Goat Burgers

[BreezyCooking]

This past October I picked up a 1/2 pound package of ground goat meat from the organic meat farm around the corner from me. And since dear non-red-meat-eating husband was dining out yesterday, I got a chance to use it.

Since I wanted to taste it fully without added flavors, I only added freshly ground black pepper & a little salt before forming 2 patties that I plopped into a cast iron skillet lined with a few dollops of extra-virgin olive oil. Cooked them 5 minutes on each side which produced what I believe would be called "medium".

And boy were they DELICIOUS!! Not "lamby", as some would think; more of a mild lamb/beef cross. Regardless - absolutely juicy & delicious. Can't wait to drive over & buy more. Just wish it wasn't so darn pricey.

[pacanis]

What was in them, Breezy.... just goat, or do they add a bit of pork.
There's a bison farm semi-close to me. Ground bison is a bit dry with nothing added. I believe they also sell ground bison with various percentages of other meat added, but it's been a while since I've been there.
It would be easy for me to raise a few goats and have them butchered as opposed to a beef cow. I might have to look into this. First I'll need to find somewhere to try the meat. I've never seen anyone around here raising goats for their meat.

[Uncle Bob]

I've eaten goat, but never goat burgers!! I'd have to grind it myself as stores here would/do not carry ground goat. Miss Breezy do you think they added beef fat to the grind???

[tupperware]

try putting blue cheese inside before cooking.

[BreezyCooking]

Nothing was in them but 100% goat. I will say that they were obviously artisinal ground, as it wasn't the mushy grind one gets at the supermarket, but what one would call more of a super-fine mince.

And while I've often tucked cheese into beef & turkey burgers Tupperware, these babies didn't need any extras. They were spectacular as is.

Here's where I bought the meat from. The farm is just a couple of miles from me. Their free-range pork (from heritage-breed Tamworth hogs), poultry, & eggs are terrific as well.

Bison

[pacanis]

Whew! $5.75/lb..... I guess I would have to raise my own

Thanks for the link.

[BreezyCooking]

Yeah - all their stuff is kind of pricey, but it is good. What a shame that free-range organically-raised meat products are so expensive.

And these folks definitely know their stuff - we've toured their farm every year for the last 10 years. What a wonderful setup. They used to raise rabbits as well, but I guess didn't sell enough to make them profitable. They also tried Guinea Hens a few years ago, but again didn't make enough of a profit on them to continue.

They not only sell to restaurants, but do a number of farmers markets in the area, & told us that the goat meat sells out immediately due to the ethnicity of the Northern Virginia area.

Their heritage breed Tamworth pigs are gorgeous. I'd almost feel guilty eating them if they weren't so darn tasty - lol!!

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

Their heritage breed Tamworth pigs are gorgeous. I'd almost feel guilty eating them if they weren't so darn tasty - lol!!

Oh yeah, babe!

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Whew! $5.75/lb..... I guess I would have to raise my own

Thanks for the link.

I don't know how big your "spread" is but on an area that would starve sheep, and one cow wouldn't last 30 days...the goat can flouish! So maybe ya need to go into the goat business.

[BreezyCooking]

Ahhh - Uncle Bob, while it's true that goats can sustain themselves (not flourish, but just sustain) on pasture & brush that won't support sheep or beef, it's also untrue that one can raise decent meat goats on that alone unless it's a large area with decent forage.

The farm in question has hundreds of acres of decent pasture & woodlands for everything they raise. And they have the knowledge to use what they have efficiently. The goats go into an area first & eat down the brush. Then they move the pigs in to turn over the soil & enjoy the acorns, etc. Once an area has been cleared out, the bison are moved onto it - particularly in the summer where they can escape the VA heat under the mature trees.

Really knowledgeable people here.