Posted 11/26/2005 05:56:00 PM by Douglas

After a wildly successful run of making an insane mark-up on a $3.00 piece of skirt stake and charging gringos $15.99 for fajitas, it looks as though cabrito is soon to make its move on the gringo palate.

Goat meat imports to the U.S. jumped about 140% over a seven-year period ending in 2003. Now some California farmers see gold in goat. They are expanding their herds, hoping to cash in on consumers' broadening tastes.

"As goat producers, we are standing in one of the most enviable positions of any agriculture industry in the United States," said Marvin Shurley, president of the American Meat Goat Assn. in Sonora, Texas. "High demand for our products and livestock prices are unmatched within the history of our industry."

Some 40% of the goat meat consumed in the U.S. is imported from Australia and New Zealand. The remainder is produced by farmers with herds ranging from 15 to 8,000 animals.

But are the goats slaughtered in accordance to god's wishes? You don't want your dead goat to anger the lord.

Each animal is slaughtered according to Islamic halal rules that require the recitation of God's name before the animal is killed. After that, the animal is hung by a hind leg to allow the blood to drain from the body. At one point, the slaughterhouse worked with a rabbi to produce a line of kosher lamb.

Just make sure they're not slaughtered as part of a ritual sacrifice. At least not in a State Lab.