Cooking Goat - Lake Macquarie Field Archers Inc

General Hints on cooking game meat:

Game meat is very low in fat which means they can easily dry out during the cooking process:

The flavor of goat is strongly affected both by the age of the goat and by their diet, especially in the weeks before they are slaughtered.  An older goat who is finished entirely on grass will have a gamier flavor than a young goat that is finished on grain.

Meat should be marinated for at least 15 minutes prior to cooking. Quickly turn the meat over to ensure all sides are seared – this will seal the meat and prevent moisture loss

The general practice is not to add salt to meat prior to cooking as it will draw out the juices, prevent browning and result in dry meat.

After cooking meat it should be covered with foil and rested for 5-10 minutes

Allow approx 150g of meat for a main course serving and 80g for an entrée

Soak the tamarind in the boiling water for 1 minute. Pour through a fine sieve, discard the pulp and set the liquid aside.Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until soft. Add the spice paste and fry for five minutes. Add the meat and stir. Continue to add the remaining ingredients, except for the salt and lime leaves. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer, uncovered, until the goat is tender, approximately 1½ hours. Slice the kaffir lime leaves and add to the saucepan and season with salt in the final half hour. To make the spice paste: dry fry the coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Place in a spice grinder when cool, and grind to a powder. Place in a food processor along with the ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chillies, garlic and a little water if necessary to blend to a smooth paste. Toast the coconut in a frying pan until golden brown. When cool, place in a spice grinder and grind as finely as possible.

Combine the goat with the oil, lemon juice, harissa and coriander, mix well. Refrigerate for three hours or overnight. Thread the chevon and capsicum alternatively on to metal skewers. Ensure barbecue or barbecue char-grill plate is hot before you cook. Let the kebabs cook on one side until moisture appears on the top before you turn. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover loosely with foil to rest for two minutes before serving. Serve kebabs with lemon couscous. To make the lemon couscous: cook the leeks in the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter until soft. Set aside. Bring the stock to the boil with the salt and pour over the couscous. Stand for 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the stock. Fluff the couscous with a fork, add the remaining butter. Stir through the cooked leeks, lemon rind and mint.

1-2 hours before cooking, sprinkle the goat liberally with salt, pepper, and a light (but thorough) dusting of sweet (dulce) smoked paprika. Place on a plate in the fridge. Remove the goat from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking, dust lightly with flour and pat off the excess.

Preheat oven to 250˚F

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high until hot. Brown the goat generously on all sides until very brown (never skimp on the browning) and remove from the pan.

Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots to the pan and sweat the vegetables on medium-low for about 5 minutes. Add white wine and sherry vinegar and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and veal stock, return goat to pan, bring almost to a boil (but don’t let it boil.)

Cut out a circular piece of parchment paper just large enough to cover the meat and it’s cooking liquid and place it on the braise, put in the oven. You can also just put a lid loosely on the top, but the goal here is to prevent the braise from ever coming to a boil in the oven. If you cover it tightly with a lid, the internal temperature will easily get above boiling, but using parchment paper or keeping the pot partially uncovered will allow transfer of heat out of the pot and prevent it from coming to a boil. Still, it always helps to check and make sure the braise isn’t boiling from time to time. Turn every hour or so. Check after 3 hours… the goat may not (and probably will not) be tender, turn and return to the oven for another 30 to 90 minutes, checking every 45 minutes or so until very tender.

When tender, remove the meat from braise and cover with foil in a warm place. Strain the sauce into a sauce pan and reduce the sauce on medium high heat until just beginning to thicken. You should end up with roughly ½ cup of liquid. Add a pinch of salt to taste. When pleased with the consistency of the sauce, (it should be pretty thick and definitely coat the back of a spoon) remove from heat and whisk in the butter.

When ready to serve, slice the goat and fan the slices on a pre-warmed plate. Spoon the sauce over the meat.

Serves 3 to 4

Cooking Different Cuts of the Goat

Goat is similar to mutton except it has a gamier taste, but basically goat meat can easily be cooked in the same manner as lamb or mutton. Here are a few ways of serving goat:

   * The neck:
     Place the neck cutlets in a baking dish. Cover the cutlets with sliced onions and heaps of crushed garlic. Then cover the lot with a tin of tomato soup. Marinate for five hours or even a day in the fridge. Cover the meat with foil and cook in a preheated oven at 150°C for four to five hours. Let it cool and skim off any fat. Reheat and serve on a bed of noodles or rice - absolutely fabulous.
      
   * The leg, loin or flap:
     Garnish the leg with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Slice little pockets in the leg and place in slivers of fresh garlic. With loin and flap use crushed garlic. Place the meat in an oven bag and cook in preheated oven at 150°C for three to four hours and serve with baked vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and onions.
      
   * The shoulder:
     A Greek friend once told me that if you want to make tough meat tender, cook it for a very long time with a gentle, low heat. One of the easiest ways to do this is to cook any tough meat in a crock-pot set on the low setting. Garnish the same as you would the leg. I once cooked a shoulder from an old nanny in a crock-pot for 22 hours and it was very tender and succulent.
      
   * A boned-out leg:
     Place the leg in a baking dish and garnish as follows:
         o 3 tablespoons of oil
         o 1 tablespoon of vinegar
         o 1 bay leaf
         o Light sprinkle of chilli powder
         o Pinch of garlic salt
         o Thyme
         o Parsley
         o 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
     Cover and marinade in the fridge for 24 hours and then cook covered in foil or in an oven bag at 150°C for three or four hours. Serve with roast vegetables. This marinade is excellent for lamb and steak as well. Remember, the quality of the meat is important. Young goats (one year or younger) are better to eat, as their meat is not as strong as older animals. If older animals are taken, make sure they are females that are not in oestrous, which can toughen the meat.