# goat leg for MES



## moikel (Mar 11, 2012)

All of a sudden its raining goats! My local supermarket had them so I bought a hind quarter about 4kg. Must be a lot of people sending stock to market all of a sudden.This guy will go into MES. Maybe with jerk marinade/rub or something middle eastern when I  can rustle up the right guests.


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 12, 2012)

Looks like a good hunk o' meat...I have heard young Male Goats are prefered, have you tried both and noticed a difference in flavor or texture?...JJ


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## moikel (Mar 12, 2012)

Don't know about that. The difference I  see is in the sizes . The little guys are a little bland but tender. The meat that went into curry goat was great & off a goat maybe 12kg.The jerk goat way smaller.

I dont know much about goat breeding I figure  almost all the males from the milking goat outfits are headed for butcher shop. I also figure that there will be a lot of crossbreeding using the better framed meat goats with milking breeds. I  know some of the African breeds are pretty popular.

What I  do like is the fat ratio ,pretty lean & the price,about 30% less than lamb.

I figure there will be plenty of things to try. The curry goat & jerk goat were both winners,curry goat again for dinner tonight. Might dig around the CD  collection for some Bob Marley.


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## venture (Mar 12, 2012)

Can't wait to see this one!

About the only goat meat we find in stores here is stewing or braising material.  I have always wondered where the rest of it went?

Keep us posted!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Mar 12, 2012)

Theres going to be a cut off between roasting & stewing somewhere I just hope I am on right side of the line
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.These goats are having a pretty easy life,bumper season apart from the flooding! They are on good pasture & not walking forever like say Greece or Africa. So they shouldnt be tough.

This one will definitely go into MES I just got to decide what style I am going to cook it. They are lean compared to lamb.It looks more like veal. There must be plenty of European recipes as well.I might poke around looking for something Basque ,Sardinian or Corsican even.


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## moikel (Mar 12, 2012)

Venture said:


> Can't wait to see this one!
> 
> About the only goat meat we find in stores here is stewing or braising material.  I have always wondered where the rest of it went?
> 
> ...


USA imports about 600,000 frozen goat carcasses per year from Australia. Now is probably not the time to give you all the details but there are a hell of a lot of goats running wild in the outback.They get rounded up redomesticated  some go to meat trade straight away(male) others become breeding stock for rapid improvement of herds by introduction of better genetics Boers ,Anglo Nubians.Pretty quick turnaround in herd quality.

The stuff your getting is older animals I figure. Pretty low cost base when your capturing feral animals.

Let me think it through but I am leaning towards something Southern Italian.


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## aussiepete (Mar 12, 2012)

Moikel said:


> All of a sudden its raining goats! My local supermarket had them so I bought a hind quarter about 4kg. Must be a lot of people sending stock to market all of a sudden.This guy will go into MES. Maybe with jerk marinade/rub or something middle eastern when I  can rustle up the right guests.


Is the local supermarket you're referring to one of the supermarket chains we have here or an independent?  The only place I can seem to find goat is the Central Markets here in Adelaide.

Pete


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## moikel (Mar 12, 2012)

Pete, I used to get it from my butcher AC in Leichhardt or the IGA in Habefield .Then when I went looking for bigger ones Moree Meats.Just now it was the butchers in the Market town complex in Leichhardt. I paid $13 a kg for hind 1/4 which is pretty good. Dont know why all of a sudden its turned up everywhere.The little guys that come in at 8kg are expensive .


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## aussiepete (Mar 13, 2012)

Moikel said:


> Pete, I used to get it from my butcher AC in Leichhardt or the IGA in Habefield .Then when I went looking for bigger ones Moree Meats.Just now it was the butchers in the Market town complex in Leichhardt. I paid $13 a kg for hind 1/4 which is pretty good. Dont know why all of a sudden its turned up everywhere.The little guys that come in at 8kg are expensive .


Have you looked into purchasing direct from the farm gate at all?  Given that goat is a feral pest I don't know if there's anyone out there that farms them but could be worth looking into if goat is what you're after.  We used to buy our beef direct from the farm gate, and are now looking at lamb as well, it's much cheaper than a butcher/supermarket but the trade off is when buying a whole lamb or side of beef you get a range of cuts, some of which may not by what you'd typically buy.


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## moikel (Mar 13, 2012)

My butcher has his own farm & some product comes to the butcher shop direct.Its only me ,the wife & 2 luckiest rescue dogs in Australia as the family unit. Buying in bulk wont work & I still get the diet lecture from doctor anyway.I range far & wide across Sydney looking for stuff that interests me.

