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HOW TO BUTCHER A GOAT ON THE FARM HUMANELY

  • lettersbyreesianal
  • Feb 10
  • 3 min read

Today, I got something good in store for y'all: I’m going to butcher one of my goats. I want to take y'all along on the journey so you can see how I do it and put some meat in the refrigerator for the family. Learning to provide for yourself and your family isn’t just a skill. It's freedom.


Getting Started and Hanging


Whether you are butchering because a certain breed isn't what you want to go forward with or just for food, it is a great learning experience. Once you have dispatched the animal, the first major step is getting them up on the gambrel.


I start by skinning around the leg area, bringing my knife between the leg and the torso to peel some of that skin back. The ultimate goal is to get in between the Achilles joint, which is one of the strongest joints. 


Never cut through that achilles joint. If you cut through it, you won’t be able to get the goat up on the gambrel to hang it. Make a small incision, a hole right in between that joint, and use that to hoist the animal up.


Skinning and Evisceration


Once you have them up, skin them around the legs and the neck. You want to make sure there is no poop coming out of the rectum or anything like that while you work. 


For this part, my Mossberg skinning knife is a lifesaver. Instead of having to slide the knife in and guide your finger to avoid puncturing things, this tool lets you pull straight down, and the guts fall right out.

Make a little slit at the top of the carcass, and you’ll see how easy it is for the guts to come out. Just make sure you have a bucket to catch them. 


One of the most critical parts is to cut around the rectum. There is a tube there filled with little pebbles of poop, and you don't want that to get on your meat. Pull all those organs down into the bucket, and then go back in to get the lungs and the windpipe. Afterward, spray the inside of the carcass to clean out all that extra blood.


The Breakdown


Now we move to the table to get our cuts. I start with the shoulder areas, cutting around to get those front legs off. For the hind legs, I saw through the middle to split them and then pop that joint out of place to get the cut off. Don't forget the belly fat; you can use that for bacon or smoke it.


The ribs can be a bit of a struggle. I usually use a boning knife for one side, but you might need a hand saw to get through the bone on the other side. I like to cut the ribs into pieces and save them for curry goat. 


Once you have your shoulders, neck, and torso pieces, it is vital to put them in the refrigerator and let the muscles relax. If you try to eat it while the meat is tensed up, it will be tough; letting it age a bit in the fridge lets that meat relax.


Why the Connection Matters


There’s a deeper appreciation when you have raised that animal, seen it alive, fed it the best hay, and then butchered it yourself. We’ve gotten so detached because food is "easily accessible," but in these uncertain times with inflation at an all-time high, you can't afford to be a sitting duck.


The mission has to get done no matter what. Even on days when I'm tired or don't feel like doing it, I know my family eats because I show up. Always remember: if you give somebody the power to feed you, you give them the power to starve you.


Are you ready to get back to the land?


Watching a video is a start, but YouTube can never teach you everything. To truly lead this movement and gain independence, you need hands-on experience, guidance, and the right tools.


I am inviting you to join the SAP Gardens family for our Assorted Meat Butchering Workshop. I’m keeping these classes small (only 15 spots) because quality and real learning matter. I will walk you through how to position the animal, identify key parts confidently, and stay efficient.


Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. Take control of your food and your freedom.



 
 
 

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