Cooking Goose
An Overview And Ideas For Cooking Goose
There are a number of good recipes for cooking goose, and a few are mentioned here, but the purpose of this article is to lay out the basics. One of the first things you'll become aware of when you cook a goose, is that the bird contains a good amount of fat. You won't want to cook it in too shallow a pan for that reason, but also be aware that goose fat, or goose oil if you wish, makes a very good cooking oil in itself.
Whether you get a goose from the butcher, fresh from the field, or frozen, the cooking methods are similar, although the preparation of the bird may differ in each case. When you are cooking goose, it does need to be thawed completely before preparing it for the oven. You want the bird to cook completely, and you also want to get all the water (ice) out of it. The quickest way to thaw out a goose is to place it in cold water. In general, most birds will thaw completely in 8 to 10 hours, a small bird, on the order of 10 pounds, should thaw within 6 hours. If you leave the goose in the refrigerator (not the freezer), expect it to take 2 or 3 days to thaw completely.
In preparing the goose for the oven, one of the first things you want to do is remove excess fat. Otherwise your cooked goose is going to be swimming in the stuff when done. If you're going to stuff the goose, you do it much the same as you would a turkey. Stuff the body cavity, and then close the openings with a skewer and tie the legs together. When cooking goose without stuffing, simply sprinkle the body cavity with salt, and there is no need to tie the legs together.
A goose is normally roasted breast side up, though there are recopies which call for it to be roasted breast side down. Prick a few holes in the skin with a fork (breast and thigh) before placing the goose in the oven. While roasting, you may need to siphon off accumulating fat. When the skin becomes golden brown and crisp it's a sign that the goose is cooked. Roasting times will of course vary in accordance with the weight of the bird. The best way to roast a goose is to cook it under high heat (400 F) for an hour, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Total cooking time for a 10 pound bird will be 4 hours, and up to 7 hours for a bird of 14 pounds or more. When purchasing a frozen bird, cooking directions, including cooking times, are often printed on the plastic covering.
There are a number of things you can do while cooking goose to make it even more favorable. Try bacon slices under the skin for example, or enhance the stuffing with garlic, onions and herbs. Some recipes recommend using currants, oranges and chestnuts in the stuffing, others call for apples and almonds. Of course you can use almost any combination of these ingredients. For many, the dressing is an essential part of enjoying a well cooked goose.