Calling Thaddeus Smith

[BigStewMan]

@Thaddeus Smith Hey Brother ... couldn’t find your Goat thread or whatever it was called; but, just curious as to how you prepare the goat to eat?  When i was living in Los Angeles, i used to go to this Mexican restaurant that had Goat and i’d get a burrito that, on the menu, was called Birria.  I don’t speak Spanish and Google Translate didn’t show Birria as meaning Goat; but, man it was the best tasting meat that i’ve ever had. 

[Thaddeus Smith]

So we'll typically have the legs and shoulders set aside for roasts - I've done those on the grill with just salt and pepper, roasted the in the oven a couple of different ways, or in the crock pot. It's hard to find recipes that aren't fairly time intensive or either mexican/Spanish or middle eastern in nature. We've experimented with some, but ultimately we eat our goats as a lean red meat replacement to beef.

 

We also keep the chops and I usually grill those up.

 

The rest we grind up, again as a replacement for ground beef.

 

Bones and primary organs go into soups and stews.

 

We love the flavor and texture of the meat - a very palatable alternative to beef that's really nothing like lamb and can therefore be eaten more often without becoming tired of the flavor.

 

The critical piece for us is that they are an animal we can easily grow and maintain on our property, with our hectic lifestyle, and still achieve the goal of growing our own food.

[BigStewMan]

2 minutes ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

So we'll typically have the legs and shoulders set aside for roasts - I've done those on the grill with just salt and pepper, roasted the in the oven a couple of different ways, or in the crock pot. It's hard to find recipes that aren't fairly time intensive or either mexican/Spanish or middle eastern in nature. We've experimented with some, but ultimately we eat our goats as a lean red meat replacement to beef.

 

We also keep the chops and I usually grill those up.

 

The rest we grind up, again as a replacement for ground beef.

 

Bones and primary organs go into soups and stews.

 

We love the flavor and texture of the meat - a very palatable alternative to beef that's really nothing like lamb and can therefore be eaten more often without becoming tired of the flavor.

 

The critical piece for us is that they are an animal we can easily grow and maintain on our property, with our hectic lifestyle, and still achieve the goal of growing our own food.

sounds like you eat well.  It is probably my favorite of the meats. 

[Thaddeus Smith]

As to seasoning - it can actually be a fairly sweet meat, so it responds well to classic salt and pepper or more robust seasoning.

It's also generally very lean, so don't be shy with cooking oils or fats to keep it from drying out. The meat responds well to "low and slow" cooking methods.

 

The most exotic thing I've tried was a coffee grind rub - totally winged it and it was... ok, but the earthy flavors probably would have better suited a leg of lamb. We only harvest a couple of goats a time, so I'm usually pretty timid - I don't want to waste the meat on an experiment. One of these days we'll do a whole goat roast, maybe buried pit style, and share with a bunch of people. Right now, we're still having to overcome people's perceptions about what to expect with goat meat. Goat milk seems to be an even tougher hurdle - though the milk is really creamy and sweet, people just can't bring themselves to try it. It's quite unfortunate.

 

 

[BigStewMan]

have you done any marinades?  Having lived most of my life in Los Angeles area, Mexican has been a huge influence on my diet. I used to get this pork that was “Al Pastor” and was some sort of marinade in chilis. Again, great tasting stuff for my palate. 

 

[Thaddeus Smith]

5 minutes ago, BigStewMan said:

sounds like you eat well.  It is probably my favorite of the meats. 

 

We're starting to! We've really enjoyed harvesting and eating our whole chickens this year. Still trying to retrain our eating habits to where we consume less proteins each week and therefore maximize how long our meat harvests last. As a society in America we've gotten quite used to a glut of meats and proteins every day and it's really just not necessary.

 

We also try to reduce our food waste.

 

All veggie scraps go to the chickens and pigs and goats, based on their preferences. Whatever those animals won't eat goes into the compost bins. Sometimes I make too much and we can enjoy leftovers only so much. Those will eventually make their way to the chickens/pigs/or Sam the Guard Dog.

 

I convert bones and "cast off" components - carcasses, feet, necks, organs etc into either soup stock or fully developed soups, usually every other week or so. I've got several gallons of stuff in the freezer right now, just waiting for colder weather so we can enjoy. My dad loves chicken gizzards, so that was what he chose as compensation for helping us harvest 43 birds over July 4th weekend. These things were palm sized and cleaned up really nicely, and he was quite tickled to have so much to work with.

