Smoked Goose Recipes

Out of all the smoked goose recipes that I've researched and tried, this is my absolute favorite bar none. It produces succulent meat and lovely warm golden color to the bird.

Goose used to be the traditional bird of Thanksgiving and Christmas but that seems to have faded somewhat and Turkey taken over which is a shame. Don't think the two things are the same though, they're both big birds of course but whereas Turkey is white meat (somewhat similar to chicken), goose is meat is dark and has a much stronger flavor.

Essential to all smoked goose recipes (and to this one in particular) is the marinade together with a pre-prep stage as well, so you need about 5 days to complete the full preparation and cooking........but it's worth it. This marinade is right for a bird of about 8 -10 pounds (3.5 – 4.5kg) in weight. If it's any less then you'll want to halve the quantity of salt in the marinade.

Ingredients:-

• 3 tablespoons salt
• ¼ cup or 60ml sunflower oil
• 2cups or 600g chopped onions
• 1 cup or 240ml red grape juice
• ¾ cup or 180ml sweet sherry
• ¼ cup runny honey
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• ¼ cup or 80ml soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoons rosemary

Method:-

The first step is to scald the goose to make the skin go really tight so that when the goose cooks, a lot of the fat will be squeezed out of the bird. You do this by placing the goose in a colander in the sink and pouring 4 or 5 kettles of boiling water over it (take care) and you'll see that the skin goes white and fluffy. Once this has happened, place the goose on a large plate, puncture the skin with a skewer all over and then refrigerate for 24 hours – buy the end of this time you'll see that the skin is dry and tight to the touch.

Now it's time to make up the marinade using the ingredients above and remember the point about the salt. Blend all the ingredients together and then coat all over the bird – I like to get a large resealable polythene bag and place the goose in it. You now need to marinade the goose for three days, turning every 12 hours. When your three days are up, remove the goose, place it on a vertical roasting rack (if you have one) and just leave out at ambient temperature for 2 or 3 hours to dry the skin.

It's time to smoke the goose:-

Set up your smoker with a hot water bath and place the bird on top. Cook at 250°F or 120°C for about 8 hours. Don't be alarmed, there will be a massive amount of fat released from the goose and be careful if you're not using a vertical roasting rack because the fat will accumulate in the cavity.

You should now have the most delicious feast ahead of you but remember to perform the checks to test that it is cooked.

1. Skewer the leg joints and the juices should run clear
2. Use a BBQ thermometer to test the internal temp (180°F or 82°C)

Smoked goose recipes and no different to smoked turkey recipes in that to get the absolute best, let your bird rest before carving. If I can resist, I try to leave mine for at least an hour.

See Also:-

Smoked Goose Breast
Smoked Pheasant Breast
Thanksgiving Barbeque Menu
Christmas Recipe Ideas

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