How To Cook Your Goose: Tasty Light Geese

February 23, 2017 greg wagner

Hey, who says that snow and Ross’s geese are not good to eat, huh?

Your blogger displays snow geese harvested during a recent Light Goose Conservation Order in south-central Nebraska. Photo by Jim Druliner.

No, they’re not cat food, garden fertilizer, “sky carp,” “bad lutefisk with feathers,” “over-cooked catcher’s mitts,” or any other derogatory  names you want to call them!

With these geese, it’s just the opposite!

Please don’t roll your eyes. Bear with me.

Snow geese and Ross’s geese, defined as light geese,  have dark, richly flavored meat. They can be quite delicious, if, and I mean, if, you take adequate care of them in the field, prepare them properly and cook them correctly.

Let’s begin by addressing field care.

There’s no question that lack of adequate care in the field is the reason that some who love to eat waterfowl vehemently dislike dining on snow and Ross’s geese. You have to keep in mind that the body of these geese are well-insulated with hundreds of beautiful feathers including many down feathers.

Snow goose. Photo by Greg Wagner/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

What’s critical for hunters to remember when harvesting snow and Ross’s Geese during this current Light Goose Conservation Order with any weather, especially warmer weather, is to take some quick pics, get them out of the sun and not pile them up, but cool them down and field dress them as soon as possible after retrieves are made.

June, a Golden Retriever (a.k.a.Swamp Collie), owned by Nick Bilava, retrieves a Ross’s goose during a Conservation Order hunt on a wetland in east-central Nebraska. Photo by Greg Wagner/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

I believe the entrails of the birds actually need to be immediately drawn, and you may even pull off a few breast feathers to help the meat cool quickly. Excessive heat from ambient air temperature, direct sunlight, in a blind or vehicle or at home, should be completely avoided. It is also an excellent idea to place them in large coolers with ice.

A seasoned waterfowl hunter once told me that good field care makes the difference between a light goose that brings the cook rave reviews and one that sends the eaters for second and third helpings of mashed potatoes!

As with other game birds harvested, each goose’s age and condition need to be examined. Then, you can decide how to best prepare it. For example, young geese are prime candidates for being roasted or cooked like a steak, while the older birds are more likely to be tougher and are best made in other ways such as grinding them into sausage, making jerky out of them or putting them in a long, slow braise.

During the current Light Goose Conservation Order hunting period, young-of-the-year snow, “blue”  and Ross’s geese an be identified by their plumage. Young white geese are grayish in color. Young blues have no distinct white coloration on their heads and less color contrast on their bodies. Older birds cannot be aged. A bird in full adult plumage could be a tender two-year old, or a tough 10-year old, it’s difficult to tell.

Shot damage is another consideration when it comes to cleaning light geese. Birds with a lot of shot damage are best used for recipes in which the breast muscles are boned out, and other body parts, such as the legs and thighs, need to be done separately. Birds with low body fat or many pinfeathers are also superb choices for skinning and boning.

Many hunters believe in skinning their geese. I do, too. It is said that much of the unpleasant flavor resides in the skin of the bird. After skinning, the bird’s flavor is fully dependent on how you make them.

If you’re planning on plucking your birds, you need to know that the skin of light geese tends to tear rather easily when plucked. To prevent tearing, pull the feathers “with the grain” of the bird from the head toward the tail. Do not attempt to pull too many feathers at a one time.

Breasting out geese harvested on a Conservation Order hunt is common tactic employed by many hunters who have shot a number of birds. However, keep in mind that a single, fully-feathered wing must remain attached to each breast for identification in transport. Nebraska law requires all harvested waterfowl to have either the head plumage or one fully feathered wing naturally attached to their bodies for identification purposes with transportation to a point of permanent storage.

Wanton and needless waste of light geese need to be mentioned as well.  Legally, every effort must be made by the hunter to utilize the edible portions of snow and Ross’s geese. Carcasses and parts of geese should be disposed of in a reasonable and sanitary manner and not thrown into waterways, along roadside ditches or off bridges.

I should point out that some hunters prefer to age their birds. They do that in a cool, dry, environment (32 to 40 degrees) without drawing or picking them. Birds can be aged in this process for several days or a week or more. When done right, harmless bacteria break down muscle tissue, resulting in tender and flavorful meat.

Honestly, any waterfowl recipe can be used for snow or Ross’s geese. A favorite recipe for Canada geese or mallard ducks will be a favorite recipe for snow or Ross’s geese. You can go simple or elaborate. Cooking time must be adjusted accordingly to the bird’s weight. Snow geese typically weigh 5 to 6 pounds, yielding about 2 to 3 pounds of meat. Ross’s geese, on average, weigh between 3 1/2 and 4 pounds. Cooking times will also be longer for birds stuffed with dressing.

One of my preferred recipes is a simple one that involves the goose breast. I fillet and butterfly it open. I then soak it in a Teriyaki marinade for around 24 hours. After that, I take a slice of Monterey jack cheese and a pickled pepper, place it inside the fold of the meat and wrap it with bacon. I grill it to medium rare. I do the same with the legs and thighs.

If you’re looking for some top-notch recipes for light geese from around the North American continent,  you’ll find them available here.

Delicious recipes can also be found  on the Food for Hunters blog produced by Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley. How about a Pulled Berry-Chipotle Snow Goose Sandwich recipe? Mmm …

 

A Pulled Berry-Chipotle Snow Goose Sandwich. Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley/Food for Hunters blog.

 

The post How To Cook Your Goose: Tasty Light Geese appeared first on NEBRASKALand Magazine.

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