 

I also pick up spent brewery grains twice a week from a local brewery and those are fed to all of the animals - pigs, chickens, goats, turkeys as feed supplement.

 

[Thaddeus Smith]

4 minutes ago, BigStewMan said:

have you done any marinades?  Having lived most of my life in Los Angeles area, Mexican has been a huge influence on my diet. I used to get this pork that was “Al Pastor” and was some sort of marinade in chilis. Again, great tasting stuff for my palate. 

 

 

I haven't! I rarely plan ahead enough to permit additional soaking time, but I sure do like marinated meats.

[BigStewMan]

so have you any idea how much the cost difference is between buying from a grocery and the overhead of raising the meat yourself? 

[dirtmudd]

41 minutes ago, BigStewMan said:

@Thaddeus Smith Hey Brother ... couldn’t find your Goat thread or whatever it was called; but, just curious as to how you prepare the goat to eat?  When i was living in Los Angeles, i used to go to this Mexican restaurant that had Goat and i’d get a burrito that, on the menu, was called Birria.  I don’t speak Spanish and Google Translate didn’t show Birria as meaning Goat; but, man it was the best tasting meat that i’ve ever had. 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/birria-family-recipe-2342673

[BigStewMan]

2 minutes ago, dirtmudd said:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/birria-family-recipe-2342673

wow Mike ... thanks for that info.  I’m not a cook and would screw it up; but, that is some prep time ... although most of it is the soaking overnight. I could eat that Birria everyday and never tire of it. 

[Schu]

Good birria is a little tricky to cook... it's usually prepared in a copper caldron... and it must be copper. It's cooked for a long time and has a myriad of spices. 

[Thaddeus Smith]

2 minutes ago, BigStewMan said:

so have you any idea how much the cost difference is between buying from a grocery and the overhead of raising the meat yourself? 

 

Only vaguely, but if I were to sell mine it would be about $35+ for a whole chicken that's 3-5lbs. There's precedence out there for this price point, both locally and on some online shops. Initial cost of stock, feed, infrastructure for pasture raising, processing, USDA licensing and inspection, etc. We're certainly not doing this to save money - it's entirely an exercise of learning about our food cycle, improving the quality of our food, enriching our own lives through the experience, and running the farm at large as a teaching tool for our girls.

 

People are increasingly becoming aware of what it takes to feed our massive society and are disgusted by what that looks like. We certainly were, but instead of expressing outrage and a general statement of "somebody should do something about it".. we've decided to take over ownership of our food wherever possible. We're like 30% converted over to growing our own food, so don't let me fool you into thinking we're just crushing the goal. Someday maybe!

 

It absolutely has become a lifestyle, and it consumes funds that could be focused on other hobbies or areas of concern but we've decided to make this a priority for our foreseeable future and have adapted/sacrificed accordingly. I mean, people blow money on a great many things which don't include the whole family, teach an honest work ethic, build character, and open up doors for public education. So we feel like it's a solid investment of our resources.

[Thaddeus Smith]

These guys do what we do, just at commercial production scale and have their own processing plants on site, far more accommodating weather, fewer predator risks, etc.

 

https://primalpastures.com/collections/all-products

[BigStewMan]

4 minutes ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

improving the quality of our food

my family comes from the Azores Islands. I was born in California though.  My grandfather did come to America and one day said he needed to go back to the Island of Faial, where he was born, because he wanted to die there.   He died the day he got back there. My Aunt had to travel there to bring my Grandmother and my Grandfather’s body back to California.  She stayed with some relatives that we still have there. When dinner time came, they went outside and caught a chicken, butchered it and cooked it. Grabbed veggies out of their garden. My Aunt said it was the best meal that she had on that entire trip...better than any of the hotel meals. 

[Marvel]

Awesome thread! Fresh is good, but it certainly takes/means a lifestyle change. Division of labor changed the world, sometimes not for the better. A sincere tip of the hat to you, Michael!

[DizRotus]

11 hours ago, BigStewMan said:

. . . but, just curious as to how you prepare the goat to eat?  

 

What’s the mystery?  Put the food in a dish and ring a bell.  If the goat’s hungry it will eat.

 

[jimjimbo]

11 hours ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

The critical piece for us is that they are an animal we can easily grow and maintain on our property,

You heathen.....poor baby goats....

 

 

[Thaddeus Smith]

3 minutes ago, jimjimbo said:

You heathen.....poor baby goats....

 

They're 1-2 years old by the time we eat them. Baby goats are definitely cute. Adult goats are definitely tasty.