Goose as table fare?

[bill10979]

Thanks for the ideas, Im surprised that D & B hasnt caught on to the aging. Ive tried it and I do beleive that it helps, especially deer meat. I just keep it in the fridge for about 5 days or so and its good to go.
The best steak houses across the country-Sparks NY, Mortons Chicago, Ruths all feature Aged steaks. Ive heard they age up to 2 weeks to where the meat develops a greenish mold, enzymes help create a super tender cut-so they say.
My issue isnt the toughness. I think geese overall is a fine cut of meat. Its just the flavor. Just gamey and crappy. I have not tried the milk marinade for geese, I do for deer and it works great. i might try some one more time this weekend and then I give up-its jerky or dog food. Ill report back.
The fryer sounds like a good one too-so there might be hope. Best turkey I ever had came deep fried. It was just awesome.

[Rick Hall]

If this displaced hillbilly is cooking, their breasts are grilled medium rare. Overcook and you may as well eat sun-dried liver. Stop while they're still pink in the middle and it tastes like steak. Doesn't hurt to "butterfly" a pocket for some jalopenea or sweet banana pepper and cream or pepper jack cheese and wrap with bacon.

If you have to have your goose well-done, at least use a browning bag to hold moisture in if roasting. Cajuns here gumbo or pot roast their geese, both of which are super. I'm no Cajun cook but will share what I think a great roasting tip learned from the best:

Holding the knife so it will be flat against the ribs, cut pockets, front to rear, on each side of the breast bone, between the ribs and breast meat. Then stuff each pocket with a mix of chopped bacon (or fatty sausage), onions, celery, bell peppers (the "Cajun Trinity"), your choice of seasonings and Kitchen Bouquet. Unlike stuffing the bird's body cavity, the juices rendered from the stuffing mix by cooking will then baste and season the breast meat from within before winding up in the gravy.

Some won't find it painful to do the roasting breast down in cheap red wine, either.

[Joe C.]

goose fajitas are good. Try soaking the breasts in salted ice water over night after you shoot them. That will help bleed them and you will get rid of some of the gaminess.

For goose fajitas, marinate the whole breasts overnight in ample amounts of Wishbone Italian salad dressing, lime juice, and the seaonall type seasoning of your choice.

I would avoid using anything acidic, (lime juice), in the marinade as it actually cooks the meat while it marinates. It can make the meat mealy and give it a bad taste if marinated overnight.

[Joe C.]

As chef Scott Leysath, (of Ducks Unlimited TV fame), says... "If you want to roast a goose such as a Christmas Goose, go to the grocery store and buy one". The store bought variety is a completely different bird. There are two ways to cook goose... Hot & Fast, or Low & Slow. I've done them in the crock pot just as you would a Yankee Pot Roast with carrots, potatoes, & onions. You almost can't screw this one up! I only use the boneless skinless breasts for this and save the other parts of the bird for another recipe. The smell can be strong for the first few hours of cooking, (I cook them for about 24 hours - adding water/ stock if needed), but is not indicitive of the finished product. I've had several people tell me they wouldn't have known it was goose if I hadn't told them.

As for the gumbo Rick Hall mentioned... I've never tried them this way but have done so with wood ducks and it was nothing short of awesome! I'm sure goose would be much the same.

[tbaier74]

I stumbled upon Hank Shaw's "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook" blog a couple of months back. I liked what I read and decided to email Hank to ask for assistance in my upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast. Hank replied and the email correspondence culminated in a face to face meeting in Billings. Hank was on his way to hunt NoDak and Canada. I have tried a number of his recipes and tips...all of them have turned out well. He recently posted his take on the Canada Goose.....here it is:

http://honest-food.net/2010/10/11/cooking-my-goose/

Please spend some time on his site. I'm sure you will find something you like.

[Joe C.]

I stumbled upon Hank Shaw's "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook" blog a couple of months back. I liked what I read and decided to email Hank to ask for assistance in my upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast. Hank replied and the email correspondence culminated in a face to face meeting in Billings. Hank was on his way to hunt NoDak and Canada. I have tried a number of his recipes and tips...all of them have turned out well. He recently posted his take on the Canada Goose.....here it is:

http://honest-food.net/2010/10/11/cooking-my-goose/

Please spend some time on his site. I'm sure you will find something you like.

That's a great website. Found it not too long ago myself

[NDDD]

This recipe is the bomb! Delicious.

These sausages would be perfect with a cassoulet, with beans, or simply pan-roasted or grilled. The possibilities are unlimited. Note that the only ingredient measured in grams is the salt — it is that important to get the saltiness right. I did include a rougher measurement to get you close, if you don’t have a scale.

