Why It's Best To Cook Goat Meat In Stews And Marinades

Goat meat is an often-overlooked meat in the United States that is actually eaten all over the world. Unlike the process for preparing most meats, goat is often slow-cooked using some form of marinade or stew.

Birria, for example, is traditionally a stew made from tender goat meat that spends hours on heat. We also know it as braised beef in a taco shell. But the reason for goat meat's different cooking style comes down to its natural leanness; the meat is so low in fat that it tends to dry out if cooked any other way.

Goat meat is considered red meat, but it doesn't contain nearly the same saturated fat as beef. While grilling a beef burger on hot grates makes for a juicy patty, goat meat doesn't have quite as much moisture, leaving it too dry to enjoy if cooked using the same method. But when it's steeped in liquid, such as a marinade or stew, the meat tenderizes without drying out.

If you're familiar with beef birria tacos, you might not know that birria actually originated with goat meat. And for good reason: Goats were a dime a dozen in Jalisco, Mexico, but the tough, lean meat made it hard to enjoy. However, after spending hours in a marinade of chiles and other flavorful ingredients, the goat became tender and rich, and birria was born.

Elsewhere in the world, that marinade changes depending on flavors familiar to the region. In Jamaica, curried goat is a slow-cooked stew made with various spices, including curry powder, along with potatoes, onions, and hot peppers. While the marinade changes, the cooking style remains the same; low and slow in liquid.

Similarly, in Morocco, goat stew is a delicacy, but it's made with a slightly different spice blend and marinade that includes ras al hanout — a spice mix native to the country, made with spices like cardamom, ginger, and mace.

It seems that everywhere but in the United States, goat meat is a regular part of people's diets. Despite having to stew it for several hours, it remains one of the most popular meats around the globe, ranking fourth in the world along with sheep for the most-consumed meat, according to the USDA. While meats like pork and chicken are far more widely consumed, goat still makes the list, and it's likely because, in certain areas, goat meat is so accessible.

In the case of birria, the goat population increased so heavily throughout Jalisco, Mexico, centuries ago that people had no choice but to consume the animal's meat. Plus, leaving it to cook on its own for hours meant people didn't have to tend to it at all times and could do other things.

The nutritional benefits of goat meat are desirable, too, since it's loaded with protein and iron but low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol, making it a better option for regular consumption than other forms of red meat, such as beef.