Goat Meat for Your Health

Hardy Boer Meat Goats
kencandy@critterridge.net

Ground Goat Meat Bone-in Goat Loin Goat Filet Mignon Goat Stew Meat Rack of Goat - French Cut

Goat Meat for Your Heath

Goat meat is reported by the US Department of Agriculture to be lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than beef, pork, lamb, chicken, or turkey. It is also higher in protein and iron than any of these meats. Goat meat is high in vitamin B12 and has balanced amino acids. Since goats are ruminants, goat meat is also a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA,) a fatty acid that prevents and cures cancer and many inflammatory conditions in laboratory animals. Results of clinical studies with CLA in humans are still pending. There is much interest in the potential role of CLA in human health and nutrition.

Foods derived from ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats, deer, elk, moose, antelope, and buffalo) are the primary sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in human diets. Meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter from ruminants are all good sources of CLA. Products from non-ruminants (pork, poultry, eggs, and fish) are not significant sources of CLA, even when grass fed.

Much research has been done on factors affecting the amounts of CLA in milk and meat of ruminants. In 2004 R.C. Khanal and K.C. Olson from Utah State University Dept. of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science published a review of the research done to that date, citing one hundred and thirty references. Most of the work has been done with cattle and most of that work with milk. Based on very limited studies with sheep and goats there were no great differences between cattle, sheep, and goats in levels of CLA in the meat or milk. Type of feed appears to be the biggest factor affecting CLA levels in milk and meat. Animals on immature high quality pastures produce the highest levels of CLA. Animals on mature pastures, preserved forages such as hay and silage, or high concentrate mixed rations produce lower levels of CLA than animals on good quality pastures.

Research shows that animals on pastures having a large variety of different forages produce more CLA than animals on pastures with only a few types of forages. This is a strong argument for grazing cattle and goats together on the same pasture. Each species prefers different grasses, legumes, weeds, and sprouts. When a pasture is fully socked with just one species of ruminant the forages that the species likes best usually get killed out from over grazing and one ends up with only a few forages which can tolerate heavy grazing. Stocking with both cattle and goats put less grazing pressure on each species of forage. Stocking both cattle and goats also reduces internal parasite problems in both species.

It has also been shown that cattle grazing at high elevations in the Alpine Mountains of European produced higher levels of CLA in their milk. I believe that this may be a result of these cattle grazing on the equivalent of early spring forages throughout the grazing season. In the Alps cattle are wintered in the valleys and graze in the valleys during early spring. Then as the snow line recedes up the mountains they are moved to higher elevations by herdsmen to graze new forages just below the snow line. Wild elk in the Rocky Mountains of North America have a similar grazing pattern, wintering in the valleys and moving to higher elevations throughout the spring and summer as the snow line recedes up the mountains. I believe that similar effects could be achieved with cattle and goats at lower elevations through rotational strip grazing combined with mowing the strips immediately after the stock is removed. Irrigation may also be needed with this system to achieve lush forages during dry seasons.

Goat Loin Chop Whole Boneless Goat Loin Goat Leg Whole Baby Goat Goat Sausage

Purchasing Goat Meat

Pictures of various cuts of goat meat shown on this page are from the GedaliasCompany.com website. These cuts of goat meat can be purchased from Gedalias.

Goat Meat Recipes

The following recipes for goat meat can be found on the GedaliasCompany.com website:

Goat Ossobucco
Jerked Leg of Goat
Jamaican Curried Goat Stew
Apricot Mustard Glazed Leg of Goat
Marinated Sweet Goat Tenderloin

Our Favorite Recipes for Goat Meat

Most of the flavor in meat is in the fat. Since goat meat has very little fat it also has very little flavor. Since our ancestors came from northern Europe we like the taste of beef and pork. When we have our goats slaughtered and processed at our local custom slaughter house, we have them grind some of it into hamburger mixing small amounts of beef fat with it. We also have them grind some of it into breakfast sausage mixing small amounts of pork fat with it.

Our Favorite Dish is Sauerbraten and Potato Dumplings

This recipe for Sauerbraten works well with goat meat, deer meat, or beef:

4 pounds of goat meat, deer meat, or beef rump roast
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
2 cups of water
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 lemon, sliced
12 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 whole peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Place meat in a deep bowl. Combine other ingredients and pour over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 36 hours. Turn the meat several times. Remove the meat from the marinade and rub the surface lightly with flour. In a skillet heat two tablespoons of shortening and brown meat on all sides. Place meat in a covered roasting pan. Add strained marinade. Cover and roast slowly for two hours. Remove meat. Make gravy by adding 1/3 cup of crushed ginger snaps to each cup of meat juices. Serve with potato dumplings. Makes 10 servings.

A recipe for potato dumplings:

2 lbs. cooked potatoes (6 large potatoes)
2 eggs
1/2 cup farina or corn meal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Boil potatoes in jackets. Peal and run through a ricer. Cool the rice potatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given. Form into balls about 3 inches in diameter. Drop into boiling salt water (1 teaspoon salt to one quart water.) Simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and garnish with browned butter and browned cracker crumbs.

A Goat Meat Cook Book

Getting Your Goat: The Gourmet Guide is a goat meat cook book written by Patricia A. Moore and Jill Charlotte Stanford and illustrated by Susan Koch. It can be purchased from Barnes & Noble using the link on the left.

Come Visit Us and See Our Herd

We are located in north central Arkansas, twenty miles south of Missouri.

Ralph is four miles south of Yellville, Arkansas, on Highway 14.
We are two miles west of Ralph on County Road 5040.

kencandy@critterridge.net (870) 449-6789.

Whole Sirloin of Goat Meat

Goat Round Steak

Goat Meat Full Cut
Round Steak