Heritage Breed Goat Leg Meat

LEG OF GOAT

Bone-in — a stunning centerpiece — Shannon Creek Farm

$98
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Leg of Goat
Shannon Creek Farm, Kansas Flint Hills

Goatober is 14 years old! October is the natural season for goat meat, and as we have for over a decade, we are proud to feature cuts of goat as part of our effort to celebrate just how delicious goat meat is. 

As an alternative to beef or lamb, goat leg simply cannot be beat —  goat is a savory, lean, red meat with a clean, herbaceous finish – it is bright and floral with an unexpected depth of robust flavor. The leg of goat provides a formidable centerpiece worthy of King Arthur, but down-to-earth enough for a family holiday, or simply a special sandwich.

We recommend covering the roast thoroughly in salt, pepper, olive oil, and rosemary sprigs. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and then roll it down to 325 to roast the goat until the internal temperature reaches 145 for a perfect medium rare (or a little bit less, as the roast will continue to cook after leaving the oven).

Although leaner than beef or lamb, goat meat is rich and flavorful and boasts light floral notes in every bite. Because goat meat has less fat, it lends itself to slow and low cooking including braises and barbecue — see our Cooking Tab for more information!

Goatober has come a long way since the great cheesemonger Anne Saxelby came up with the idea 14 years ago! Goatober was launched because dairies need to produce milk to make cheese, and the only way for an animal to make milk is to have babies. On goat dairies, whenever a male is born, unless it’s kept as a breeder, there is not much use for it since males do not produce milk and the market for male goats is not a large one in the United States. Some male babies are sold onto the commodity market to lead unhappy lives in confinement while others are euthanized.

We wanted to launch a project to keep all the kids on the farm, roaming the pastures, while also providing an additional source of income to the farmers. The natural mating cycle of goats is to be born in the spring and be ready for processing in the fall — that is why we call the project Goatober although it has gone by other names too like No Kid Left Behind!

Since 2010 Goatober has grown to become a celebration of all things goat, the most widely consumed protein on the planet!

  • 100% antibiotic free
  • Humanely raised on pasture by independent family farms

 

Farm
Shannon Creek Farm – Manhattan, Kansas

Joseph Hubbard is one of the youngest farmers in the Heritage Foods network. Joseph learned the art of farming from his family and raises sheep and goats on the vast Flint Hill pastures around Manhattan, Kansas.

The Flint Hills, a band of hills in eastern Kansas stretching into North Central Oklahoma, is a region that is not good for plant agriculture, but ideal for pasture raised animals. This ecological region is where the most dense coverage of intact tallgrass prairie can be found in North America including Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, and Sideoats Grama. These tallgrass varieties are responsible for producing the tastiest grass fed animals on the planet.

Joseph raises multiple breeds of lamb for different reasons: Katahdin for their multiple birth and high growth rate, St. Croix for the natural tannin in their gut that wards off parasites and White Dorper for their muscling. Joseph is also a major producer for our Goatober Project and has been growing meat goats for Heritage Foods for almost a decade! His primary breed is the Boer goat. The Boer or Boerbok is a South African breed of meat goat. It was selectively bred in the Eastern Cape from about 1920. It has been exported to many countries, and has been used to improve the meat qualities of other breeds.
Cooking

Goat cuts ideal for slow and low cooking like braises and barbecue include leg, shoulder, ribs, and shanks, and goat chops and rack can be seared in a pan.

How to Prepare

1. Take the roast out of the refrigerator an hour prior to cooking.

2. Preheat your oven to 450℉.

3. Season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.

4. Sear on all sides in a hot pan until browned.

5. Move to a roasting pan lined with a rack and cook at 450℉ for 15-20 mins for an even crust.

6. Lower the oven temperature to 300℉ and cook for 30 minutes checking the meat every 15 minutes thereafter until the roast reaches your desired internal temperature (130℉ approximately for goat to medium rare.) The internal temperature will continue to rise slightly after leaving the oven. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.