Everything You Need to Know about Goat Meat Cuts

Unlike other animal proteins, it can be harder to find basic information about the different cuts of goat meat.

Below, you'll find more details on how a goat is broken down by a butcher and the common cuts of goat meat.

Before any specific cuts of goat meat can be cut, the butcher first will break down the carcass, the whole goat, into large sections, known as the primal cuts or subprimals.

The primal cuts are what you may typically see as "butcher's cuts" when doing a basic google search. However, this just scratches the surface of the true cuts of goat meat.

Primal cuts of the goat include:

Neck
Shoulder or rack
Rack
Loin
Leg
Flank
Breaks and shank

More about the Primal Cuts of the Goat

Goat Shoulder Primal Cut

The shoulder of goat is the second largest part of the primal. Common goat shoulder cuts include:

Shoulder roast - bone in or boneless
Shoulder blade chop
Shoulder arm chop

Note, not all of these cuts of meat can be cut from one goat primal. For example, if you're cutting shoulder chops from the arm, you won't have shoulder arm roasts.

Goat Rack Primal Cut

The rack of the goat is a highly sought after primal cut. Common goat rack cuts include:

Bone-in rack of goat
Goat rib chops

Note, not all of these cuts of meat can be cut from one goat primal. For example, if you're getting a rack of goat, you won't be able to get the goat rib chops.

Goat Breast and Foreshank Primal Cut

The goat breast and foreshank primal cut is actually two cuts in one. Common goat breast and foreshank primal cuts include:

Boneless breast
Rolled breast

Goat Loin Primal Cut

The goat loin primal cut is along the back, behind the rack. Common goat loin primal cuts include:

Goat loin roast, bone in or boneless
Goat tenderloin
Goat loin chops
Saddle chops

Note, not all of these cuts of meat can be cut from one goat primal. For example, if you're cutting goat chops, you won't be able to have the goat tenderloin cut.

Goat Leg Primal Cut

The goat leg primal cut is the largest of all the suboptimal cuts. Common goat leg primal cuts include:

Leg of goat - bone in, butterflied or with shank
Sirloin goat steaks
Sirloin goat chops
Boneless goat sirloin roast
Inside round or top round
Outside round or bottom round
Goat leg steaks

Note, not all of these cuts of meat can be cut from one goat primal. For example, if you're cutting goat steaks from the leg, you won't have the leg of goat.

Other Goat Meat Cuts

Other goat meat cuts include the neck, which can be cut as a bone-in roast or a as a boneless neck roast. Cuts like stew meat and ground goat meat can come from any part of the goat primal.

Additionally, while not part of the primal cuts, it's important to not forget the remainder of the carcass and making use of the whole animal with the goat offal, or organ meat, as well as the bones.

Learn more about these goat offal "cuts":

Reference: A. Danforth. (2014). Butchering: Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, Pork