2009_3_17-goat-meat.jpgWhen was the last time you cooked goat? If you come from parts of Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, you probably have had and maybe even cooked goat before so this is old news.

For the rest of you, here's a quick intro...

According to Meat & Livestock Australia, a meat research group based in Sydney, goat meat is the most widely consumed meat in the world, so we felt it was high time we give goats some attention on the site.

2009_3_17-goat-curry2.jpgGoats are closely related to sheep, so when thinking about how you might cook goat, think about how you would cook lamb. Goat meat is very low in fat, with little or not marbling, so it is often cooked slowly and over low heat. Goat meat is referred to with a number of names including kid, chevron, cabrito and mutton (which is also used for lamb in some cultures). It can be cooked as a stew or curry, baked, grilled, barbecued, fried, or made into sausage.

Faith tells me she's been playing around with goat by substituting it into recipes like Lamb Ragu and Curry. Cubed goat stew meat is the most commonly found form, but you can also often find bone-in cuts of shoulder, neck and leg.

Those sound good, but what I'm craving is goat tacos. Turns out, one of my great neighborhood butchers, Ottomanelli's Meat Market, carries a variety of goat meat cuts, so guess where I'm headed later today?

Look for the recipe by the end of the week! In the meantime, leave us your thoughts on goat meat.

Related: Where to Find Exotic Meat in NYC
(Fresh Goat Meat image: Flickr member Chelsea Girl, Goat Curry image: Flickr member avlxyz both licensed for use under Creative Commons)