Goat

I've seen them cooked around a Mesquite fire in Mexico. I didn't get to try any they cooked them whole on like stakes.

Sorry no more input than that.

I also would like to see what the brethren come up with on the subject of goat. I could tell you how the Iraqis prepare the buggers but that wouldn't win you any trophies.

Maybe hanging them in the 130F heat all day starts the smoking process?

When you do smoke the little guy, be sure to post some pics!

Preferably go with a young female or a young castrated male. The older males that have hit "puberty" will have a strong smell and taste like almost any other male animal.
You will also want to clean it out with diet. That means separating it and going with nothing but grain and alfalfa. Honey grains are nice as are oats, or rolled corn. You can also give them fresh grasses or even vegetable trimmings. I would recommend this diet for at least two weeks, but 1 month is better. You are essentially cleaning from the inside out and you will notice the difference when you slaughter it.
We do this with the hogs we kill. We buy hogs that were slop fed and you can tell because of the black color, consistency, and strong odor of their turds. That means they have been fed all kinds of crap and it will affect the meat. We diet them for 1-2 months even longer if we can. Only rolled corn or corn powder mixed with water and alfalfa and lots fo clean water. After a couple weeks their turds do a 180 and the smell is a lot less pungent, firmer, and yellow in color. That means it is clean internally. The meat will be lighter pink in color and the fat will be almost translucent. There is a difference in slop fed hogs. Not that you can eat them, it's just worth the effort to clean them out internally.
Sounds odd talking about all this, but their diet will make a huge difference for the slaughter. My grandfather also belived that a clean, quick and as humane as possible a kill the better the meat. Some say the more it struggles, the more adrenaline they release and that has an effect on the meat as well.

I love goat. But I can tell you from experience that giving the animal a good diet beforehand and going with a younger animal will result in less gamey meat.

BobBrisket said:

...Sounds odd talking about all this, but their diet will make a huge difference for the slaughter. My grandfather also belived that a clean, quick and as humane as possible a kill the better the meat. Some say the more it struggles, the more adrenaline they release and that has an effect on the meat as well.

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Makes sense. Deer shot on a farm taste less gamey than deer from the mountains. The adrenaline thing is definitely true. Stress makes the meat different. It's the reason I brain shoot doe when I can. Eliminates it. I've even heard stressed out animals pass the whole stressed out natural drugs in their system onto who eat's 'em (my butcher has all kinds of insightful knowledge).

For cooking you can treat them similar to Lamb.

If your going to try goat I too like them young, up to 8 or 9 months, or kid if you can get it.

You can then cook them low and slow or hot and fast.

I like to rub them with garlic paste, food process garlic and olive oil, smear all avor the goat, then cook low and slow to 145 - 150 F internal on a pit at 225 - 250 at the grate.

Hot and fast is exactly the same prep but have your pit running at 400 - 425 at the grate, cook till the meat on the thighs starts to crack a little, the internal will be around 145 - 150 when this happens.

Goat;

I live in south Texas, and cook goat regularly in many different ways.

The most important part is to select a young "kidgoat" or "milkgoat", by this I mean a small about 10 lbs goat that is still sucking milk from the nanny and has not (important) gone out to pasture.

Traditionaly is cooked over a small mesquite coals (important) fire, this will be time an labor consuming, and it will take you about 4-6 hrs.

My preferred way of doing it is in the smoker. I've have a Gator offset and bring him up to temp more or less in the same manner as for a brisket or pulled pork. Ounce I am up to 225-230, trow the goat in the smoker and baste her more or less every 45min to 1 hr. with a mix of butter, paprica, achiote, salt and oregano.

Takes about 3 hrs, you will know becouse the meat is falling from the bones.

In the smoker is a lot less labor consuming and the results are comparable

Hope it helps

JV

Funny, I was just writing about goat on my stupid blog. I had some amazing baby goat last night and would love to slow cook one myself one of these days. Maybe on the La Caja China? Just need to find one.

Smokeindaeye;

I've done in the "caja china" (we call them "ataud") down here. An in my opinion (not to insult anybody) they don't come out as good.

You can do it in the ataud but, remember not to add any tomato base basting (it will turn dark) and remember to partially open the lid towards the last 20 mins of cooking.

Pork and lamb (mutton) lend itself for the ataud method of cooking.

JV

PS ataud is spanish for coffin.

found a link
http://www.mexicoarmado.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=54544&d=1216221982

JV

another link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7IBNtijE3k

Maybe some guys from Monterrey Mexico will chime in.

JV

So then, I guess a big cooked side of very young goat would be "cabrisket"!

While sucking goat or cabrito is nice, you then need to determine if this small an animal will be enough for what you need. If it's not enough, an slightly older animal will yeild more meat.
Cabrito is to goat what veal is to beef.
I would recommend a slightly older animal so that you can appreciate, or not, what goat is really about. Just like elk, deer, wild boar, etc.
We mostly did ours in an underground pit then pulled the meat and onto warm corn tortillas and some hot red salsa. Damn good chit!!!

Chuck, Are you looking for an everything else entry for next year?

Michael

Only time I do goat is when i venture south to Mexico.
I do recall in history in High school the teacher mentioning that BBQ sauce was discovered by early settlers due to goat being bitter.

BobBrisket;

A kidgoat will feed up to 10 people, depending on your sides, and yes, it is more like a delicacy.

We also cook in an underground pit, usually choose an older animal. The problem here is that we end up with to much meat an in need to give it away. And I agree with you, when done correctly is as good if not better than any other BBQ.

Not trying to start a discussion but the term barbecue originated from that type of cooking, wich is called BARBACOA.:smile:

JV

Hey Bossman,

What did you decide? Goat or no goat?

coyotero said:

BobBrisket;

A kidgoat will feed up to 10 people, depending on your sides, and yes, it is more like a delicacy.

We also cook in an underground pit, usually choose an older animal. The problem here is that we end up with to much meat an in need to give it away. And I agree with you, when done correctly is as good if not better than any other BBQ.

Not trying to start a discussion but the term barbecue originated from that type of cooking, wich is called BARBACOA.:smile:

JV

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I know, I said bbq sauce:tongue:

Big brother smoke;

I was not refering ro BBQ sauce. To say that BBQ sauce was invented in mexico would be a flat out lie.

They did developed their hundreds of different (according to region) salsas.

JV

ps BBS congratulations on your website.

coyotero said:

Big brother smoke;

I was not refering ro BBQ sauce. To say that BBQ sauce was invented in mexico would be a flat out lie.

They did developed their hundreds of different (according to region) salsas.

JV

ps BBS congratulations on your website.

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No worries, I was just funnin with ya! Hell, I could be wrong about the sauce :biggrin:

Thanks for the compliment about the website. Brother, SOEZZY made it so SOEZZY!