How to Tenderize Goat Meat
The practice of eating goat meat is not as common in the United States as it is in other countries. It is the primary meat dish served in many other places in the world including Asia, Greece, Mexico and the Middle East. Goat meat is very low in fat and quite high in protein, making it attractive for people concerned about their diets. That lack of fat, however, also requires cooking methods designed to tenderize the meat in order to keep it from becoming tough and stringy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Remove fresh meat from the original market wrapper and re-wrap unless you will be cooking it the same day you bought it. You can freeze fresh meat up to six months by wrapping it in freezer paper and storing in your freezer, but for ultimate tenderness, goat meat is best cooked fresh.
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Cook goat meat slowly. Cooking at low temperatures will result in a more tender and flavorful dish.
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Use wet cooking methods as opposed to dry. Braising and stewing are good cooking methods for less tender cuts of meat like goat.
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Flatten the meat with a tenderizing mallet or score it across the fibers with a sharp knife. This will break up the muscle fibers making them softer resulting in a more tender piece of meat.
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Use papaya as a natural method to tenderize the goat meat. Deeply peel the skin off a papaya and add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 8 tablespoons of papaya. Grind into a paste and rub onto the meat. The connective tissue in the meat breaks down when it comes in contact with the enzymes contained in the papaya.
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Marinate the meat as an alternative to putting a rub on it. The moist marinade will help tenderize the meat and also add flavor. Some recipes may even tell you to inject the marinade into the meat to ensure it saturates the entire piece.
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Tips & Warnings
If your meat is from an adult goat, stewing is the best method of cooking what will typically be a tougher cut of meat.
