Goat as a Lion-Diet Experiment

• Beef and lamb had been regular foods for years, while goat meat had never been tried, making this an experiment in whether goat is an overlooked carnivore option.
• Goat is ruminant meat, making it suitable for the lion diet of ruminant meat, salt, and water, and this was an experiment in preparation for doing lion diet.

Preparing and Braising the Goat

• The package was simply marked goat meat and contained bone-in pieces of unknown cuts, so low-and-slow cooking was used without trying to identify or separate the pieces.
• The meat was salted with kosher salt, then all the pieces were seared in tallow; for lion diet, another ruminant fat such as lamb or goat fat also works.
• The pieces included small marrow bones, skin, connective tissue, and visible fat, which looked promising for a long braise.
• After searing over medium-high heat, about 1½ cups of water went into the pot. Ruminant meat or bone broth also works while staying within lion diet.
• The goat braised at 300°F for about 3½ hours. At the two-hour mark the liquid was getting low, so about another half cup of water was added.

Finished Goat

• After 3½ hours, the goat was deeply caramelized and the meat had fallen off the bones, with a substantial amount of rendered fat remaining and very little liquid.
• There were many small bones throughout the cooked meat, so they need to be watched for and picked out while eating.
• The finished dish contained meat, bone marrow, fat, and connective tissue and had reduced far beyond the consistency normally associated with a stew.

First Taste

• Goat was expected to resemble lamb, perhaps with a stronger or gamier flavor, but it tasted neither like lamb nor like beef.
• The closest description of the flavor was a combination of beef, lamb, and chicken, and the result was delicious.
• The verdict was that goat is a carnivore gem and a great ruminant-meat choice for lion diet.

Cost and Verdict

• The goat cost about $10 per pound compared with $8.99 per pound for locally purchased one-pound packages of ground beef, making it only somewhat more expensive.
• The first experience with goat was pleasantly surprising, and it will definitely be made again; it was unexpected and well worth trying.

References None.