Canadian Geese

USSF · July 23, 2005, 07:05 PM

Anyone know how to clean a Canadian Goose? I looked on the internet and couldn't find anything. Any websites or information would be great. Thanks in advance.

mete · July 23, 2005, 07:49 PM

Game of all types should be taken care of immediately !!! Last year I spoke to a woman who's son had taken his first goose. She asked about the "off " flavor. Getting some information from her I explained that with our early seasons [Sept] you could have a 85F day things spoil rapidly. He did not process it immediately , showing it off to neighbors etc. Pellets in the stomach or intestins release digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria which spoil things even quicker. One time I had a large number of geese so I skinned them to cool them quicker If you want to pluck the feathers off do it right away, if you have a machine it's easy..... Split the skin from breastbone to vent and using a stick with a hook [or your hands] remove everything inside.It's as simple as that !! Like dressing out any bird or deer. Goose is one thing that improves with freezing ,even domestic goose. If you want to roast one pick a young one [the end of the breastbone will be flexible]. Otherwise cut it up in about 12 pieces and braise it.Brown the parts and add chopped onion ,carrots, celery and fruit [such as a good tart apple , or lemon,orange, dried cherries, raisins]

HSMITH · July 24, 2005, 07:42 AM

I just breast them out, and take the legs and thighs. Plucking one without a machine or a big pot of wax is nearly torture. Skinning them is a lot easier, but it is also very easy to get a very dry bird when you roast a skinned bird.

I like to make jerky out of the breasts, it really is good. The legs and thighs are good in a slow cooker with an italian beef or pulled pork type recipe.

impact · July 24, 2005, 09:55 PM

I don't clean the birds myself. There is this lady that lives here in town that will clean a goose for $1.50 each. The cleaned bird comes in a plastic ready for the freezer.

I like to cook goose in a crock pot. Add what ever spices you like and let it cook for half a day and the meat just falls off of the bones. Man I can't for the season to start. I have added a 750 mil bottle of red wine to the crock pot. I think it gives the meat good flavor.

**Rich Lucibella** · July 24, 2005, 10:39 PM

impact-
For recipes that you might add wine to, try "Cooking" wine or "Cooking" Sherry.
Available in grocery stores and generally cheaper than liquor store wine. I find these do not cook off as quickly. Also, less is needed.
Rich

**Mike Irwin** · July 25, 2005, 12:30 AM

Believe it or not, try cooking your goose in Thunderbird. Yep, the quintesential bum wine. Trust me, it's worth the odd looks you'll get when you pick up a bottle.

NRA4life · July 25, 2005, 11:42 AM

We always skinned them, much easier than plucking. My mom would stuff them with whole apples and onions and cover the top or breast side with strips of bacon and cook it in a cooking bag. Slow roast it until desired tenderness. Very tasty.

USSF · July 26, 2005, 12:30 AM

Thanks for all the replies, all those sound really nice. I live near a lake and the geese keep leaving me little land mines all over the place and Ive always wanted to take em out, but I dont like to kill an animal without eating it. Mike-Thunderbird? lol I can imagine the weird looks I would get. Ill try it though, along with everything else. Theres enough geese to go around that I could try an entire cook book.

artsmom · July 26, 2005, 11:37 AM

I would much rather skin a deer than pluck a goose without some mechanical picker. I would skin it, and then roast it in a cooking bag so it doesn't dry out.

Incidentally, bird watchers would tell you that a "Canadian Goose" tells where the bird was hatched, while "Canada Goose" would tell you what species.

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I was told that.

mete · July 26, 2005, 03:33 PM

In proper terminology "roasting " implies dry heat. That is not what you get with a cooking bag .The cooking bag is really more like braising....Just to be precise !

**Mike Irwin** · July 26, 2005, 08:16 PM

And you can dry out meat just as fast cooking it in a cooking bag (or even poaching it submerged completely in liquid) as you can dry roasting it.

artsmom · July 27, 2005, 09:49 AM

Mike Irwin,

Of course you can dry out a goose in a cooking bag, you can even burn it black. That is why the cook is there, to prevent either from happening.

mete, you are correct, there is a difference between roasting and braising. That begs the question as to why cooks and chefs call it a "pot roast" when they are really braising the meat, not roasting. Until the cooking community straightens that one out, anything at my house that goes into the blue roaster and then into the oven will most likely be called "roasted".

Well actually, we probably don't even use the term "roasted" that much, we say "cooked".

mete · July 27, 2005, 01:11 PM

There was a fellow who cooked his first woodchuck with the 'shake and bake ' method so that's what we then called him ! Old cook books rarely gave many details . It was 'cook until done' or even older [ancient Rome] 'first you catch the hare'. Cook books first became widely published in this country when a good number of people first were able to read , about 1875.

