How to cook a goose

divegirl

I find myself in possession of a frozen Canada goose. I've never cooked a goose before. Does anyone have any tips? Can I roast it or cook it in the crockpot like I would a chicken?

Thanks!

Saria

Definitely not like a chicken. Geese, like duck have tons of fat which takes a lot of time to render, which leads to overcooked breast, which you want around medium rare to medium.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_roast_a_goose/

Once I'm home I'll get you some more ideas if you'd like.

divegirl

Saria wrote: »

Definitely not like a chicken. Geese, like duck have tons of fat which takes a lot of time to render, which leads to overcooked breast, which you want around medium rare to medium.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_roast_a_goose/

Once I'm home I'll get you some more ideas if you'd like.

Thanks for the link! If you have any other words of wisdom to impart, I'm all ears!

Saria

Barbara Kafka has a few goose recipes. Her book is about high heat roasting.
I found her basic method online!
http://mysite.verizon.net/jserdmann/Recipe-Kafka-RoastGoose.htm

I have to say, I am really jealous of all the goose fat you'll have left over! Mmm, potatoes cooked in goose fat! Also, pie crust made with it (you could make a goose pot pie if you have any left over). And confit, glorious confit. Heck, you could separate the breasts, and trim all the fat and render it, then cook the breasts, save the fat from that, and confit the legs and everything else.

divegirl

Oh, my, that looks good! The goose pot pie sounds awesome too. The goose is quite small (maybe 6-8 lbs) - I should've gotten two!

Saria

Well, whenever you do make it, let me know how you like it! And enjoy that fat (which is actually a pretty good for you fat)!

Eilonwy

Canada geese are too pretty to eat

divegirl

Eilonwy wrote: »

Canada geese are too pretty to eat

Welp, it's a-huntin season round here and I got me some huntin friends.

(I'm not even joking. My friend has a freezer full of Canada geese. One can be yours for $5!)

divegirl

OK, my goose is defrosting in the fridge and I have plans to use Kafka's recipe to roast it this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!

Saria

Great! Since your goose is small, remember to adjust the pan size (18 by 12 is probably too big for the 6-8 pound one you have) and to bring it to room temperature.

divegirl

What internal temperature do you think is suitable? I've found recommendations online in the 165-170 degree range - do you think that's a good ballpark? I'm assuming I'll have to cut the cooking time down. I'm not sure if I'll finish roasting in the turned-off oven like Kafka suggests; I may just roast until that temperature is reached.

Thanks!

jeepcurlygurl

I am so hungry for a goose now. Yum.

Saria

Kafka is not one to overcook anything, so I trust her implicitly, but that is the general range, so you can certainly test it. She mentioned why she does this with goose in the book, and I will post that later.

Curly_Cajun_Femme

divegirl wrote: »

I find myself in possession of a frozen Canada goose. I've never cooked a goose before. Does anyone have any tips? Can I roast it or cook it in the crockpot like I would a chicken?

Thanks!

Season it and then Roast it on a rack so the fat drains off like you do a turkey.....

Do not stuff unless you are using aromatics for flavoring.

divegirl

Well, here it is!



It turned out fantastic. I followed Kafka's recipe, except that the goose was done after the first hour roasting. There wasn't as much fat as I thought, probably because it was a wild Canada goose and not a fattened up domestic goose.

It was so yummy! I started with a salad, then the goose with ridiculously buttery roasted garlic mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and broccoli, and crusty bread, and then blueberry pie for dessert (that you can also see in the photo).

Anyway, thanks Saria! Now I want to get another goose...

Saria

Ooh, awesome. I'm so glad you liked it. I imagine that with the lesser amount of fat and smaller size made for a pretty quick-cooking goose. I am still jealous of any goose fat you have!