Wild Geese?

[BreezyCooking]

So, I just returned from my local hay/feed dealer, who, after hearing me wax rhapsodic about the wonderful goose I roasted for Xmas advised that he would be out hunting them this week & would - hopefully - be bringing me one or two!!

While I've been making domestic roast goose (& Cassoulet from the leftovers) annually for over 30 years now, I've never tasted - or cooked - the wild variety.

Anyone here have any tips/recipes/ideas so I can plan ahead of time?

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Breezy while the Canadian Goose is abundant here this time of year, I don't hunt them...The few opportunities I've had to eat Wild Goose was sometime back, and I've never eaten the domestic bird, so it's hard for me to compare the two. However I think you can expect the wild bird to have a more robust flavor with a darker, richer meat -- Somewhat similar to wild duck. The amount of fat will depend on the particular bird, and flavor can be altered somewhat depending on the diet, age of bird, etc. HTH

[Constance]

I have several friends who hunt wild geese and then try to give the cleaned frozen birds away...nobody wants them. I've never eaten wild goose, but those around here who have do not like it.

If you want my advice, stick with the tame ones.

Have you ever made an omelet from a goose egg? Mmmm, yumee!

[Robo410]

Lots of experience with wild game (and geese)

They are not fatty and do not roast well unless well larded with bacon. They need to be salt water soaked for 30 minutes, then well rinsed. Check well for shot...save your teeth!

We liked them braised best. Cut the big meat off the bones (breasts) and leave the leg/thigh whole. Braise over a mirepoix (2 parts chopped onion, 1 part each celery and carrot) with a couple strips of bacon, bay leaf, good pinch of thyme, salt, pepper, broth and red wine. (even a good dollop of red currant jelly to the pot ... very colonial) Covered. 350 oven. Check in an hour, may take 1/2 hour or so longer, depending on the bird's age. Serve over wild rice pilaf.

Dark greens like kale or chard go really well with this meal. Cranberries or lingonberries are perfect sweet accompaniments.

This works well for wild duck too.

Delish!

Don't fear the critters,,,cook 'em!

[justplainbill]

I've hunted and cooked Canadian geese and concur with UB's assessment. Biggest downside for me is the plucking. Some people take the easy way out and skin them but I think the skin is the best part. The mandatory use of steel shot and the high price of the Federal migratory bird stamp are two other negatives.

[BreezyCooking]

Does anyone think they'd do well in a sauerbratin-type preparation?

[BreezyCooking]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robo410 Lots of experience with wild game (and geese) They are not fatty and do not roast well unless well larded with bacon. They need to be salt water soaked for 30 minutes, then well rinsed. Check well for shot...save your teeth! We liked them braised best. Cut the big meat off the bones (breasts) and leave the leg/thigh whole. Braise over a mirepoix (2 parts chopped onion, 1 part each celery and carrot) with a couple strips of bacon, bay leaf, good pinch of thyme, salt, pepper, broth and red wine. (even a good dollop of red currant jelly to the pot ... very colonial) Covered. 350 oven. Check in an hour, may take 1/2 hour or so longer, depending on the bird's age. Serve over wild rice pilaf. Dark greens like kale or chard go really well with this meal. Cranberries or lingonberries are perfect sweet accompaniments. This works well for wild duck too. Delish! Don't fear the critters,,,cook 'em!

Well Robo - I finally have my opportunity to perhaps try your recipe after all, although I also came across 3 more for wild goose that sound interesting - one with an orange sauce, one with a raspberry sauce, & one where the meat is cubed & braised with mixed vegetables as a stew.

Last week my hay/feed dealer finally presented me with a freshly frozen bag of nicely prepped wild goose (he promised me there was no shot). Skinless, & looks to be a whole breast & the two legs/thighs.

I've been harboring some kind of hacking-cough plague for the last 3 weeks, so plan on waiting till I'm better before I experiment & enjoy, but I really can't wait! Plus, this is definitely the kind of meal one wants to enjoy before the hot weather hits, which it does oh-so-too-soon here in Virginia.

[HuntGatherCook]

Well, this is my first post (other than an intro).

I hunt and cook Canada Goose regularly. Cook them regularly anyway, hunt them when it's season. I've found you can cook these birds in the same way you would stew beef. It's a perfect substitute and always delicious if you remember how lean it is. More like cooking venison than duck, in my experience.

Slow cooking or under pressure is a never-fail option. One favorite around here is to cut into pieces, wrap with uncured apple smoked bacon, impale on bamboo skewers and grill . In the last few minutes you can mop the pieces with a little maple syrup and orange juice or whatever BBQ sauce you like. Or not. Either way they are absolutely delicious!

[BreezyCooking]

Thanks for the additional advice. My goose is still in the freezer as, believe it or not, I'm just now beginning to get over my plague (& no, it's not Swine Flu - lol!). I'll save it until our next rainy day when something from the Dutch Oven or Crockpot will be welcome.

[John Fox]

Couple of points regarding wild "Canada Goose" having raised them domestically when a young lad in Wisconsin (yes, I had all the federal and state permits). They were considered a gourmets pleasure by those "in the know" and who knew how to properly prepare them. Of course, then, they were by today's standards relatively rare and a special prize by sportsmen lucky enough to bag one.

Today,in some places, they shoot them by the scores, (like Southwestern Illinois) where some hunters shoot so many they have a hard time finding people to take them.

If concerned about "shot in the body", look over the meat carefully searching for anything resembling a small hole. If you find one take a metal or wooden skewer and try and move it through the hole in as straight a line as possible and see if you hit a piece of shot. Today, wild geese may legally only be shot with "non toxic pellets" which eliminates the possibility of lead posioning if you should accidently bite into one. All you need to worry about is a "chipped tooth"

Many years ago we used to use our version of a sauerbraten recipe. Although the recipes I see here and elsewhere are much more sophisticated, and am sure even more delicious, we simply cut the goose into large chunks or slices and cooked them in the juices with canned sauerkraut and boiled potatoes in a crockpot over slow heat. Ocassionally, for the less adventerous among us we would throw in a polish sausage or two Salt and season to taste, simmer for four or five hours, then go for it. Roast beef you have a wild equal.

One last point. Geese do vary in flavor depending upon what they are eating. Having consumed birds in the "Early Nusiance Season" during the first of September I can assure you they were no where the equal of birds taken in late November, December and January that have been in farmer Jone's cornfield.

Good luck.