Goat has its own unique flavor and cooking quirks. When you are trying to put more goat on the table or get your family used to eating meat that you’ve produced yourself, these quirks become a front and center issue. Unaccustomed to the taste of lean, grass-fed meat, you may hear “goat is yucky” from the kids or have a spouse trying to drown their goat burger in ketchup.
You can fight an uphill battle … or just serve up goat that is packed with flavor and taste. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken or beef, and that’s the point! Emphasize that in a good way by using the right spices and sauces. Here are four mealtime winners that will please picky eaters and suspicious tongues any time goat is on the menu.
You can make a fast Mediterranean marinade for your goat by starting with olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Add in coriander and marjoram along with coarse salt and peppercorns. Make sure the meat is well coated, and give it plenty of time to soak up the spices and oils.
This type of marinade is good if you plan to sauté your goat or serve smaller cuts. The marinade locks in moisture and flavor, helping you avoid the overcooked, dry, and tough goat meat that makes your family turn up its nose.
Old-Fashioned Technique of Smoking Over a Log Fire or Want to Smoke Food in Your Own Kitchen…
2. The Curry Angle
Goat is an excellent meat for curry dishes. Curry spices flourish with long, slow simmers – the exact same combination needed for moist, tender goat.
When choosing curries to make with your goat, you don’t have to immediately default to hot, spicy curries. The world has a stunning variety of curries, and many of them are more flavorful than spicy. You can experiment almost endlessly with flavors, delivering different taste profiles for your family even though you are essentially doing the same prep and cooking steps.
Many Indian, Caribbean, and Asian curries are available as spice blends at the store. For those, you simply follow directions and serve with rice or bread (butter and toast pita for a nice knock-off roti bread to go with your Indian curries). Using a store mix cuts out a lot of planning and effort from goat menus, but you don’t have to rely on store blends. To do your own curry sauces, start with a tomato or coconut milk base and layer in savory and hot spices to taste. Cilantro, onion, cumin, black pepper, and hot pepper work well with tomato, while ginger, cardamon, tumeric, lemongrass, and colorful chilies work well with coconut milk.
3. Rosemary & Garlic Win
Rosemary is an excellent goat spice, and when you pair it with garlic, you have a winning taste combination. This is especially true if you are doing roasts or trying to fix up a whole goat for a big dinner.
The key with the rosemary and garlic combination is to embed it in the flesh of your roast. First, give the meat a rub with olive oil to lock in moisture. Next, create several cuts in the meat by piercing it with a large, sharp knife. Into each cut, stuff freshly sliced garlic and crushed rosemary. Sprinkle the outside with crushed rosemary and then slow roast it for a tenderness and taste your family will love.
4. Sweet Success
Along with salty and spicy, goat meat does well with sweet. This doesn’t mean pouring sugar on your meat – but you should reach for your jam and preserve collections. Apricot, raspberry, and tart cherry make delicious finishing marinades for roasted or grilled lamb and help you work a sweet-and-savory angle for your meals.
To make this work, you will want to add a layer of fruit preserves to your goat in the last half hour before grilling or roasting. Be generous but not ridiculous as you spread it on, and if you’ve done any cuts, work the jam down inside the meat as well. The end result is a sweet glaze that can be quite addictive!
©2012 Off the Grid News
