aggieamy Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Last night we were watching an old Sherlock Holmes show set during Christmas and they kept talking about goose. DH remarked that he's never had goose and neither have I. I thought it would be fun to have a Christmas goose and found out that my local meat market can get me one. Great! What do I need to know? Is it going to taste gamey? Give me everything you know about cooking a goose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've never cooked a goose, but if they're anything like ducks, it's going be oozing fat. Not in a bad way if you're cooking it with that in mind, but something you'll definitely want to take into account. Let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Okay, I have to tell a funny story. I went through this period where I was really into trying to cook poultry other than chicken. So for Christmas one year I made delicious duck. So then the next year I decided we'd go all the way and try a goose! Well, I can't remember what happened but we wound up not having the goose for Christmas. So my husband thought we'd try it for New Years. So we got it out to defrost but I never really looked up how to cook it or anything. I kept thinking oh I'll do all on New Year's morning. Plenty of time. Well, one of my kids got hurt and I wound up taking them to urgent care and we were there for hours and then had to find a drugstore to fill the medicine, blah, blah, blah. So my dh decides he'll cook the goose. Well, his big thing on Thanksgiving is to roast/smoke a turkey on our backyard grill. So he decides he'll treat it just like a turkey. Earlier in the day, he calls me and say, don't worry I've got dinner under control Well, finally after an exhausting day, we (me and the kid) come home thinking we'll have a nice dinner. But when I get home there's this platter of burnt meat, black and GREEN! It turns out geese have lots and lots more fat than turkey (duck does too, but he didn't realize that when I roasted the duck I drained all the fat off) and while my dh was trying to roast it on the grill the fat caught on fire, he then ran into the house and got the fire extinguisher to put out the flames. He was just on the cusp on calling the fire department when he got it under control. So he's explaining it to me and then he points to the platter and says, what kind of meat do you like? Black or green? So then he went and got us Chinese takeout. I've never tried goose again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Just mine own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 We did once, but it was too fatty for all our tastes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 It is exceptionally fatty. You will get about a quart to a quart and a half of fat from roasting your average 4kg goose. Use 2 roasting pans and a good high rack. Put the goose on the rack to roast in one pan. You need to roast at 400F for about 35-40 minutes per kg. Every 30-45 minutes, you need to remove the goose (and rack) to the alternate roasting pan and flip it (breast side up to back side up and/or vice versa). When you change pans and flip, baste the bird with some of the fat from the previous pan. Then, drain all the fat from the pan you are now not using and set it aside for the next pan change. It is too messy and difficult to try to drain the one pan every so often. You don't want the goose to just be boiling in its fat. That's why the pan changes and fat draining are necessary. Goose fat can be kept in the fridge and used for frying up potatoes or anything else you like. It is very, very, very rich fat, which is great if you are a starving Victorian living in a draughty old Victorian terrace. It will definitely help you with your "winter padding." The goose meat itself is excellent for weighting down the bottom of your bin liner. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I did one for New Year's once. My DH seemed to like it, but I could barely stomach it--it tasted very gamey to me. My big big caveat, though--I was pregnant at the time and I did have some food aversions. I used some recipe that called for pears. Something Swedish maybe? The pears were roasted with the bird. ETA: not Swedish, Alsatian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 My mother made one once. She was dating my stepfather and he was hunter, so SHE had to learn to hunt. Then of course she had to cook what they had brought home. She cannot cook. I was picking shotgun pellets out of the driest bird I have ever eaten. Yes, my mother can make the fattest bird dry-- and crunchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Only cooked goose (for Christmas) once. It turned out great. But it was a lot of work. I used a 3 step cooking process where (after being "pricked" all over) the goose was first briefly boiled, then steamed, then roasted. The first two steps were to draw off much of the prodigious amount of fat (as Audrey says, save this fat for other purposes). Goose has an unbelievable amout of fat. A crazy amount! The final roasting crisps up the skin. I thought the taste was delicious, as did my family, but I'm not sure it would be to everyones taste, as Goose is flavorful in a dark-meat kind of way. And there was a lot less to eat at the end than I would have guessed when I started. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 No, but after seeing (and hearing) the flock of geese that my riding instructor's grandmother has, I'd like to eat one. :D They are LOUD, aggressive and obnoxious. They go nuts whenever they see anyone doing anything, not just strangers. After walking our horses past them recently, provoking the usual honking cacaphony, I remarked to my riding instructor, "I bet the horses have dark fantasies of *accidentally* stepping on a goose." She said, "We all have those fantasies." I said, "I hear a lot of people eat goose for Christmas dinner." