Wild goose

[fixit]

Some years ago a friend of mine gave me some wild geese that he had shot. They were the big Canada’s, and after I had skinned out the breasts and some of the legs, I discovered that the meet was not as palatable as I had expected. To be blunt, it is the first wild meat that I genuinely did not find to be very tasty, in addition to the fact that the texture was bordering on unpleasant. Now having said all of that, I’m curious to hear if anyone here has favored methods for preparing wild goose, specifically the big Canada’s. My church has a number of resident geese that like to hang out and create a mess, and Indiana has a resident goose season , Whereby I could go into the field with my bow and take out some of these nasty beasts. I have been trying to convince myself as to whether or not it would be worth trying

[Edward]

Cooked rare like lamb it"s good (Breast ) ,do not well done it or you will ask why"d I done it ! And not sure about legal w/bow Fed regs don"t like that method .

[Hickory]

I have killed two geese in my live and tried to cook them according to a recipe in a wild game cookbook.
My assumption was if a person were to have a cookbook published, all the recipes had to be good. I consider myself a very good cook, but, as it turned out, it fell under my classification of survival food. Which means, it was fit to eat only if you're starving to death!
Even to this day I regret ever shooting those poor, foul tasting fish birds!

[Blanket]

I'll skip the legal portion but filet off the meat and grind and mix with ground pork. Season for breakfast sausage and it won't last long on the plate

[Dave W.]

Several years ago I roomed with a fellow that hunted Canadian Honkers. We put them in the oven on low heat for several hours. They were good, never had a bad one. We probably ate 3 a month for several months. I like dark meat, so for me the legs, thighs and wings were the best.

Now that I think of it, my grandmother used to cook goose. I can remember eating goose grease on toast.

[Hickory]

After my experience I realized that phrase, "Your goose is cooked" really does mean something bad!

[trails4u]

Cubed somewhat small, well-seasoned (I like Tony Chacheres), and deep fried has always been a favorite of mine. We call 'em goose nuggets. I don't mind it braised down to the point of falling apart in a chili or gumbo either. I will admit......not my favorite protein, but it has its place in the freezer. They're easy to kill......and provide a fair amount of meat, so can't count them out. Just have to be creative in how you use them.

Oh.....and a good 3-4 hr. soak in milk or buttermilk prior to any of the above if you can. Overnight in the fridge even better.

[GhostHawk]

Goose CAN be good, but like every other wild meat, conditions and care make a huge difference.

It took me years to figure out but eventually I discovered that a goose cooked long slow and wet, like squirrel could be very well flavored and tender.

Forget roasting, save that for fat domestic birds.

Crock pot, pressure cooker, instant pot, with a nice light sauce, or a rich brown gravy makes for good eating.

But, birds need to be cleaned immediately upon being taken. Retain heart and gizzard, stuff the cavity with a twist of grass but not too much, or too tight. Just enough to keep it open, keep the bugs out, let air in so it can cool.

Those feathers hold the heat, if that goose was flying it is one hot bird inside when it comes down.
Faster you can clean and cool it the better tasting it will be. But really no different than any other game bird. Clean em on the spot, leave the entrails for the critters. Save heart and gizzard. And a twist of grass in the cavity.

As soon as you get home, skin, wash, and cut.

I plucked geese a few times, got enough good down and small feathers for my pillow. Took me 3 years of hunting and many many hours of plucking. Never again.

Remember most wild geese will be very lean.

[Thundarstick]

We ate quite a few of the big Canadian geese growing up, baked with dressing I don't remember them being bad at all. On the other hand, most folks around here call snow geese, "sky carp " and hunt them mainly to keep them out of the winter wheat.

[dhain]

The only way I like it is to boil it like you would a chicken until the meat pulls apart. Then cook it with some wide egg noodles like you might if you were making chicken and noodles.

[MT Gianni]

Garlic sausage is another decent way to fix it.

[Hogtamer]

jerky

[Lloyd Smale]

Yup put one in the crock pot for the day and when its supper time take it out throw in the trash and buy a roaster chicken to eat.

[reloader28]

I love goose hunting and still have ammo, decoys and blinds, just cant find anyone that wants the meat.
I've had it cooked 2-3 different ways and they are all bad. Jerky is the only way I can eat it and its not that great. Lots of seasoning helps. Never thought about sausage.

Everyone has different tastes. I dont like trout or salmon either unless its smoked

[RGrosz]

Shot one Hutchinson Goose (small Canadian) as a kid. Cleaned it as and had mom cook it. She said never again.
Then when I met my wife her dad was a big goose hunter, and we have a couple of thousand honkers living year round, she is after me to get some 'cause they're so good to eat. Told her the story of mine, and she said it wasn't cooked right. Get one and she'll cook it for me. Might have to do that sometine.
Rob

[BigBore45]

Only two ways I eat it. One crock pot like a roast and 2 ground and made into jerky

[MaryB]

Ate it a LOT growing up... 7 people in the family hunting all at once meant we could fill a freezer fast. Mom used to smother it in onions, garlic, herbs then slow cook it all day at 225 until it fell apart. Edible... but not something I would go out of my way to hunt again! Goose and wild duck both rank low on my edibles list... if I had to survive yes, if I have a choice? PASS!

Absolute worst was our annual wild game feed one year, guy made mud duck(coot) stew... nobody got past 1 bite without spitting it out... the stewed goose was eaten anyway but nobody claimed it was great, I won with my squirrel stew, then cleaned them out in the poker game after!

[GhostHawk]

I suspect that could be quite good.

Especially if you made up some old fashioned egg noodles from scratch, rolled them out, cut into your favorite width. I've been known to make french fry size, roughly 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch and quite chewy. Little Rosemary with that, salt, pepper, yum.


The only way I like it is to boil it like you would a chicken until the meat pulls apart. Then cook it with some wide egg noodles like you might if you were making chicken and noodles.

[umwminer]

I quit shooting geese for the longest time because I couldn’t stand to eat them UNTIL I found out how to cook them . You’ll need a electric roaster or roast pan with a lid .
Put a plucked bird (keep the skin & fat on) in the roaster on the rack , pour a quart of orange juice in the bottom of the pan , rub orange marmalade jelly all over the outside of the bird and roast on high with the lid on . When the meat is falling off the bones you’ll be planning your next hunt !

[LakeviewBulldog]

We always cut the breast meat into cubes and marinated in Italian dressing for a day or two, also adding what ever condiments were in the refrigerator at the time (soy sauce, worcestershire, and the like) Put them on skewers with peppers and onions and grilled hot and fast. Serve over rice for a nice meal. Tasted close to beef to me.