Makes about 4 pounds, or 16 sausages.

Prep Time: 90 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

* 3 pounds duck meat or goose meat
* 1 pound pork fat
* 1/2 cup red wine, chilled
* 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
* 2 teaspoons ground juniper berries
* 2 teaspoons caraway seed
* 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
* 34 grams, or 2 level tablespoons, kosher salt
* hog casings

1. Chop the meat and fat into about 1-inch chunks, then mix all the spices together and toss with the meat and fat. Chill the meat and fat until it is almost frozen by putting it in the freezer for an hour or so.
2. Take out some hog casings and set in a bowl of very warm water.
3. Grind the meat and fat through your meat grinder (you can use a food processor in a pinch, but you will not get a fine texture) using the coarse die. If your room is warm, set the bowl for the ground meat into another bowl of ice to keep it cold.
4. Add the wine and mix thoroughly either using a Kitchenaid on low for 60-90 seconds or with your (very clean) hands. This is important to get the sausage to bind properly.
5. Stuff the sausage into the casings all at once. Twist off links by pinching the sausage down and twisting it, first in one direction, and then with the next link, the other direction. Or you could tie them off with butcher’s string.
6. Hang the sausages in a cool place for 1 hour if it is warm out, up to overnight if you have a place that will get no warmer that 45 degrees. The longer you can hang the sausages, the better they will taste. After they have dried a bit, put in the fridge until needed. They will keep for at least a week. If you are freezing the sausages, wait a day before doing so. This will tighten up the sausages and help them keep their shape in the deep-freeze.

[NDDD]

Here is another one that I really enjoy. Use for duck and goose. Young birds that aren't shot up, and are plucked. I do this at Thanksgiving. I smoke them for 6 hours at 250 degrees. Apple wood is best.



Brine Method for Turkey, Duck, Goose or Chicken

Prep Time: 12–14 Hours




Comment:

Brining is a pretreatment in which the Goose is placed in a salt water solution known as brine. This produces a moist and well-seasoned bird. Normally, meat loses about 30 percent of its weight during cooking, but if you brine the meat first, you can reduce the moisture loss by as little as 15 percent. Additionally, brining enhances juiciness. The muscle fibers absorb the flavored liquid during the brining period. Some of this liquid will get lost during cooking, but since the meat is in a sense more juicy at the start of cooking, it ends up much juicier and flavorful. I recommend brining in two plastic trash bags, one inside the other, to hold the turkey and brine. I then place the bags in a large metal or ceramic bowl. Once the brine is added, I seal the bag with a wire tie and place in the bottom of a refrigerator, shaking the bag every couple hours. You may also place the bird in a small ice chest, breast down, covering with the brine. If using the ice chest method, chill the brine to approximately 40°F, and then add 5–6 ice packs to maintain temperature overnight. A smaller bird works best when brining.

Ingredients:

* 1 (12–14 pound) turkey or other fowl
* 2 gallons cold water
* 1 cup kosher salt or 2 cups table salt
* ½ cup brown sugar
* 4 bay leaves, crushed
* 1 tbsp dried thyme
* 1 tbsp dried basil
* 1 tbsp dried sage
* 2 tbsps granulated garlic
* 2 tbsps black pepper

Then smoke bird with apple wood for 6 hrs. at 250 degrees. Fabulous table fare.

[jarbo03]

IMO, goose is one of the best wild game meats you can eat. Don't give up on it, took me years to learn how to cook it, Scott Leysath changed my opinions on the fowl. As said before cook to no more than 140 deg., I take mine off the grill around 135 deg and let sit for 10 minutes. I also make jerky, really good stuff. I slice the breast lengthwise about 3/16" thick, season with cure and whatever flavor you like, let sit for a day then put on dehydrator for 10 hours. Makes a great snack for the blind bag or shell vest. While cleaning birds keep the tender ones for grilling and jerky the rest.

[jarbo03]

edited for double post

[azquailhntr]

My favorite is to make shredded BBQ sandwiches. this is best for geese that you just breast and have the legs for...not plucked. Crock pot in Beef broth for 6-8 hours...shred...back into crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce or mixture for 1-2 more hours. Makes great BBQ sandwiches...tastes just like beef. I also like the legs straight out of the pot with no BBQ sauce...they taste GREAT!

[RowdyGSP]

AZQuailhunter nailed it. Slow-cooked pulled goose breast sandwiches. You won't even know you're eating goose. VERY, VERY good.