Where to get fresh goat, regularly??

I'm assuming the best place will be a Hispanic market, but many do not carry it or don't do so reliably and some freeze it.

I'm looking for fresh goat stew meat, goat shank, and goat shoulder (for light, slow smoking).

I'll travel, but spots near Pilsen or up near Bucktown/logan square would be preferable. Also the prefered Devon location could be occasionally useful.


Thanks,

Griffin

I"m pretty sure Peoria Packing on Lake St. carries fresh goat regularly. For the address search LTH, the address has been posted several times.

Is this poor fella from Noor lamb or goat? I can't remember.

Griffin

Be it whole or hunk, Halsted Packing House is an excellent source for fresh killed lamb, pig and goat.

Halsted Packing House
445 N Halsted
Chicago
312 421 5147

That's lamb. I've been shopping at City Noor for 5 or 6 years and I don't believe I've ever seen goat there. Beef, veal, lamb, chicken, all halal, are their mainstays. Maybe they carry it sometimes but I'd be surprised to hear they have been over all these years I've been visiting them.

On Halsted is a butcher shop, east side of the street a little ways south of Grand (but north of Lake) that carrys goat and lamb and suckling pigs. I'd give them a try.

Antonius


Added post-post:
P.S. Writing this while JSM was posting, I now see that the place he mentioned with detailed info is the one I mentioned here with no details. They used to have the windows largely covered but last time I went by, you could see in. I think it is a Greek-run business -- not sure where i got that idea from, though...

They advertise goat on their awning.

extramsg wrote:They advertise goat on their awning.

I'll ask after it next time I'm there -- I might be going for Easter. I don't recall ever once seeing it on any of the signs on the red-meat counter but, as I said, I allow for the possibility. But not having seen it over 5-6 years in the advertisements on the cooler, I can't help but wonder if it is only an occasional item or something they stopped carrying since the sign was made.

Did you see it there when you visited?

I'd have to look back at my notes. I was on sensory overload that day, too, so names of things weren't high on the mental priority list. I took over 1000 photos that day.

For what it's worth, a neighbour of mine, now retired, who hails from northern Mexico and worked many, many years in the packing industry here in Chicago, once told me that 90% of the "goat" sold in Chicago was in fact mutton. Now, for various reasons I am inclined very much to believe he knows whereof he speaks, though his statement may be one that was more true in times past, when he was still in the business, than it is now. Demographic changes and changes within the industry may since have made real goat more available, but according to my neighbour this was a widespread form of cheating: selling cheap mutton as the more expensive and harder to get goat.

This gentleman is an amazing source of information on matters norteño, matters regarding meat, and the history of this and other Mexican neighbourhoods in Chicago. His wife makes incredible home-made tamales, the best I've ever had.

Antonius

Halsted Packing is definetly a greek owned business. A few years back I purchased a fresh ham from them at Easter. While I was waiting I saw more than a few fresh killed, brown paper wrapped goat carcasses going out the door on the shoulders of what appeared to be a mostly Greek and Mexican clientele.

Hi,

I have seen signs advertising goat meat in windows along Devon Avenue in the region roughly between California and Ridge.

Bismallah on Devon, just east of California I believe, has baby goat, whole or half (and quite possibly other cuts of goat). Also excellent baby lamb, better than I've ever seen at Noor (which I like quite a lot, but Bismallah gets my business for the half baby lamb).

Annieb:

Can you give a rough idea of the cost for the half baby lamb? That sounds like an option for Easter i should perhaps try.

A

Annie,

Maybe you could also comment how you will prepare the baby lamb?

BTW - I have received both books you recently recommended.

Thank you!

Noor Meat at 2505 W. Devon sells whole and half goats.

Another good butcher on Da'Bomb is Farm City at 2255 W. Devon (where one can also frequently find frozen camel meat.)

Both places, I believe, are halal if that matters.

Rob

Antonius wrote:For what it's worth, a neighbour of mine, now retired, who hails from northern Mexico and worked many, many years in the packing industry here in Chicago, once told me that 90% of the "goat" sold in Chicago was in fact mutton.
Antonius

Well, mutton wouldn't be so bad. My wife and I actually prefer the more gamey taste of mutton and older lambs to baby lamb. It's also why we prefer to slow roast or even slow smoke (with very light smoke) the tougher fatter cuts over the very mild baby lamb chops.

In fact, the one time we were in KC, MO we had BBQ 6 times in 72 hours and one of the most memorable was the mutton ribs at Gates and the only way you get any meat on the rib itself is with the older animals.

