Okay, full disclosure I’m doing my best to establish a sustainable meat-goat operation at home so I must admit this post reflects some bias. Our farm hasn’t reached the point of sustainability and won’t anytime soon according to our enterprise budget so I don’t feel the ethical guilt of self-promotion by starting this thread. The article below by Ally Bruschi, is one in a series of posts in this blog intended to bring attention to chevon or cabrito as a healthy food. I don’t agree with all Ms Bruschi writes; for example, I disagree that goats are easier to raise than sheep and I’ll be polite with her comment about factory farming, but those statements are good for creating a discussion and that’s why we blog – right?
By Ally Bruschi, Writer
Is Goat the New Beef?
Jul 15, 2013 @ 11:16 AM
You surely have your favorite beef and chicken recipes in your arsenal, but have you ever considered adding goat meat to your rotation of beloved recipes?
Most Americans shy away from eating goat, believing the meat to have an undesirable, gamy flavor. Despite this hesitation, however, the number of meat goats on American farms has increased by nearly 500 percent in the last 25 years. The highest production rates coming from areas like Texas and New Jersey with higher Arab, Latino, and South Asian populations.
Hesitant consumers may change their opinions of goat meat when they consider that goats are easier to raise than sheep, are lower in cholesterol and fat than beef, pork, and lamb, and have higher protein and iron content. Restaurants around the country like Chicago’s Girl and the Goat are beginning to open to match the increase in demand for goat by finding creative ways to serve this healthier meat alternative to the greater public.
What’s more, goat meat is not yet popular enough to make factory-farming an efficient method of production, so you can be sure that the goat meat you are purchasing has avoided the tolls that mass production can take on animals, the environment, and your health. Farmers who raise goats encourage the increase in demand for their goat meat, but many wish to maintain the small-scale production that they’ve enjoyed for the last 25 years.
Adventurous home cooks should try this Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe at home as a healthy, alternative way to spice up their next dinner party. Be aware that, since goat meat is lower in fat than beef and lamb, you must cook it slowly and at lower temperatures in order to avoid dry, tough meat.
Is Goat the New Beef? Originally Posted http://www.thedailymeal.com/goat-new-beef
