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The Shameless Carnivore
Ah, just back from the delightfully long holiday weekend — I hope and trust that you all had a good one, and that it was filled with meat and drink and good old-fashioned patriotic debauchery. Mine sure was. On the meat score, I did something a little different on the grill this year, a whole new foray into the meatological sciences for me. Story goes like this: having been invited to a BBQ at a friend’s house out in New Jersey, I felt it only prudent and appropriate to bring something tasty to share with my fellow Americans in celebration of our independence. I’d just assumed that I would pick up some nice sausages at the Polish butcher shop in my neighborhood, until my wanderings brought me to the farmers’ market in Union Square.
If you’ve never been there, let me tell you: this place rules. Sure, there are plenty of sexy-looking vegetables, baked goods, juices and cider and so forth, but the market also plays host to a number of small local farmers who raise their own poultry, beef, game and other organic/natural meats. Hence, I
serendipitously ran into the booth operated by Elly Hushour from the Patches of Star dairy. Located in Nazareth, PA, Patches of Star is committed to raising high-quality goat’s milk, cheese and meat. And you can just guess, of these three, which one I was interested in. Seriously, though, I have nothing but respect and admiration for this type of endeavor: providing the hungry public with a product that has been raised and prepared conscientiously and with respect to the quality of the ingredients. The goats themselves (and you can find out more about them here) are fed pesticide-free hay and are allowed to graze freely in a large paddock with plenty of non-chlorinated water to drink. The result? Kickass goat meat! How could I not bring that to the barbeque? No one else is probably going to, right? And really, who wants to go to a goat-free party, anyway?
Left with a number of options (dare I buy a whole kid?), I took the relatively safe route and decided on a couple pounds of cubed goat meat, which I would marinate overnight and grill on bamboo skewers, kabob-style. Elly was even kind enough to suggest a Mexican-style marinade that she enjoyed herself (recipe below). Also, the meat is extraordinarily tender, she said, as it comes from a younger animal, so it’s best not to place it directly on the grill — tinfoil works well, apparently — nor to cook it for too long. Heeding her advice, I thawed and marinated the cubes, which seemed to be rather on the fatty side with a fair bit of fascial tissue, but oh well, I thought, better trust the goat lady. She seems like she knows what she’s talking about. Arriving at the BBQ the next day, I dutifully skewered the meat and placed it in aluminum foil on the grill, as such:
Doesn’t really look like much there, I know, but hey…it’s raw, remember? I have to admit, I was more than a little nervous — I usually am when I’m trying out a new recipe for people — and that anxiety was multiplied by the fact that I hadn’t ever eaten this kind of animal, much less prepared it myself for a bunch of hungry and increasingly inebriated partygoers. What if it turned out to be awful? I’d heard that goat meat has a distinct flavor, sometimes even pungent. What if it ended up tasting like a sweaty jock strap? I’d gotten so excited about the whole prospect of this dish, I’d probably have to endure some horrible ridicule from my host, my friends, and a bunch of rowdy party people I’d never met before. So I did the only reasonable thing I could think to do in such a moment, which was finish my beer, crack a new one, let the kabobs roast, and trust that Elly the goat lady had steered me in the right direction.
When all was said and done and I took the meat from the grill, I’d be rewarded for my faith: Goat tastes awesome! I was hoping that it would at least be passable, if in the very least to spare myself some shame, but holy tamoley! When I popped that first morsel into my mouth, the flavor was so striking my knees actually buckled a bit, and I’m fairly certain I even let out a little moan of pleasure. This, I was reminded, is what carnivorism is all about. The marinade had kept the meat juicy and tender, and most of the excess fat had either cooked away or into the meat itself…and of course everyone knows that fat makes just about everything taste better (check out the prices on the intensely marbled Wagyu beef if you don’t believe me). The color also surprised me — it came out not brown like beef or lamb, nor white like poultry, but a pale red. Very interesting indeed. But ultimately the color didn’t matter. They could’ve been neon green or solid black for all I cared…the taste, man! The taste!
So, thankfully, the gods of meat smiled on me that day, and my goat was a triumph. Not that it really helped when it came to sharing, strangely enough — Americans have a very strange attitude when it comes to eating goats, it seems. Some of my friends and party guests leapt at the opportunity to try my kabobs, and almost all of them felt as I did, namely that the meat was juicy and uniquely flavorful. But others, when asked “Would you like to try some goat?” reacted as though I had just pulled the family dog off the grill and, grinning maniacally, offered them a steaming slice. I’ll never understand people’s apprehension when it comes to trying new and interesting dishes, as though they’re horrified they might discover that they might actually enjoy it. Picky eaters have no place in my carnivorous empire. They can go and eat a chemical burger and some chemical fries at a miserable fast-food joint for all I care. More goat for me!
Here’s another truly wonderful thing about cooking goat: Most goat meat comes from young goats, which are also known as “kids.” Now, the meat was outstanding, but the whole experience was made infinitely more joyous by the amount of riffing we did on this simple fact. My friends and I took endless pleasure in pursuing conversations, at very loud volume in public places, that sounded something like this: “Hey, you ever eat a kid before?” “No, but I hear eating kids is both nutritious and tasty!” “It’s true — kids have less fat than chicken, and are way low in cholesterol.” “Wow, that makes me want to go out and get a whole bunch of kids, chop them up and throw them into the fire right now!” “You said it…there’s really nothing like roasting a young kid! Just wait until you sink your teeth into the kid I have marinating in my fridge at home right now!” And so on, much to the annoyance — and sometimes genuine alarm — of the people around us. Fun!