My theory is that the farmed goats are way better carcass thanks to the use of Boer goats genetics. The wild stuff I  see on TV is really stewing meat or pet food.

I am buying farmed goat.I came off the farm way back where we did our own cattle ,sheep & the odd pig.Where I  got my knife skills & love of good food.


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## moikel (Mar 13, 2012)

Venture said:


> Can't wait to see this one!
> 
> About the only goat meat we find in stores here is stewing or braising material.  I have always wondered where the rest of it went?
> 
> ...


I am going to go Southern Italian with this. I spent a bit of time in Abruzzo over the years where lamb or goat is popular particularly at Easter or spring generally. I got an idea for a marinade/rub then low & slow in MES. 

Give me a while to clear the decks here &  I will see what I  can come up with for the lamb/goat eaters on the forum.


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## moikel (Mar 16, 2012)

Doing a short notice test run now. Used the loin chop section from photo.Thunder storms here I  was going out to pub to watch friday night football but dogs go nuts with thunder so plans changed.

I trawled internet looking for recipes & came up with this.The test is not the full deal but I  want to see about flavour profile & these bigger goats.

Camera battery flat
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  so I will only have photos at end.Charging now. 

I made a paste from garlic,oregano,lemon zest,this smoked spice mix I  bought at food expo,2 smoked chilli.,then 3 anchovy fillets smashed. lemon juice.Its a sort of a Calabrian thing they love their chilli,.

Rubbed it,not that far removed from jerk method.

The advantage is I  saved what little fat there was from inside loin for leg project. When I  do leg I  plan to mix that fat with prosciutto fat,the other stuff then rub it all over leg.I might try to get some more fat from around kidney at store tomorrow.

Its in oven now to late for MES & my team are getting beat.

Battery should be charged enough by half time.


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## moikel (Mar 16, 2012)




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## moikel (Mar 16, 2012)

OK  got it done. The mix that went on it ,a winner
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ,really good.Got some punch from the chilli,anchovy real Southern Italian flavours. BUT it wasnt that tender not tough but...,it may be the change up in size or realistically I  did it in oven pretty quick.If I  am going to pull this leg off I will need to go low slow & moist because leg is going to be tougher than loin.It wasnt tough  but you could tell the difference from the goat that I  made as jerk goat.I let it rest & knocked back panjuices with a little white wine boiled it off.That bit is a keeper,no risk.Lovely bold flavours,I will still tweak it but its close to 100%


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## aussiepete (Mar 16, 2012)

Looks great!  And some nice strong flavours in that paste.  Being a smaller piece of meat, did the garlic cook through in the oven or did it keep some of its "raw kick"?

Pete


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## moikel (Mar 16, 2012)

AussiePete said:


> Looks great!  And some nice strong flavours in that paste.  Being a smaller piece of meat, did the garlic cook through in the oven or did it keep some of its "raw kick"?
> 
> Pete


Cooked through Pete. The paste is a winner,I just got to work out the cooking times & temps to get it tender when I  do the leg. If  I pound all the paste ingredients with what little goat fat I can get some pancetta or prosciutto fat then rub it over leg I  reckon I am halfway there. I think if I put a pan under it in MES with some wine, herbs etc the steam will keep it moist. Just debating how long for the low & slow. Leg is in freezer now .

Major thunderstorm & rain that hit at 2 am only just stopped raining now.Not really weather for outdoor smoking.


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## venture (Mar 17, 2012)

Looks great!  You will get that tenderness thing down I know.

Wish I could have tasted that. Anchovies are an interesting touch.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Mar 17, 2012)

Venture said:


> Looks great!  You will get that tenderness thing down I know.
> 
> Wish I could have tasted that. Anchovies are an interesting touch.
> 
> Good luck and good smoking.


The rub is a done deal,I froze goat leg so I can get to it later.I figure low slow & wet will be key on tenderness issue. I will get to it after I  do the Alpaca .


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## venture (Mar 17, 2012)

I will be looking forward to it.

The freezing should have a slight tenderizing effect, even if it degrades the meat a bit?

I do enjoy the work you do with meats that we can't all readily get.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Mar 17, 2012)

Venture,I have a habit of grabbing stuff first then working out where to next.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  This goat was good value for here & a nice change from the usual beef,pork,chicken.The wife doesnt like lamb,she is a Canuck same as my late mother.She is undecided about goat,bewildered by Alpaca ,likes kangaroo.Go figure!

Stuff ends up in freezer while I do the pitch about why she should try it. The goat leg will come together,must say as curry goat it was really good.


