Goat Butchering Class at The Farm and Fisherman

April 8, 2013 by ChiefEditor

I come from a household full of foodies. Even my dog is a food snob; he refuses generic brand dog biscuits, only willing to eat homemade or organic varieties. Given this bit of information, I’m sure you can imagine my family has had our fair share of exciting and unique food ventures. A few weekends ago, we went on a whole different sort of food venture at The Farm and Fisherman, where we attended a goat and lamb butchering class.

I must warn that the photos I took certainly aren’t for the faint of heart, and by faint, I really mean vegetarian, but then again, given the name of the class, this should come as no surprise. So before I officially scare off the vegetarians reading this post for good, I will outline how the class was organized and the like.

The restaurant itself is very small–during regular dining hours, it seats only 30 people at a time. Such a tiny spot could sound claustrophic to some, but instead it is simply endearing. The chef, Josh Lawler, explained during the class how the intimacy of the dining room allows the staff to really know the customers. This enables them to cater to customers’ tastes and preferences; if you ever dine at The Farm and Fisherman (which you should), and you are a particularly adventurous eater, I recommend letting the waiter know. It can be fun for both the customer and chef to allow the chef’s creativity to really come through. The restaurant is also a BYO, and given the high quality nature of the food, I don’t recommend coming in without an equally worthy bottle of wine.

For the class itself, there were around 15 of us in attendance. The dining room was filled with chairs set up in front of a long table. At the long table sat an entire goat, waiting to be butchered (check out my photos below). Throughout the class, we learned the technique for butchering the goat and watched as Josh literally butchered the entire animal. This was eye-opening. We saw exactly where on the animal each cut of meat comes from, and it was a delight to hear Josh talk us through the process as well. Josh included tidbits about restaurant pricing and meat sourcing, and by the end of the process, a small (re: very small) part of me thought I might even be able to butcher the thing myself next time.

Next up, we watched Josh prepare a simple goat sausage with a variety of spices, including fennel seed and paprika. After over two hours of watching Josh hack at a goat in awe, we were asked to leave the dining room for a half an hour or so so the staff could set up the dining room for dinner. By the time we returned, wine glasses had replaced the meat grinder and tablecloths had replaced Josh’s bloodied apron. The seating was communal, which was a ton of fun; conversations with fellow foodies are always a real blast. Next we were served a 5-course meal using the goat we had watched Josh butcher earlier. The meal actually included both lamb and goat; Josh explained during the class that butchering a goat and lamb is essentially the same, and that the real difference lies in the amount of fat on the animal and well, the price of purchasing it. Anyhow, as a lover of lamb, I was not upset to have lamb and goat served to me in different variations.

Each course was unique and beautifully plated. We began with a goat sausage salad–paired with mushroom carpaccio, homemade greek yogurt, and pine nut butter. Progressing though the meal, we also enjoyed grilled goat served alongside burrata and a cherry sauce; homemade pasta with goat ragout, finished with squid ink and shaved pecorino (probably my favorite); grilled lamb, served with pickled blueberries and a stone ground polenta that blew my mind; and, for dessert, espresso panna cotta covvered in a crumble topping.

Each of us left the meal much more knowledgeable about where our meat comes from. We also left happily full and with smiles across our faces. If you can’t make it to a class, at least get yourself to the restaurant. Stat. Any place that serves lamb, burrata, and greek yogurt in the same meal certainly has my vote.

And finally, those pictures I promised!