As goat meat is extremely lean, it does best with moist-heat methods of cooking such as braising and pot-roasting. A Mexican street-food favorite is birria, made by marinating leg of goat with a chile paste and spices, then pot-roasting or stewing until tender; it's served in tortillas topped with onions and cilantro. Jamaicans make curried goat in dozens of variations, but all with some blend of hot chile, such as a Scotch bonnet, and a mix of warm spices --allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander and black pepper. Greeks and Italians will spit-roast a whole kid in the same way they spit-roast lamb, and many American goat ranchers sell chops, legs and ground meat to use in any recipe in which you'd use lamb or even beef.

Southwest Leg of Goat

1 cup white wine or vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (5- to 7-pound) leg of goat, boned
3 large potatoes, quartered
3 onions, quartered
3 large chiles or peppers, seeded and sliced
2 garlic clovers, skin removed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine vinegar, oil and seasonings and pour over goat meat in a glass baking dish. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 12 to 24 hours, turning often.

Remove goat, strain marinade and reserve. Place potatoes, onion, chiles and garlic in shallow roasting pan and pour 1/4 cup marinade over vegetables. Place goat on roasting rack over vegetables. Pour 1/4 cup marinade over goat. Roast for approximately 25 minutes per pound.

Serve with vegetables. Use drippings for gravy, if desired.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Goat Facts

With more ranchers raising goat, the fresh meat is increasingly available to chefs and home cooks. Here are some quick tips to purchase that perfect piece of goat meat.

What to look for: Look for younger animals. White bones will be the leading tell tale sign, as bones in older animals start turning yellow. Older animals have a higher meat to bone ratio, however, the better quality and milder-tasting meat is from younger animals.

The growing popularity, topped with price points you can obtain, make this healthy red meat a perfect addition to many menus across the country.

How to cook it: Goat can be substituted for lamb in most recipes. Commercial cuts are similar to lamb cuts (shoulder, leg, loin, etc.).

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