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 This sounds like a lot of work and has the potential for absolute disaster. Now I want to try it even more. :) It is exceptionally fatty. You will get about a quart to a quart and a half of fat from roasting your average 4kg goose. Use 2 roasting pans and a good high rack. Put the goose on the rack to roast in one pan. You need to roast at 400F for about 35-40 minutes per kg. Every 30-45 minutes, you need to remove the goose (and rack) to the alternate roasting pan and flip it (breast side up to back side up and/or vice versa). When you change pans and flip, baste the bird with some of the fat from the previous pan. Then, drain all the fat from the pan you are now not using and set it aside for the next pan change. It is too messy and difficult to try to drain the one pan every so often. You don't want the goose to just be boiling in its fat. That's why the pan changes and fat draining are necessary. Goose fat can be kept in the fridge and used for frying up potatoes or anything else you like. It is very, very, very rich fat, which is great if you are a starving Victorian living in a draughty old Victorian terrace. It will definitely help you with your "winter padding." The goose meat itself is excellent for weighting down the bottom of your bin liner. Enjoy! I've already got my "winter padding". Don't know if I need the goose for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 We had a goose last Christmas and make them every few years for Christmas. But cooking a goose is a somewhat messy and cumbersome procedure. We've often done it under the guidance of my mom. I don't find the meat gamey, but delicious! However, one has to skim a lot of fat when roasting a goose. I didn't participate in this procedure, but I know my mom and DH kept emptying fat out of the roasting pan. I probably shouldn't admit this, but we save the fat and use it for spreading on bread. Yum, yum -- my mom will sometimes fry up onions and mix it with the goose fat, and that, spread on rye bread with freshly ground pepper and a little salt, is absolutely TDF. Sorry if I've grossed anyone out, but hey, my mom is German, and we love our schmalz brot. Last year our goose was a bit overcooked so not quite as tasty as in some other years. And we've had some geese that have been tough -- they were generally the expensive free-range geese, but not always -- I guess the free range geese don't have as much fat on them but are probably a healthier option. This year we are making a simple beef roast for Christmas! The goose is a lot of mess and work to clean up, so we don't usually do it several years in a row. I think I'd like to cook one for a non-holiday sometime, without the time pressure involved with a set Christmas dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 It is exceptionally fatty. You will get about a quart to a quart and a half of fat from roasting your average 4kg goose. Use 2 roasting pans and a good high rack. Put the goose on the rack to roast in one pan. You need to roast at 400F for about 35-40 minutes per kg. Every 30-45 minutes, you need to remove the goose (and rack) to the alternate roasting pan and flip it (breast side up to back side up and/or vice versa). When you change pans and flip, baste the bird with some of the fat from the previous pan. Then, drain all the fat from the pan you are now not using and set it aside for the next pan change. It is too messy and difficult to try to drain the one pan every so often. You don't want the goose to just be boiling in its fat. That's why the pan changes and fat draining are necessary. Oh, I like this technique. I'll mention it to my DH, especially now that we inherited an extra roasting pan when the inlaws moved into a retirement home. We've only used one pan in the past, and indeed, it is messy! Goose fat can be kept in the fridge and used for frying up potatoes or anything else you like. It is very, very, very rich fat, which is great if you are a starving Victorian living in a draughty old Victorian terrace. It will definitely help you with your "winter padding." OK, I'm glad we're not the only ones who use goose fat. Although have you ever spread it on bread? A very light coat will do it, not slathered on, KWIM? Tee hee, I wonder if anyone else would admit they eat goose fat on bread. Surely there are some other Germans here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Pass the schmatzbrot, bitte. Wilhelm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Pass the schmatzbrot, bitte. Wilhelm Yippie! I'm not the only one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Yippie! I'm not the only one! Ja, tonight we sat by der Tannenbaum und sang Stille Nacht. Das ist gut. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I just had goose at a medieval campout 2 weeks ago. The chefs cooked it in an aluminum foil frame with burning charcoal at the corners. It was really good and not at all gamey (even though it was, in fact, game hunted that morning). I wouldn't suggest this for a goose you get from a butcher because I'm sure those are much bigger than the one that we cooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Growing up my dad had a poultry farm so I've eaten goose plenty of times (definitely not my favorite). It is greasy but my mom always managed to make the meat dry (which wasn't really a good thing either). She pretty much roasted it like a chicken or turkey and used a baster to drain off the fat while it was cooking. Farm raised birds don't usually have a gamey flavor although the wild ones are quite strong in my opinion. The different sources may account for people's different perceptions on the flavor. If you've never had one, it would be worth making one just for the experience but once you've had one you may decide it's not worth the fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Ja, tonight we sat by der Tannenbaum und sang Stille Nacht. Das ist gut. Bill This is what I need to do with my kids. We regularly did this when I was growing up -- nearly every night during advent. Probably my two favorite German Christmas songs are Kommet Ihr Hirten and . The latter was played at my December wedding. Sigh. I need to get with the Christmas singing. I need to find my Christmas piano books. I have no clue where they ended up when we moved. All I have in my piano bench is a Chopin book from which I can no longer play! Anyhow, your post has set me on a You Tube search of the Christmas songs my mother taught us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I want to cook a goose just to get the fat. Yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.