I'll have to inquire about mutton ribs at some of these places you all mention.

Thanks all for the info.

as Rob notes, Farm City is a good place for goat. On Devon, it has generally the best looking goat around I've seen at the butcher shops around there, also the best prices.

At a number of other places you can special order larger orders like whole or half goats

zim wrote:At a number of other places you can special order larger orders like whole or half goats

Zim,

Both Peoria Packing and Grant Park Packing sell whole goat. As noted there are any number of places that sell goat, including Andy's on Kedzie, where I snapped this picture yesterday.



Enjoy,
Gary

Andy's Fruit Ranch
4725 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-583-2322

Peoria Packing
1300 W Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312-738-1800
M-Sat 6am-5pm
Sunday 9am-3pm

Grant Park Packing
842 W Lake
Chicago, IL 60607
312-421-4096

Antonius,

2 years ago I paid about $28 bucks for a half lamb. Cut in two pieces it fit perfectly in my large oval cazuela and fed four generously with not much left over, enough for a rice pilaf.

Last year I got one, it was larger and was in the $30-$35 dollar range.

The owner requires that you take either the head or the liver and kidneys. It is worth calling ahead if you want a particularly small one. I generally call and let him know when I'm going to purchase one, just to make sure he's got one on hand. I know I've found the number online, but I can't seem to find it now and am on deadline. It's just west of Republic Bank on Devon, a small storefront on the north side of the street.

C2, I generally marinate with salt, pepper, some greek rigani off the branch, lemon, olive oil. Sometimes garlic sometimes not. Hope you enjoy the books.

Since the last post was in 2005, I thought I'd check up on places to buy goat shoulder. Is Farm City still a good option?

There's some discussion from 2010 (last time I went looking for goat) and I thought there was a Tribune article on finding goat as well...

viewtopic.php?p=305624#p305624

ah, found the link to the Trib article - also in 2010, but it looks like the Trib has hidden it well...

viewtopic.php?p=303514#p303514

a google search comes up with this, but it doesn't talk too much about where to buy it
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010 ... -meat-menu

Hi,

I've purchased goat at Pete's Fresh Market at 47th and Kedzie pretty regularly. It's not there every time I go, but usually I see it on weekends. Very tender and mild.

I'm pretty sure that Nea Agora on Taylor does goat as well as lamb.

Antonius wrote:For what it's worth, a neighbour of mine, now retired, who hails from northern Mexico and worked many, many years in the packing industry here in Chicago, once told me that 90% of the "goat" sold in Chicago was in fact mutton. Now, for various reasons I am inclined very much to believe he knows whereof he speaks, though his statement may be one that was more true in times past, when he was still in the business, than it is now. Demographic changes and changes within the industry may since have made real goat more available, but according to my neighbour this was a widespread form of cheating: selling cheap mutton as the more expensive and harder to get goat.

This gentleman is an amazing source of information on matters [i]norte

I don't believe it for a second!
I regularly purchase goat at Hispanic markets, it's fairly easy to tell from lamb visually and definitely easy to tell by taste.
Hispanic markets get it sawn and frozen in pieces. Fresh farms may have fresh goat.
Call and talk with the manager and ask specifically if the goat has ever been frozen. He is a nice guy to deal with.
Frankly the quality of the goat in Hispanic markets is quite good and is not mutton at all.
It's actually hard to find mutton these days and I don't know of a single retail store that sells mutton.-Dick

How about the mighty, but invisible to LTH, Olympic Packing, which definitely sports goat.

810 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
(312) 666-2222

JeffB wrote:How about the mighty, but invisible to LTH, Olympic Packing, which definitely sports goat.

810 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
(312) 666-2222

They most definitely sport goat.

Olympia Meats

What is the parking like around there, noonish? I wonder if I can make it there on my lunch break.

Pie Lady wrote:What is the parking like around there, noonish? I wonder if I can make it there on my lunch break.

On their window Olympia advertises free customer parking. I'm sure they can tell you more.

Try

Chicago Zabiha Halal Meat Market
2243 W. Devon
Chicago, IL

Fantastic, fresh, goat cut from whole legs or shoulders. They may even have ribs.

Forgot about Chicago Zabiha Halal Meat Market!
I used to purchase goat from them years ago when SuperMercardos were not so prevalent.
Devon St in that area is just so hard to navigate and with off street sticker parking, it's usually a zoo, so i haven't purchased there in many years but if you can get through the traffic and parking, you will get good fresh goat.-Dick