I still get goose bumps when I hear the unmistakable sounds of a flock of Canada geese. A lone goose honking (that my Dad always referred to as a singleton), can do it, too. Growing up in Central Wisconsin–Marshfield to be exact–there was never a shortage of geese flying around, especially in the fall. I remember one foggy fall Friday evening when the lights were on at the nearby high school football stadium. I was in the back yard kicking the football around in the surreal glow of the bright lights and a flock flew over tree-top high. I punted the ball as hard as I could, dreaming of a score, but I came up short as they flew on. This has (sadly) proven to be a metaphor for my goose hunting through the years. “Hurrying them on their way,” was how Dad put it.
I have occasionally bagged a goose, although it has been a while. The funny part about the waterfowl I managed to bag when I was in high school (or that my Dad shot or that someone gave to us), is that I only remember one time actually eating the fowl. And I remember it was not that good. It was dry and gamy. But there was bacon involved, so it couldn’t have been all that bad.
Nowadays, I am excited when I think about eating fresh waterfowl, because I have perfected a way of preparing most waterfowl, including snow goose. Here is what I do: First, I take the breast meat off the bone so there are two nice fillets. Then I remove the leg and thighs together. Sometimes, I use the carcass for stock. (More on that later.) Next, I prepare my brine.
Brining is my key to preparing waterfowl, as it removes all of the gamy taste, keeps the meat nice and juicy and tender, and tastes great!
I brine the breasts and also the legs and thighs, although I brine them separately. I use the same brine recipe for both. (See below.) I let the breasts sit in the brine for 24-36 hours, and the legs for 36-48 hours, because the legs tend to be tougher. Then I rinse them off really well and use the now-transformed meat as desired–for any number of different dishes. I often braise the legs in broth after brining, take the meat off the bone and then simmer it in nice sweet BBQ sauce.
A couple of years ago a friend and fellow hunter donated a couple of freezer bags of Canada goose breast for my annual GameFeed. I brined them for as long as I mentioned above, then prepared a Goose Breast Stroganoff. When he tasted it he exclaimed, “What did you do to my goose?” I flinched a bit before he said, “This actually tastes good!”
Getting back to stock options, if I do make stock I start with the bones in cold water and gently heat the pot, making sure to skim all the foam off the top as it is coming to a boil. Then I add plenty of onions, carrots, a bit of celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley. I bring it back to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook it until I am tired of the smell. Or as I like to say, when the aroma of simmering stock turns into a smell.
Below is my recipe for the brine, plus a recipe for Goose Breast Stroganoff. Enjoy!
Chef Joel’s Brine (for just about any fowl, mammal, or even fish)
1/3 cup table salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 quarts of water
Method: Stir the salt, sugar and water until all of the salt and sugar has dissolved in the water. Warm it up a bit if needed, but make sure the the brine isn’t hot when you add the meat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Canada Goose Breast Stroganoff
1 tablespoon oil
½ pound mushrooms, trimmed and sliced as needed or desired
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound brined goose breast, rinsed, dried and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white or red wine
1 sprig thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup goose or chicken stock
1 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles
Chopped parsley
Method: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When the oil begins to smoke a bit, add the mushrooms. Level them out but do not stir them for 3-4 minutes. Do season them with salt and pepper. Stir them once, leveling them out again and let them sit for another couple of minutes. Remove them from the pan. Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan. Keep the heat on medium high and when the oil begins to smoke again lay in the goose breast slices. Cook a couple of minutes then turn the strips once and cook another minute or so. Cook the meat in batches if needed and use a little more oil of you think it needs it. Remove the meat from the pan. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the butter and onions. Cook stirring all you want until the onions have sweated, gotten soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute then add the wine. Cook until reduced to nearly dry. Add the thyme and stock. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the mushrooms and goose along with any liquid that may be with them. Heat on medium until just boiling. Turn the heat to low and stir the sour cream. Taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Serve over noodles with a sprinkling of parsley.