Canada Goose
| Some folks refer to this game bird as canadian goose. That is incorrect. The word Canada in this case has nothing to do with our Northern neighbor. Rather it comes from the bird's Latin name "Branta canadensis" But, on to the recipe for a proper method of preparation of this wonderful game bird. |
| First - skin the goose. Get rid of all the fat layers. I think this is
why a lot of folks
say they don't like wild geese. That fat can give the cooked meat a real
gamey taste.
Some people like to soak the goose over night in
a mild salt water solution. This gets
out any blood that wasn't properly removed during cleaning.
This is a real good idea.
Next - rub the carcass inside and out with about a quarter cup of gin. This acts as a tenderizer and also, I think, helps reduce the wild flavor of the meat. Don't worry, there isn't enough alcohol here to even taste and most of it cooks off anyway. It's the juniper berry effect we are after here. Salt and pepper inside and out to taste. A mix of 1 teaspoon of salt to 1/4 teaspoon of pepper works fine for me. Season further with thyme and garlic powder (I don't like thyme so I leave it out). Stuff the carcass with onions (whole) and white potatoes. These too are to help reduce wild taste and incidentally to add a little flavor to the meat. These are all tossed away after cooking. Place the bird breast side down in a roaster with a tight fitting lid or wrap in aluminum foil leaving room for steam. Add one cup of waterfor each bird. Cook in the oven at 325 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes per pound. Delicious!! Serve as you would any big bird. The Green Rice casserole is a good accompaniment for this entree. As an aside - I have cooked the goose for company - and have always prepared a ham also, just in case they did not like goose. I have always had to eat ham for a week after. |