New Cabrito Smoked Bacon from Northern Irish processor

A new smoked cabrito bacon has been developed in Northern Ireland by the region's best known processor of goat kid meat.

The smoked bacon has been developed by Broughgammon Farm, an artisan enterprise which also specialises in game including venison and pheasant. The small business is cold smoking the goat meat over wooden blocks in its own recently developed smokery on the family farm located near Ballycastle in county Antrim. It also produces rose veal for the local market.

In addition to the new smoked meat, Broughgammon Farm is curing goat meat to produce back and streaky bacon for customers in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, mostly in the Dublin area. The farm enterprise is producing the goat bacon in small batches to ensure consistent quality and outstanding flavours.

Sandy Cole, Broughgammon Farm's director of sales, says: "Innovation is at the heart of our farm. Coming up with new products is essential if we are to ensure the sustainably of the family business. We've been producing cabrito for about four years now and interest among chefs and the wider public has been increasingly steadily.

"We recognised some time ago that we needed to be developing different products to build on the level of interest. Bacon is basically a cured product that can be developed from any meat. In addition to the smoked, back and streaky bacons, we offer lardons for pancetta," he adds.

The farm sources male goat kids from the local dairy sector, which previously regarded the animals as a waste product. Cabrito is consumed in many parts of the world and is regarded as being healthier because it is low in cholesterol and fat.

The farm enterprise also specialises in seaweed harvesting from beaches nearby and has won a string of awards for its commitment to the local environment and countryside management. These include awards from Tourism NI, Waterwise Efficiency, Environmental Improvement, the Countryside Alliance Award, Water Champions Award and the Northern Ireland Consumer Council.