I was lucky enough to get my hands on some Canada Goose from Idaho. These birds were very fat and had definitely been feeding on left over field corn and other farm stuffs. Wild Canada Goose tastes a lot like steak. They are often refereed to as the Rib Eyes of the Sky. The meat has a texture of beef and tastes very much like a good steak. There is a hint of wildness in the flavor that lets you know that you are eating a piece of meat that has not been raised on a farm. These birds have spent their summer in the lush wetlands and farm fields of Canada, Montana and Idaho and have grown fat on a variety of tasty treats.
The recipe I concocted included a wild mushroom cream sauce. The first step in the cooking process required the dry roasting of the mushrooms until the moisture was gone and they had a nutty flavor. After about ten minutes, the mushrooms were done and I placed the cooked mushrooms to the side. I then added about five slices of bacon to the skillet and rendered the fat.
I rinsed and thoroughly dried the goose breasts and put them in a separate dish and covered them with vermouth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to marinate for about 60 minutes.
I had breasted this goose out and was unable to save the skin. Without the skin and the layer of fat that is underneath it, the meat can become very dry when cooking. To avoid this problem, I use the rendered bacon fat and added olive oil and butter to the pan to keep the breasts moist when cooking.
Once the bacon fat was rendered, I added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the grease. As soon as the oil was hot, I added the goose breasts to the pan and seared both sides. I also added 6 tablespoons of butter to the pan and basted the breasts as they cooked. “Refer to the video to see how to baste the breasts with butter.”
I cooked the goose breasts for about 7 – 10 minutes until they were just at the edge of rare to medium rare.
I placed the breasts to the side and covered them with aluminum foil. I then proceeded to make the pan sauce. The skillet had the butter, oil and brown bits from the goose in it. I added vermouth to the mixture and scraped all of the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. I then added the mushrooms and cooked until heated through. I added 3/4 cups of cream to the mixture and simmered it for about three minutes. The sauce was now completed.
After the breasts had rested for about 10 minutes, I cut them just as you would a London Broil or Rib Eye Steak. It is okay to eat goose rare or medium rare.
I placed the goose slices on a bed of wild rice and seasoned them with a little Maldon Sea Salt.
I then spooned the mushroom cream sauce over the breasts and served immediately with roasted root vegetables and a bold red wine.
Canada goose meat tastes like roast beef with a hint of waterfowl when prepared and cooked correctly.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on some Canada Goose from Idaho. These birds were very fat and had definitely been feeding on left over field corn and other farm stuffs. Wild Canada Goose tastes a lot like steak. They are often refereed to as the Rib Eyes of the Sky. The meat has a texture of beef and tastes very much like a good steak. There is a hint of wildness in the flavor that lets you know that you are eating a piece of meat that has not been raised on a farm. These birds have spent their summer in the lush wetlands and farm fields of Canada, Montana and Idaho and have grown fat on a variety of tasty treats.
I placed the goose slices on a bed of wild rice and seasoned them with a little Maldon Sea Salt.
I then spooned the mushroom cream sauce over the breasts and served immediately with roasted root vegetables and a bold red wine.
I placed the breasts to the side and covered them with aluminum foil. I then proceeded to make the pan sauce. The skillet had the butter, oil and brown bits from the goose in it. I added vermouth to the mixture and scraped all of the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. I then added the mushrooms and cooked until heated through. I added 3/4 cups of cream to the mixture and simmered it for about three minutes. The sauce was now completed.
The recipe I concocted included a wild mushroom cream sauce. The first step in the cooking process required the dry roasting of the mushrooms until the moisture was gone and they had a nutty flavor. After about ten minutes, the mushrooms were done and I placed the cooked mushrooms to the side. I then added about five slices of bacon to the skillet and rendered the fat.
