By Barret Adams, Lexington Kentucky
Nothing quite puts a smile on my face like a dozen or so Canada geese downwind, and ‘locked in’ on the decoys. Having them ‘glide’ the rest of the way into the decoys gives us a great chance at knocking one or two down, then sending our awesome Wildrose Labs for a great retrieve.
It is also hard to beat a goose hunt during the ‘thaw,’ and that’s what Wildrose Sterling, Wildrose Boca, Dan Adams, Associate Trainer, and myself did one cold 0°F morning on Elkhorn Creek near Lexington, Kentucky, knocking down 4 Canada geese.
Now, I am a big believer in cooking everything I am fortunate enough to harvest whether it be fish, pheasant, or whitetail. Those three examples are quite delicious on their own, but I have always had a hard time finding a goose recipe where I could clean my plate.
In the past, we have tried a mesquite pellet-fed smoker, grilling the goose breasts with liberal use of marinade, but still was unsuccessful in making the bird just dang delicious. Credit for this recipe goes to https://honest-food.net/canada-goose-breast-recipe/ but here is my summary of how to make one of these waterfowl birds a fast favorite appetizer at your next outdoorsmen gathering. This is a recipe for how to prepare goose, and make it taste like a steak. No Kidding!
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 goose breasts
- Salt
- Pepper
- Rosemary
Instructions:
Step 1. Harvest the goose. Recipe works well on Canada, but also worth a try on those good ol’ tar bellies, and snows. A Kentucky Limit of Canada’s (3 Birds) is a lot of meat.
Step 2. Breast the bird (leaving skin on if you so wish). Clean off all feathers.
Step 3. Brine the bird in cold water, be sure to add some salt and sugar to help with the brine. Brown sugar is also an option. Let brine for at least 8 hours, but I like to let it rest for 24 hours. According to the USDA, the reason we ‘brine’ is the salt in the brine “dissolves a bit of the protein in the muscle fibers, and allows the meat to absorb the brine and retain moisture during cooking. This makes the game juicier, more tender, and improves the flavor”
Step 4. Keeping the breast whole and Skin Side Up, place the breasts in a baking tray. Salt and pepper as you like. A touch of rosemary is also nice. We will bake the breast to an internal temp between 120°F and 130°F. This usually will take close to two hours at an Oven Temp of 185°F – 200°F. Note: this step can also be accomplished in a smoker if you so choose. A meat thermometer is also most helpful, and there are some out there that will Bluetooth to a smartphone to give you live-feed temperatures.
Step 5. Remove the tray from the oven / smoker. You will notice that the goose breast may have lost some of its volume, this is a good thing, as we are softening up the protein.
Step 6. Now we need to sear the goose with the highest level of heat possible. I used a little bit of oil in a cast iron pan, and got some intense heat. I tried to sear at least 3 minutes each side. Start with the skin side down, or whichever side the skin used to be on.
Step 7. Remove the goose, and let the meat rest. After a couple of minutes, I slice the breast thin, long ways. Added salt, pepper, and rosemary or any of your favorite herbs of choice.
Step 8. Let cool and enjoy! At this point, a bottle of red wine would be a great addition.
A ‘frosted’ Wildrose Sterling after a cold goose hunt.
Be sure to protect your hunting companion with cold weather gear when appropriate. It lets you stay in the field longer, and on this particular hunt it paid off.
First time ever that the waders actually froze solid standing up.
The Wildrose Journal 