Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
your knife to make a cut into the lower abdomen, being very careful not to puncture any in-
ternal organs. Extend the incision to the tip of the breastbone. Remove the penis in male an-
imals at this point. Use a tub or a wheelbarrow to catch the intestines. Cut through the fat and
tissue attachment holding the intestines inside the abdomen. Pull the anus out through the ab-
domen and gently, yet firmly, pull the intestines and bladder from the body. At this point, you
can save the liver and kidneys for cooking if you desire. Once the intestines are out, you will
need to sever the esophagus. This tube runs from the mouth to the stomach. Try to cut it as far
away from where it enters the stomach as possible. Once this is cut, the intestines should be
out of the carcass and in your container.
Next, cut through the diaphragm to remove the heart and lungs. Cut through the tissues at-
taching heart and lungs (the pluck) to the body, and sever the windpipe at the top of the lungs.
The heart can be saved while the lung and windpipe usually are discarded along with the in-
testines. The heart is another organ from the goat that can be used for special dishes, espe-
cially in some ethnic cuisines. You will need to remove the rest of the windpipe by cutting
through the neck to remove this structure. Once the internal organs are removed, wash the en-
tire carcass inside and out with water, preferably from a running hose, to remove blood, hair,
and debris. Allow the water to drain, and then cover the carcass loosely with clean plastic.
Allow the goat carcass to hang for a week or more to age the meat, which makes it tenderer.
Carcasses should be allowed to hang outside only if the temperature remains between 25 and
40 degrees F — this is why it is best to butcher animals during the winter. If the temperature
does not remain between this range, you will need to cut up the meat and freeze it or have an
alternative refrigeration means available, such as a refrigerator at a local butcher shop.
Finding an outside butcher
If you would like to have an outside butcher harvest and process your goats, you can contact
your state meat inspection agency. They inspect processors and slaughterhouses where anim-
als are processed and maintain a listing of licensed butchers in each state. They should be able
to help you find a local butcher. Or, you can check online or in the yellow pages for a butcher
in your area.
Goats are covered under the U.S. Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and must be
slaughtered under federal or state inspection. Any carcasses slaughtered for sale must be in-
spected. In 2007, (the latest year numbers were reported), 837,300 goats were federally in-
spected for slaughter.
