Wild goose versus domestic on taste

[birdnutz]

I find myself over run with toulouse geese. Actually eating me out of house and home with the cost of feed. Heres the problem. I've tried canada geese and didn't like it. Maybe it was the way it was cooked?? Do domestic and wild taste the same? Is there a special way to cook goose? I asked my Mom and she said the one time she tried it was a disaster. She cooked it like a turkey. Any help would be appreciated. I won't process them without knowing how to cook them. But really hard to find homes for them here.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I have only had wild goose and loved it, but it does need to be cooked differently. The thing with wild goose is you never know the age of the bird, so you have to cook it long and with juices. If we are roasting a wild goose, we use a 'Look ' cooking bag and add stuff to it to marinade the goose while cooking. Or an easier way is to just skin the bird, quarter it and slow cook it in a stock pot.

Also, with a goose, you might have had your mind set that it was gonna taste like turkey which is all wrong. It tastes more like roast beef, but if your mind is already expecting one thing, it won't like the real taste of goose.

That being said, I imagine your toulouse would taste similar (but I don't know) if they are older, but be more tender if they are younger.

So yes, wild goose needs to be cooked in a special way. If you want some tried and true wild goose recipes, I would be happy to share a few.

 

[birdnutz]

I have 9 this year geese and 3 that I have no idea how old. Please send me some of your recipes! I'll sure give them a try. Thanks lots

 

[greyfields]

domestic geese are the way to go... less flying/exercise means softer muscle tissue, they put on lot more subcutaneous fat (i.e. flavor), less stressed animals makes better meat.

 

[Silkie's Grandma]

The biggest mistake people make when they cook wild geese, is to OVER COOK it. Which dries it out & makes it equal to eating shoe leather. It appears to be a larger bird like a turkey, but actually cooks closer to a chicken. The legs are tuff no matter how you cook them, so best used for soups. The breast is just awsume if you slice it into Fillets & roll in Pork shake & bake. Takes about 1/2 hour in a 350 oven. (line the pan with tin foil for easy clean up) I dip mine in sweet/sour sauce while enjoying..my guys perfer BBQ sauce for dipping! Either way - it's good eating.

 

[greyfields]

This isn't a goose issue exactly. All my poultry my customers generally tend to overcook becuase commercial poulty meat is 'marinated to 20% brine content. Ours are not, so the tendency will to be to overcook.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Quote:
About this, and sorry, it's abit OT, but I noticed that when I cooked my first meat bird. I did 20 minutes/lb, like usual, but it wasovercooked. What is the proper cook time, then?






And I'll dig out the recipes later tonight.

 

[greyfields]

thermometer

and then remember it will go up 5-degrees while 'resting'. You should rest meat 20-30 minuets before carving.

 

[menageriemama]

We do a lot of goose hunting and I cook them in the crockpot for a LONG time. Then I shred the meat and use it like pulled pork in sandwiches, in enchiladas, soups or anything like that. I have never had domestic goose, but it has to be much more tender and juicy than wild...

PS If worst comes to worst, you can always drown it in gravy

 

[miss_thenorth]

Roast Goose (do ALL in a cooking bag-follow cooking bag instructions)
1/3 cup dry red wine
2/3 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 canadian goose
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
salt
Directions
Combine the first 4 ingredients. Marinate the goose for 2 to 3 hours (at a minimum) in this mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Quarter the onion and cut celery stalk into 3 pieces. Place into cavity of goose. Sprinkle goose with salt and place into roasting pan, breast side down. Pour marinade over goose.
Cover and bake for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until tender. Baste several times with marinade. Turn and roast, breast side up, for the last 15 minutes.



Poached Wild Goose

Ingredients
1 whole wild goose, skin on
1 large onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
Hot water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions: In large stockpot, combine goose, onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaf. Add water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours; if size of goose prohibits covering with water, turn goose over once or twice during cooking. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drain goose; strain broth and save for other recipes. Pat goose dry. Place in roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. Roast until skin is brown and crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

These two I have tried and are good. If the goose is wild or old, use the cooking bag, if it is a young goose, i wouldn't think it would be necessary. Same witht ehcooking in water for the poached goose. Yo could also just cook the goose in the stock pot, remove meat from bones, and use in casseroles etc. don't know about donmestic, but wild taste like roastbeef. YUM, and guess what?. the season is coming up.