We recently hosted a goat butchery with the help of whole-animal butcher/educator Anica Wu, Chef Duskie Estes, and Chef Tim Edmonds.
Goat Butchering Workshop with Chefs
09/23/2024
By: Kathy Webster
We recently hosted a goat butchery with the help of whole-animal butcher/educator Anica Wu, Chef Duskie Estes, and Chef Tim Edmonds. The idea of hosting a goat butchery happened during a conversation with Anica Wu who is part of the Women in Ranching network. Anica and I started discussing the possibility of hosting a butchery workshop, and I thought, let’s do this with a goat carcass from the TKR herd and invite chefs!
We focused on chefs from restaurants throughout the greater Bay Area. Our goal was to take the fear out of putting goat on the menu.
Some interesting facts about goat meat:
- Goat is the most consumed protein around the world, but in the US eaters consume about a quarter pound of goat meat per year on average
- Since goats are browsers, they have a lower impact on the land,
- Goats clear invasive weeds, reduce the need to use chemical herbicides, help with fire suppression, and their manure and urine help improve soil health.
- Goat meat contains 72 percent of the saturated fat in chicken and only 16 percent of the saturated fat in beef, according to the USDA.
We focused on chefs, as they are trusted and have the power to change eaters’ perceptions of food. During the workshop, the attendees got to understand what cuts come from which part of the carcass, and we also served them some goat-centric dishes made by our local Chef Tim Edmonds and Chef Duskie Estes.
The Menu
Bangers and Mash
Goat sausage infused with pork fat, mashed potatoes with goat cheese, Jimmy Nardallo peppers
Jjigae Stew with Kimchi and Rice
Goat meat, kimchi, rice
Mini Goat Tacos
Goat meat, hand-pressed tortillas, cabbage, salsa
Barbacoa
Slow-cooked goat meat with traditional spices
Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Goat cheese, graham cracker crust, berries
Why goats? “Goats are noble creatures of great utility, and it’s time someone put some work into their PR,” James Whetlor, Chef/Author, wrote in his book Goat: Cooking and Eating. Since TomKat Ranch recently incorporated a herd of Spanish Cashmere goats to the grazing program and with more ranchers integrating these thrifty grazers into their herds, we wanted to build up some advocacy around goats—from field to plate. Some of the chefs who participated in the workshop described the goat as ‘delicate’ and ‘tender’ with a sweet flavor.
“We’re proud to be raising animals on the earth in a way that is constructive, rather than destructive,” says Mukethe Kawinsi, TomKat Ranch’s small ruminant assistant, “the goat that the chefs enjoyed lived their entire lives in our landscape—their grazing fed this land and this land fed those grazing animals. As the herd eats through thistle and trefoil and bramble in bloom, they help make the soil healthier and bring this unique ecosystem back into balance. Managing land with ruminants and sharing the resulting food in our communities only makes the work more holistic, restorative, and satisfying.”
We ended the day with a challenge to the chefs to come up with a menu item and recipe and submit it to TomKat Ranch for a prize. They have two weeks to submit and we will share these recipes with the ranchers raising goats so they can help promote their goat meat.
You can watch a short video of the day here.