Until 1901, when federal laws prohibited the commercial harvesting of migratory birds, it was possible to purchase wild game birds in meat markets. Nowadays, for those who do not hunt, the only way to procure the birds is to beg them from a generous hunting friend or relative. The goose harvest was poor last year, and it is expected to be not much better this season. But of the geese, speckle-bellied and Canada geese are considered the best eating, though the snow goose is good too. “I’m not aware of any goose that’s not good to eat,” says Dale Witt, Texas Parks and Wildlife’s program director for migratory and endangered species. Among the ducks, the canvasback, which feeds on wild celery and which in the nineteenth century was served as a delicacy at Delmonico’s in New York, is called the king of birds, but in recent years its numbers have drastically declined, and shooting canvasbacks is now illegal in Texas. The small blue-winged teal is coveted by many hunters for its particularly sweet flesh. Mallards, pintails, wigeons, and gadwalls, depending on whether they have been feeding on rice stubble and grain or on aquatic life along the coast, are also sought after. In general, ducks that feed on aquatic animals, fish, or plants are held in low regard because their flesh is considered to have an unpleasant flavor. I did sample a broiled coastal duck recently, however. With its oily, fishy aroma (reminiscent of mackerel), the bird was unusual but quite tasty.
After acquiring the birds, the next step is cleaning them. Most expert hunters clean their own birds, but there are also cleaning services in areas where hunting is extensive. John Makin, an executive chef for the Crescent complex of restaurants in Dallas and an avid hunter himself, recommends that during warm winters, when the temperature is higher than 60 degrees, game birds should be cooled immediately and even plucked in the field to keep them from spoiling or becoming excessively gamy. Other hunters scoff at this precaution, preferring to leave their uncleaned birds in the refrigerator for several days to intensify the flavor, an aging and ripening process that is similar to the traditional “hanging” of game birds, in which fowl are suspended from hooks in cold air for as long as a week or more.
Preheat broiler. Bird should be at room temperature. Sprinkle breast liberally with salt. (Del Grande sometimes rubs ducks with a mixture of salt and sugar to help caramelize the skin during broiling.)
A wild goose, for instance, tastes like rich rare roast beef, only better. The pink flesh of a duck, dove, or even the lowly snipe has a delicate texture and a deep, full-blooded flavor that can become addictive. The woodcock, a small quaillike bird that is similar to the snipe and inhabits the Piney Woods, though not greatly hunted in Texas, was thought by no less an expert than John James Audubon to be the tastiest of all game birds. It is cooked whole and undrawn (without its entrails removed). The French, who know about these things, scrape out the cooked entrails, mash them up — perhaps with a bit of cognac — and then spread the mixture on toast. The sandhill crane, a wary, long-legged migratory bird viewed with disdain by many hunters, is considered by other hunters to be great sport as well as a flavorful meat, tasting something like dark turkey meat. This is not to overlook the quail, pheasant, and wild turkey found in Texas, but they are white-meat birds and can be cooked similar to the way that chicken is cooked. What we are considering here are the red-meat birds (whose flesh is more akin to beef) and the widespread misunderstanding about how to cook them.
The following recipe is adapted from the straightforward method of broiling game birds used by Robert McCurdy, an Austin sportsman and the executive director of the Clear, Clean Colorado River Association, who has made the quick-cooking of game birds an art. Accompanying it are recipes for a suitable side dish from Robert Del Grande and a sauce from John Makin. Other recommended accompaniments include fried polenta, braised cabbage, fruit compote, baked grits, and, of course, wild rice.
Do THIS before you cook WILD GOOSE
FAQ
What does goose breast taste like?
Is goose breast good eating?
Is goose meat gamey?
How do you get the gamey taste out of goose breast?
What does Wild Goose Taste like?
That is a matter of preference and, most likely, what one is in the mood to eat. While both are a red meat, goose tastes more like roast beef than waterfowl. Both have somewhat of a “rich” flavor, though because most people grew up eating beef, properly cooked wild goose might taste more familiar for some people.
Do Canada geese taste bad if you roast them?
Canada geese taste awful if you roast them or cook them similarly to how you would handle a domestic goose. However, there are several things that you can do to make them delicious. The reason for this is that Canada goose meat is extremely lean, and the globs of fat that are stored around the breast meat are completely rank.
How to cook wild goose breast?
To achieve a crispy and flavorful exterior, sear the wild goose breast in a hot pan. Heat some oil or butter over medium-high heat and carefully place the breast in the pan, skin side down. Let it cook for a few minutes until the skin becomes golden brown and crispy. Flip the breast and sear the other side for an additional couple of minutes. 4.
Are Canada goose breasts good?
The reason for this is that Canada goose meat is extremely lean, and the globs of fat that are stored around the breast meat are completely rank. In other words, it’s easy to cook them into a dry brick. And yet, I’m always happy to get a Canada goose. The breasts of a Canada goose are generally considered to be the best part.