buy it at the many markets (Warwick Valley, Rhinebeck, Millbrook, Saugerties, as well as others in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey) that Lynn attends. Listing of market dates and times is available on their website.
185 W. Kerley Corners Road, Tivoli
(845) 757-5591
Purchase directly from the farm or at the Kingston, Redhook, Saugerties and Woodstock farmer’s markets. Meat is available in the spring and summer.
34 Lauer Road, Poughkeepsie
(845) 485-9885
A variety of cuts are available for purchase at the farm at various times throughout the year.
433 Flats Road, Athens
(518) 945-2745
You can purchase directly from the farm. Meat is most likely to be available in the late fall and early winter.
This article appears in December 2014.
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