Do you need a great recipe for goose? Goose is a richly flavored poultry that appeals to people who enjoy the "dark meat" of poultry, as virtually all of a goose is more strongly flavored than a chicken or turkey breast. Read on to learn how to cook goose!
While goose is not commonly eaten in the United States today, it has a long culinary history. Goose was eaten by the ancient Egyptians, and has been enjoyed in Europe for centuries.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17336306 This page will teach you how to buy a goose, how to deal with goose fat, and what seasonings work best with goose. For detailed step by step instructions on how to roast a goose, check out Mahalo's guide to How to Cook a Christmas Goose.
Carving Goose
If you've taken the time to prepare and roast a beautiful golden brown goose, you'll want to make sure that it still looks great after its carved. This video teaches you how to carve a goose. The chef begins by removing the wings, and partially removing the legs, before removing the breast meat. the breast is removed in one piece, and is sliced after it has been removed from the goose.
Step 1: How to Select a Goose
The ideal size for a goose is 8-12 pounds.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17336306 If you need more meat, cook two geese rather than buying a larger bird. Unlike turkey, a larger goose has tougher meat than a smaller goose, and won't be as enjoyable to eat. During the holiday season, you may be able to find fresh goose, and have a selection of organic, farm raised, or free range geese. Frozen geese are available year round can be just as tender as fresh.
Step 2: Dealing With Goose Fat
One of the most important things to learn about cooking goose, is how to deal with the fat. A 13 pound goose can produce 3 cups of fat when cooked- which is a lot of fat!http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6727940/<ref>
- Before cooking the goose, pull off all visible fat. The goose fat is not spread throughout the meat, as beef fat is, but concentrated between the skin and the meat, so its easy to remove. Don't discard the fat. Goose fat has a high burning point and can be used for frying and roasting.
- If you're roasting a goose, prick the skin with a fork, or score it with a knife, so the fat will escape through the skin rather than soak into the meat. Just as with the solid fat, save the rendered fat to use for cooking. Goose fat makes very tasty and crisp roasted potatoes.
- Some people boil the goose briefly before roasting to reduce the fat; this is fine if you are not planning on using the rendered goose fat for another purpose.
Step 3: Seasoning Goose
The rich flavor of goose is complemented by citrus an berries. Add orange or lemon zest to salt and pepper and rub the goose with the mixture before cooking. If you can season the goose and refrigerate it over night, the seasonings will have time to thoroughly flavor the goose. Instead of making a gravy, the way you would with chicken or turkey, top the goose with a wine or fruit based sauce to best enhance its flavor.
Tips
- Save the goose fat to use for frying or roasting
- Season goose with a dry rub the night before cooking
- Select an 8-12 goose for tender meat
