Butchery and Belgian Bier

Last night, I attended another butchering event, a demonstration and meal by Dave the Butcher (who does have a last name; it’s Budworth.) It was at La Trappe Café in San Francisco, and featured goat, both cut up and cooked. Butchering a goat is very much like butchering a lamb, from what I could see, (Dave had finished the lamb for us in my class at Avedano’s in May) and it had a very lamby flavor, as well. This was Boer goat (a meat breed) raised in Manteca at Long Ranch. Dave prepared three caprine appetizers: stuffed mushroom caps, “carnitas” served with tacos, and small sliders served on grilled flat bread. Then came a carpaccio salad with baby arugula, a choice of entrees and a poached pear with goat milk ice cream for dessert. I had the goat ragú over papardelle (the other choice was a Moroccan-spiced tagine served over orzo) and everyone got to try a bit of roasted leg of goat, served with vegetables, since there wasn’t enough to make full-sized servings. Everything was paired with Belgian beers, both on tap and bottled (and served in their characteristic glasses.) The food was all delicious, and very plentiful, so much so that I have to admit I left without eating dessert. This is not always the case at these events, but I’d say there were only 50 people in attendance. It was held the La Trappe’s basement, which was a very cosy venue.

I think that Dave probably got a room full of people to consider seriously eating more goat in the future, maybe actually cooking it. I’m still impressed and completely bewildered by the complexity of butchering, despite multiple demonstrations and even hands-on experience with it. I hope that he also got a room full of people to understand how much different types of meat come from the carcass of one animal, and what a focus on particular cuts means for the fate of the rest of it. Dave is a very affable person, and he’s always trying to teach people more about the reality of meat. He talked about having another event at La Trappe in the winter with a pig. I don’t need to see another butchering demonstration (not that I’d mind it, but I think I’ve learned what I needed to) but I enjoy Dave’s events very much, so I’d go back for that. And the food, of course, but I wouldn’t fill up on appetizers.