**Mike Irwin** · July 28, 2005, 03:26 PM

"Of course you can dry out a goose in a cooking bag, you can even burn it black. That is why the cook is there, to prevent either from happening."

Remind me to introduce you to my friend's mother in law.

The only woman I've ever met who can incinerate a piece of meat while leaving it raw.

Unfortunately, too many people think a roasting bag automatically guarantees a moist cut of meat. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What helps deliver a moist, tender cut of meat is prior preparation (brining) and fanatical attention to internal temperature.

If you get the internal temperature of a Canada Goose breast up to 170-175, you might as well start making funeral arrangements. Hit 180? Turn on the clean cycle and finish the cremation.

SeekHer · August 6, 2005, 02:06 PM

Gut and skin them right away (leave one wing for identification)...stuff it, put bacon on the top to give it moisture, then roast it.

You might also want to try putting peanut butter thickly over the bird and roasting it...acts like a clay covered bird and puts a lot of sweetness into the meat by keeping the moisture in...works good on ham, also.

12-34hom · August 7, 2005, 08:00 PM

Canada Goose = Flying Carp.

12-34hom

Dean C · August 7, 2005, 08:09 PM

How about a cast iron "Dutch Oven"? I never tried it, just fishing for ideas.
dean

NRA4life · August 8, 2005, 01:29 PM

My dad, brothers and I hunted around the Horicon National Wildlife refuge in Wisconsin back in the '70's and early '80's. Those were the good 'ol days when the bag limits were 5 Canada's per day I think and there were no drawings, tags, etc. One year I think we killed over 300 of them, with 35 in one day (near Theresa). We had to start deboning them to fit in the freezer. We ground them up for hamburger, made stew out of them and basically any other dish you would use venison for. Same with the snowshoe's we shot up in the north part of the state.

July 23, 2005, 07:05 PM	#1
USSF Member Join Date: February 2, 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 24	Canadian Geese Anyone know how to clean a Canadian Goose? I looked on the internet and couldn't find anything. Any websites or information would be great. Thanks in advance. __________________ A good quote.

July 24, 2005, 10:39 PM	#5
Rich Lucibella Staff Join Date: October 6, 1998 Location: South Florida Posts: 10,229	impact- For recipes that you might add wine to, try "Cooking" wine or "Cooking" Sherry. Available in grocery stores and generally cheaper than liquor store wine. I find these do not cook off as quickly. Also, less is needed. Rich __________________ S.W.A.T. Magazine Weapons, Training and Tactics for the Real World Join us at TFL or at AR15.com or on Facebook

July 26, 2005, 12:30 AM	#8
USSF Member Join Date: February 2, 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 24	Thanks for all the replies, all those sound really nice. I live near a lake and the geese keep leaving me little land mines all over the place and Ive always wanted to take em out, but I dont like to kill an animal without eating it. Mike-Thunderbird? lol I can imagine the weird looks I would get. Ill try it though, along with everything else. Theres enough geese to go around that I could try an entire cook book. __________________ A good quote.

August 6, 2005, 02:06 PM	#15
SeekHer Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2005 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Posts: 295	Gut and skin them right away (leave one wing for identification)...stuff it, put bacon on the top to give it moisture, then roast it. You might also want to try putting peanut butter thickly over the bird and roasting it...acts like a clay covered bird and puts a lot of sweetness into the meat by keeping the moisture in...works good on ham, also. __________________ There is a certain type of mentality that thinks if you make certain inanimate objects illegal their criminal misuse will disappear! When the human race dies out, it will be because it was brainwashed to be so totally, completely, utterly safe that it no longer dared to keep on living

August 7, 2005, 08:00 PM	#16
12-34hom Senior Member Join Date: June 8, 1999 Location: Iowa - northeastern Posts: 1,810	Your goose is cooked? Canada Goose = Flying Carp. 12-34hom __________________ This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life. I must master itas i master my life.Without me my rifle is useless, without my rifle i am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I Will. Before God i swear this creed. My rifle and myself are defenders of my country. We are masters of our enemy. We are saviours of my life. So be it until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.

July 23, 2005, 07:49 PM	#2
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Game of all types should be taken care of immediately !!! Last year I spoke to a woman who's son had taken his first goose. She asked about the "off " flavor. Getting some information from her I explained that with our early seasons [Sept] you could have a 85F day things spoil rapidly. He did not process it immediately , showing it off to neighbors etc. Pellets in the stomach or intestins release digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria which spoil things even quicker. One time I had a large number of geese so I skinned them to cool them quicker If you want to pluck the feathers off do it right away, if you have a machine it's easy..... Split the skin from breastbone to vent and using a stick with a hook [or your hands] remove everything inside.It's as simple as that !! Like dressing out any bird or deer. Goose is one thing that improves with freezing ,even domestic goose. If you want to roast one pick a young one [the end of the breastbone will be flexible]. Otherwise cut it up in about 12 pieces and braise it.Brown the parts and add chopped onion ,carrots, celery and fruit [such as a good tart apple , or lemon,orange, dried cherries, raisins]

July 24, 2005, 07:42 AM	#3
HSMITH Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2002 Posts: 2,019	I just breast them out, and take the legs and thighs. Plucking one without a machine or a big pot of wax is nearly torture. Skinning them is a lot easier, but it is also very easy to get a very dry bird when you roast a skinned bird. I like to make jerky out of the breasts, it really is good. The legs and thighs are good in a slow cooker with an italian beef or pulled pork type recipe.

