goat stew

I think if you live in America (and probably most Western countries) and you only know one thing about goats, it’s that they eat tin cans for some reason. I can’t imagine that they can actually eat metal, but I also can’t be bothered to look it up. I think because goats have a reputation for being walking trash cans, a lot of folks are hesitant to eat them. Which is weird because people love pork and if I had to judge one of the two for its eating habits, I’d pick the one that will eat rotten carcasses, Vegas buffet leftovers, and its own young.

Consider Bardwell Farms, our source for goat cheese, had some goat meat this weekend at the farmers’ market, so I picked some up. I’ve heard goat is somewhere between lamb and venison in flavor, and to me, it definitely tasted more like venison. Still, you should be able to use goat for pretty much any recipe you use lamb in. It’s really lean, so drying out is a concern, which makes it a good candidate for braises and stews. I used some pork broth for this stew because we had pork on Friday and I made broth from it, but you could also use another kind of broth or red wine.

Goat Stew

1 lb. goat stew meat, cut into 2 inch cubes, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 pint broth
1 small onion (red if you’ve got it), peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 bay leaves
sprinkle of cinnamon
salt, pepper
little bit of oil
2 tbs. vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

In a deep heavy-bottomed pan, heat a little oil on high. Add the goat meat and brown it on all sides. Remove to a bowl, should take about 6 minutes total.

Turn the heat to medium, add a little more oil if it’s dry and add the onions and garlic. Stir occasionally.

When the onions are soft, return the goat to the pan, dump in the broth, add the bay leaves, the cinnamon, and the vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the heat to high until the liquid starts boiling, then turn to low, and cover. Let it go for 1.5 hours or more. During cooking, if you want it to have more liquid, add some water.

Serve over something like rice or potatoes.