Consider the Goat

By Staff in Food on Apr 1, 2011 8:20PM

The idea of eating cute creatures like goats or lambs may be unpleasant for many who only want the meat of more aesthetically deficient animals. The demand for goat meat is increasing, however. Last year, some even feared a goat shortage due to the sudden high demand. Chefs such as Rick Bayless and Stephanie Izard who are utilizing the meat may be partly responsible for its increasing popularity.

Many Chicago restaurants are serving goat and meat vendors such as Fox & Obel and Halsted Packing House are selling the meat, as well. Birriería Zaragoza in Archer Heights has become a popular location for Mexican-style goat. According to the young birria cook, the goats come from Indiana where they are free range and grass-fed. They are then steamed for six hours, rubbed with a mole sauce, and roasted in the oven. The whole process takes nine hours. The meat is then topped with a delicately salted tomato consommé and garnished with cilantro, white onion, and lime. You can also order an ample amount of salsa for $3. The salsa is made with roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chiles de árbol and mashed in a molcajete, which is the old-timey and superior way to make salsa. For those of you who have not tried goat in birria form, the texture is similar to pulled pork, and the taste is only slightly gamier than beef.

— By Erika Sanchez