July 24, 2005, 09:55 PM	#4
impact Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2005 Location: the great state of Texas Posts: 854	I don't clean the birds myself. There is this lady that lives here in town that will clean a goose for $1.50 each. The cleaned bird comes in a plastic ready for the freezer. I like to cook goose in a crock pot. Add what ever spices you like and let it cook for half a day and the meat just falls off of the bones. Man I can't for the season to start. I have added a 750 mil bottle of red wine to the crock pot. I think it gives the meat good flavor.

July 25, 2005, 12:30 AM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,379	Believe it or not, try cooking your goose in Thunderbird. Yep, the quintesential bum wine. Trust me, it's worth the odd looks you'll get when you pick up a bottle.

July 25, 2005, 11:42 AM	#7
NRA4life Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2001 Location: WA Posts: 183	We always skinned them, much easier than plucking. My mom would stuff them with whole apples and onions and cover the top or breast side with strips of bacon and cook it in a cooking bag. Slow roast it until desired tenderness. Very tasty.

July 26, 2005, 11:37 AM	#9
artsmom Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 334	I would much rather skin a deer than pluck a goose without some mechanical picker. I would skin it, and then roast it in a cooking bag so it doesn't dry out. Incidentally, bird watchers would tell you that a "Canadian Goose" tells where the bird was hatched, while "Canada Goose" would tell you what species. Yeah, I thought the same thing when I was told that.

July 26, 2005, 03:33 PM	#10
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	In proper terminology "roasting " implies dry heat. That is not what you get with a cooking bag .The cooking bag is really more like braising....Just to be precise !

July 26, 2005, 08:16 PM	#11
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,379	And you can dry out meat just as fast cooking it in a cooking bag (or even poaching it submerged completely in liquid) as you can dry roasting it.

July 27, 2005, 09:49 AM	#12
artsmom Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 334	Mike Irwin, Of course you can dry out a goose in a cooking bag, you can even burn it black. That is why the cook is there, to prevent either from happening. mete, you are correct, there is a difference between roasting and braising. That begs the question as to why cooks and chefs call it a "pot roast" when they are really braising the meat, not roasting. Until the cooking community straightens that one out, anything at my house that goes into the blue roaster and then into the oven will most likely be called "roasted". Well actually, we probably don't even use the term "roasted" that much, we say "cooked".

July 27, 2005, 01:11 PM	#13
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	There was a fellow who cooked his first woodchuck with the 'shake and bake ' method so that's what we then called him ! Old cook books rarely gave many details . It was 'cook until done' or even older [ancient Rome] 'first you catch the hare'. Cook books first became widely published in this country when a good number of people first were able to read , about 1875.

July 28, 2005, 03:26 PM	#14
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,379	"Of course you can dry out a goose in a cooking bag, you can even burn it black. That is why the cook is there, to prevent either from happening." Remind me to introduce you to my friend's mother in law. The only woman I've ever met who can incinerate a piece of meat while leaving it raw. Unfortunately, too many people think a roasting bag automatically guarantees a moist cut of meat. Nothing could be further from the truth. What helps deliver a moist, tender cut of meat is prior preparation (brining) and fanatical attention to internal temperature. If you get the internal temperature of a Canada Goose breast up to 170-175, you might as well start making funeral arrangements. Hit 180? Turn on the clean cycle and finish the cremation.

August 7, 2005, 08:09 PM	#17
Dean C Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2004 Location: Mill Creek (Just north east of Seattle) Posts: 343	How about a cast iron "Dutch Oven"? I never tried it, just fishing for ideas. dean

August 8, 2005, 01:29 PM	#18
NRA4life Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2001 Location: WA Posts: 183	My dad, brothers and I hunted around the Horicon National Wildlife refuge in Wisconsin back in the '70's and early '80's. Those were the good 'ol days when the bag limits were 5 Canada's per day I think and there were no drawings, tags, etc. One year I think we killed over 300 of them, with 35 in one day (near Theresa). We had to start deboning them to fit in the freezer. We ground them up for hamburger, made stew out of them and basically any other dish you would use venison for. Same with the snowshoe's we shot up in the north part of the state.

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