(Note: for a more detailed look at the final product, click on the thumbnail here. I think I’m having almost as good a time photographing all this meat than eating it. Almost…)
Marinated Goat Kabobs
2 lbs cubed goat meat; 3/4 cup vegetable oil; Juice of 3 large limes; 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro; 1 tspn cumin; 1 tspn salt; 1 tspn chili powder; bamboo skewers; aluminum foil
Thaw meat (either in cold water or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator). Place marinade ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined. Add additional seasoning to taste. Place meat in a large zip-lock freezer bag and pour marinade over it, making sure all of the meat is covered. Let meat soak in marinade overnight. Skewer meat and place onto foil — place foil onto medium-hot grill and cover. Cook 10 minutes or so, or until meat is a light reddish brown color. Turn kabobs to alternate side, and repeat. Enjoy!
The Shameless Carnivore
Ah, just back from the delightfully long holiday weekend — I hope and trust that you all had a good one, and that it was filled with meat and drink and good old-fashioned patriotic debauchery. Mine sure was. On the meat score, I did something a little different on the grill this year, a whole new foray into the meatological sciences for me. Story goes like this: having been invited to a BBQ at a friend’s house out in New Jersey, I felt it only prudent and appropriate to bring something tasty to share with my fellow Americans in celebration of our independence. I’d just assumed that I would pick up some nice sausages at the Polish butcher shop in my neighborhood, until my wanderings brought me to the farmers’ market in Union Square.
If you’ve never been there, let me tell you: this place rules. Sure, there are plenty of sexy-looking vegetables, baked goods, juices and cider and so forth, but the market also plays host to a number of small local farmers who raise their own poultry, beef, game and other organic/natural meats. Hence, I
Left with a number of options (dare I buy a whole kid?), I took the relatively safe route and decided on a couple pounds of cubed goat meat, which I would marinate overnight and grill on bamboo skewers, kabob-style. Elly was even kind enough to suggest a Mexican-style marinade that she enjoyed herself (recipe below). Also, the meat is extraordinarily tender, she said, as it comes from a younger animal, so it’s best not to place it directly on the grill — tinfoil works well, apparently — nor to cook it for too long. Heeding her advice, I thawed and marinated the cubes, which seemed to be rather on the fatty side with a fair bit of fascial tissue, but oh well, I thought, better trust the goat lady. She seems like she knows what she’s talking about. Arriving at the BBQ the next day, I dutifully skewered the meat and placed it in aluminum foil on the grill, as such:
When all was said and done and I took the meat from the grill, I’d be rewarded for my faith: Goat tastes awesome! I was hoping that it would at least be passable, if in the very least to spare myself some shame, but holy tamoley! When I popped that first morsel into my mouth, the flavor was so striking my knees actually buckled a bit, and I’m fairly certain I even let out a little moan of pleasure. This, I was reminded, is what carnivorism is all about. The marinade had kept the meat juicy and tender, and most of the excess fat had either cooked away or into the meat itself…and of course everyone knows that fat makes just about everything taste better (check out the prices on the intensely marbled Wagyu beef if you don’t believe me). The color also surprised me — it came out not brown like beef or lamb, nor white like poultry, but a pale red. Very interesting indeed. But ultimately the color didn’t matter. They could’ve been neon green or solid black for all I cared…the taste, man! The taste!
Here’s another truly wonderful thing about cooking goat: Most goat meat comes from young goats, which are also known as “kids.” Now, the meat was outstanding, but the whole experience was made infinitely more joyous by the amount of riffing we did on this simple fact. My friends and I took endless pleasure in pursuing conversations, at very loud volume in public places, that sounded something like this: “Hey, you ever eat a kid before?” “No, but I hear eating kids is both nutritious and tasty!” “It’s true — kids have less fat than chicken, and are way low in cholesterol.” “Wow, that makes me want to go out and get a whole bunch of kids, chop them up and throw them into the fire right now!” “You said it…there’s really nothing like roasting a young kid! Just wait until you sink your teeth into the kid I have marinating in my fridge at home right now!” And so on, much to the annoyance — and sometimes genuine alarm — of the people around us. Fun!
(Note: for a more detailed look at the final product, click on the thumbnail here. I think I’m having almost as good a time photographing all this meat than eating it. Almost…)
Marinated Goat Kabobs
2 lbs cubed goat meat; 3/4 cup vegetable oil; Juice of 3 large limes; 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro; 1 tspn cumin; 1 tspn salt; 1 tspn chili powder; bamboo skewers; aluminum foil
Thaw meat (either in cold water or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator). Place marinade ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined. Add additional seasoning to taste. Place meat in a large zip-lock freezer bag and pour marinade over it, making sure all of the meat is covered. Let meat soak in marinade overnight. Skewer meat and place onto foil — place foil onto medium-hot grill and cover. Cook 10 minutes or so, or until meat is a light reddish brown color. Turn kabobs to alternate side, and repeat. Enjoy!
