Spats
12-07-2008, 02:07 PM
A few years back, I found myself dreading the annual Christmas turkey. I was already 'turkey-ed' out, having had Thanksgiving's grand roast bird, followed by sandwiches and a brothy turkey soup.
I decided to look into just how hard it would be to make a classic roast goose.
How can you say no to a bird that is essentially all dark meat?
The one thing I heard over and over about goose was the grease content. Seemed no matter what folks did, they got a greasy bird... unless they looked into duck and goose roasting techniques. I did, put together the common elements of a successful roast waterfowl and I've managed great goose ever since.
Here's how I do it.
I apply a version of the Chinese Crispy duck technique to a bigger bird.
I buy a goose, of course.
Two days before I roast, I thaw the bird. Make note of the roasting time and temp on the package. Write it down somewhere. These instructions have never let us down.
The evening before I roast I open the package and wash it down with cold water. I save the giblets, and I've been known to use the liver for homemade pate. You can find some really good pate recipes online.
I get a large pot, I mean large, like a ten gallon pot or so. Put the bird in the pot and cover it with water.
Remove the bird and plop it in the sink, then bring the water in the pot to a rolling boil.
Carefully submerge the bird in the boiling water for 1 minute and 30 seconds, then remove it. The best way is to have the roasting pan nearby and use tongs to lift the legs free of the water, then grab onto the legs with a couple of clean, washable oven mitts.
Needless to say, the mitts need to be clean beforehand, and you'll want to wash them as soon as you're done.
You'll notice that the skin will have taken on a true "goose-pimple" texture, and that the skin with have small sections that have cratered or ruptured without exposing the meat.
It's because the fat cells in the skin have weakened significantly.
Place the goose in the fridge and let it cool overnight.
When ready to roast, set the oven to the prescribed time on the goose packaging.
As the oven warms, stuff the bird with a sliced orange, a sliced apple and a sliced yellow onion.
Rub the bird down with sage, rosemary, basil and salt. Tie up the legs.
Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with about a third of an inch of water, to prevent drippings from smoking.
Roast the bird breast DOWN, yes, down. Do not cover the bird.
The bird will drip, but the grease will not penetrate the meat. It will instead protect the moisture of the meat, just like butter on a turkey.
Result? A moist, non-greasy bird with a crisp skin that people will fight over. Gravy is best using the giblets. You can make a goose gravywith the dripping, but it involves skimming a lot of fat from the pan.
Try a goose this Christmas. The same techniques above can used on duck, obviously, so if you plan to find only a couple, a duck may be a better option.
I decided to look into just how hard it would be to make a classic roast goose.
How can you say no to a bird that is essentially all dark meat?
The one thing I heard over and over about goose was the grease content. Seemed no matter what folks did, they got a greasy bird... unless they looked into duck and goose roasting techniques. I did, put together the common elements of a successful roast waterfowl and I've managed great goose ever since.
Here's how I do it.
I apply a version of the Chinese Crispy duck technique to a bigger bird.
I buy a goose, of course.
Two days before I roast, I thaw the bird. Make note of the roasting time and temp on the package. Write it down somewhere. These instructions have never let us down.
The evening before I roast I open the package and wash it down with cold water. I save the giblets, and I've been known to use the liver for homemade pate. You can find some really good pate recipes online.
I get a large pot, I mean large, like a ten gallon pot or so. Put the bird in the pot and cover it with water.
Remove the bird and plop it in the sink, then bring the water in the pot to a rolling boil.
Carefully submerge the bird in the boiling water for 1 minute and 30 seconds, then remove it. The best way is to have the roasting pan nearby and use tongs to lift the legs free of the water, then grab onto the legs with a couple of clean, washable oven mitts.
Needless to say, the mitts need to be clean beforehand, and you'll want to wash them as soon as you're done.
You'll notice that the skin will have taken on a true "goose-pimple" texture, and that the skin with have small sections that have cratered or ruptured without exposing the meat.
It's because the fat cells in the skin have weakened significantly.
Place the goose in the fridge and let it cool overnight.
When ready to roast, set the oven to the prescribed time on the goose packaging.
As the oven warms, stuff the bird with a sliced orange, a sliced apple and a sliced yellow onion.
Rub the bird down with sage, rosemary, basil and salt. Tie up the legs.
Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with about a third of an inch of water, to prevent drippings from smoking.
Roast the bird breast DOWN, yes, down. Do not cover the bird.
The bird will drip, but the grease will not penetrate the meat. It will instead protect the moisture of the meat, just like butter on a turkey.
Result? A moist, non-greasy bird with a crisp skin that people will fight over. Gravy is best using the giblets. You can make a goose gravywith the dripping, but it involves skimming a lot of fat from the pan.
Try a goose this Christmas. The same techniques above can used on duck, obviously, so if you plan to find only a couple, a duck may be a better option.