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## moikel (Mar 24, 2012)

OK I bit the bullet & defrosted goat leg.Its going to be a southern Italian that I have put together from a couple of recipes from different regions if anything its Calabrian,but there are bits of Sicily & Sardinia in there as well.The concern is how lean this leg is.So its going into a light marinade of red wine overnight,there was half a bottle sitting out bit of rarity in this house we tend to empty them in one sitting.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I made a paste out of fat from around the goat kidney,some prosciutto fat & some fat I trimmed off the lamb flap I bought as treat for Australias luckiest rescue dogs.I bashed in all together with gbp,sea salt flakes garlic,smoked spice mix..Then in a seperate mix put 4 anchovy fillets,parsley ,oregano,lemon zest. smoked dried chilli.Then its add part A to part B & mix..Thats going to be touched up with some EVO,lemon juice & Im going to rub it all over leg maybe cut a few places to let it penetrate.

I trimmed off shank & tail browned them in pan dropped them in stock pot with ,shallots, parsley stalks,carrot ,bayleaf. I  will let that simmer for whatever  then mix that with red wine marinade to go in pan on shelf below goat when it goes in MES tomorrow. I hope the paste gives it moisture as well as flavour.


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## moikel (Mar 24, 2012)

That was my lamb fat big guy!


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## moikel (Mar 24, 2012)

OK I  rubbed this mix on,letting it come to room temp now.Stock & red wine in pan to go under .I figure I will get it in MES at 80c x 2 hours then bump it to 100c+ until its done.I figure I  can defat pan juices by pouring them over ice cubes in strainer.Might seem kind of goofy to put that fat mix on it given cholesterol etc but I figure I  will make up for it somewhere else.


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## venture (Mar 25, 2012)

PM me after you get out of the hospital?

That dog looks like it is about ready to take a bite out of your a..... and then steal your goat?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Mar 25, 2012)

You could see all her ribs when I  got her,no chance now. .She had been on death row. Renamed Princess by rescue service,boy did they get it right. She saw what she figured was hers come out of fridge only to watch it be used for something else.Unimpressed. Lucky she has beaten up teeth.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Goat leg is in MES now certainly smells good. Stuck probe in it will need a while yet.Will bump it to 125c for last hour. Digging around looking for right wine. I only drink on weekends,Sunday night here


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## moikel (Mar 25, 2012)

Still way to rare but I  can leave it in there for another 90 minutes easy.I cut 3 big slashes in it so rub penetrates.Pan catching drips,suspense is killing me. Will skip carbs & just have salad to = fat rub..This goat was 10kg dressed butcher showed me paperwork.


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## moikel (Mar 25, 2012)

Aint that pretty!


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## moikel (Mar 25, 2012)

Now that was something.Boiled off pan juices,not worth trouble,shouldn't have put it on meat. .Just serve it with bit of rub.Rub a little hot but thats easy fixed ,had a real tang from anchovies,lemon,smoked spice mix.But the real test was it was tender & soft,pink as I carved further in,but moist,juices coming from meat. As good as any lamb any day but got a different taste not huge different but different. Worth the trouble such as it was. 

Mix is a keeper.With lamb,ditch fat just use rest of ingredients. It wasn't that fatty,a lot of it rendered out then dripped down over meat.I didnt have a recipe in front of me just an idea ,some ingredients 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
& my feel as to that Southern Italian flavour profile.It was a combination of things that  I read/saw,might need to back the salt off a tad as well. Lot of uneaten salad
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.That was so tasty. I drank a wine thats a local take on an Italian wine ,La Signora by Casa Freschi out of Langhorne Creek.


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## africanmeat (Mar 25, 2012)

Moikel  this looks like a great meal my Friend .was the goat meat like a game flavor ?


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## moikel (Mar 25, 2012)

Its not gamey! Very tasty . The Boer breed goats that we shipped here from your country have improved the meat no end.My farmer friends tell me its the same deal with the Dorper breed of sheep we imported from S.A. Mixed with our version of British breeds of sheep,Border Leicsters,Dorsets,Suffolks, has resulted in bigger,meatier lambs.

The goat is funny in the sense that the milk products came first,the meat was always there we just had to have it put in front of us by cooks who understood it & cooked it in their traditional way.

I had a great time doing this. Our biggest agricultural show is at Easter. My old time friends are cattle breeders but I will find some time to head to the goat/sheep pavillions to learn a little more. And the Alpaca section of course.


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## smokinjoe1970 (Sep 18, 2012)

looks amazing


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## smokinjoe1970 (Sep 18, 2012)

nice


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