WASHINGTON — There鈥檚 a new meat making its way onto the plates of Americans — only it isn鈥檛 new at all. It鈥檚 thought to have been one of the , and it鈥檚 a staple protein in several cuisines and cultures around the world, but for many Americans, goat is new.
Jeff Tunks hopes the red meat isn鈥檛 a novelty for too long. The executive chef and owner of is confident that with a little help from house-made corn tortillas, he can introduce goat to the masses with his Jalisco-style roasted goat tacos at .
And Tunks isn鈥檛 the only chef in the D.C. area putting goat on the menu. Mike Isabella serves spiced baby goat with savoy cabbage, black-eyed peas and red pepper at and a wood-roasted spiced baby goat sandwich at . And at on U Street, diners can try a curried goat po-boy or a plate of gnocci covered in a goat Bolognese. Berkeley, California鈥檚, renowned Chez Panisse and Chicago鈥檚 Girl and the Goat also embrace the meat, .
The says goat consumption is on the rise in the U.S. In 1984, the agency, which is responsible for inspecting all meat slaughtered for sale, inspected 107,299 goats. In 2010, that number jumped to 779,000.
Tunks says many factors are driving the consumption of goat. For starters, goat meat is than pork, lamb and chicken, and it鈥檚 more than 50 percent lower in fat than beef and about 40 percent lower in saturated fat than chicken. Calorie-wise, goat is on par with chicken, but contains significantly fewer calories than beef, pork and lamb.
鈥淔inally, people are realizing it鈥檚 nutritious; it鈥檚 one of the best proteins for you. It鈥檚 low in calories, low in fat,鈥� Tunks says.
More meat-eaters are also trying goat for sustainability reasons. Tunks says that while farmers can raise about two cattle per acre of land, they can raise about 10 goats per acre.
鈥淧lus, they鈥檙e like nature鈥檚 lawn mowers,鈥� he says. 聽鈥淪o they鈥檙e easy to raise, they鈥檙e sustainable, they鈥檙e easy on the land, and I think people are realizing it鈥檚 more of a viable option as opposed to cattle or sheep or pork.鈥�
And the options for cooking with goat are endless.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 very versatile,鈥� says Tunks, who adds that goat is common in many Middle Eastern, Caribbean and Latin American cultures, so it can easily adapt to myriad flavors. 聽鈥淵ou could apply it with Asian flavor profiles, with Middle Eastern flavor profiles, with Indian flavor profiles.鈥�
For his Jalisco-style roasted goat tacos, Tunks applies a chile de arbol rub to the meat and slowly braises the hind quarters of the goat for about three hours.
鈥淎nd so the meat鈥檚 very tender, very succulent,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e serve it with a simple diced white onion and cilantro and then a trio of sauces.鈥�
Tunks gets two goats a week delivered to his restaurant from a farmer in Pennsylvania, but he says the meat can be found at area farmers markers or specialty halal markets. And, he says, it鈥檚 relatively easy to prepare at home.
鈥淚f you get more of a shoulder or leg cuts, I think a slow braise, like lamb shank or a veal osso buco, would be the best. If you鈥檙e getting chops or loin, I think even grilling it, like you would a lamb kabob or a lamb chop, would be great,鈥� Tunks says.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just about us experiencing it and being aware of it.鈥�
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