Having lived in Portugal for 16 years and kept goats I was taught by the local butcher like this
We would take the goat straddling the animal from the back and with a sharp pocket knife sever the spinal cord between the neck vertebrae then open the cardioid and let it bleed out .
There was never any noise or commotion and we did not joke or fool around but were respectful to the beast
The horns if any would be beaten off with the back of a chopper
Whithin minuits we would hook it up from a cord round a back leg and the skin fisted off protecting the knife blade from puncturing the flesh
There are glands at the back of the rear legs that we would cut out they feel like nodules and this prevents the meat tainting especially with a male goat
I would then cut a small slit and tie off the anus to prevent fecal mater spilling out cut a circle around the anus to release it,having opened the carcass and spilt out the stomach and intestines and the wind pipe cut hands would be washed through out these processes
Next the pluck of heart lungs and liver would be bagged for freezing no water ever touched the goat
It would be quartered and left hanging in the cool of the wine cellar
A ten year old goat can be slaughtered like this in about 25 mins and 6 week olds in 15 mins
To make it tender if old we would make "chamfana" chop the goat up with a woodblock and chopper 2"x4"x1" about bones and all
place in terracotta pots large cover with red wine a little olive oil if the goat has little fat(some add vinegar to male goats) bay leaf, salt ,many whole "dent" of garlic and chilli tinfoil over the pot and it (sometimes ten pots) goes in a wood fired bread oven "forno de llania" for 8-10hours were it slow cooks to perfection
Meat falls from the bone no matter the age,
Next feed 15 people for three days
You can do the same in any baking oven on a smaller scale
English style
Originally Posted by Win2Win
