I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of a wild game hypocrite when it comes to Canada geese. Sure they're fun to hunt, but I've never been the biggest fan of actually eating them. These days, all of the breast meat is turned into jerky, which is always a hit and often gets shared with friends and family.
I've always felt guilty about throwing away the legs. Back in college, I experimented cooking the legs a dozen ways, none of which were edible or even chewable. The closest I got was a slow-cooker method that I use for duck legs and is a family favorite, but goose legs proved too much.
Last year, I shot a whopping three Canada geese, of which I decided to keep the legs (just five because one was too shot-up). I'd been saving them, hoping to stumble across a recipe that could turn them into a something that resembled food.
Then I stumbled on this beauty for Teriyaki goose legs from blogger Hank Shaw: http://honest-food.net/2016/08/04/teriyaki-duck-legs-recipe/
Hank turned me onto exploring deeper into culinary arts with wild game many moons ago, but I've since been a bit turned off by his posts. Mostly, they're getting to far-fetched and too complex. Something may look good, but his ingredients are impossible to find. Or they're very regional, so you're out of luck in Fargo.
I liked the process in the recipe for the Teriyaki goose legs of braising the legs and then grilling. I use this technique when I braise duck legs in french onion soup mix and then slather with BBQ sauce before grilling. But braising IN the sauce before grilling -- now that was an idea.
I didn't follow Hank's directions and actually make my own teriyaki sauce. Again, no desire to buy $50 worth of ingredients that are only going to get used once and then thrown. So I bought a $3 bottle of teriyaki marinade from the store.
Started off lightly seasoning the legs (skinless, screw plucking those bastards) with S&P and then browning them in a heavy skillet that I'd use later with a lid in the oven. Browned the legs two at a time and then removed them. Deglazed the pan with plain old water (about a half cup) then mixed in the bottle of teriyaki sauce. Added the goose legs in and turned them a couple times to assure they were covered. Put the lid on and put into a 300 degree oven.
Hank suggests 3 hours for Canada goose legs, but you're gonna want at least 4. I tried them at 3 and they were still tough and rubbery. Called it quits at 3.5 hours and they were markedly better, but I think another solid half hour and they would have been perfect. Finish off on the grill to really seal in the flavor, then service with rice and veggies.
Holy balls. These were out of sight. My wife even liked them, and she has worse PTSD than I do about goose meat. My almost-3-year-old asked for seconds.
You gotta give these a try this early season. They're a new family favorite, and I'll never, ever throw goose legs away again.
I've always felt guilty about throwing away the legs. Back in college, I experimented cooking the legs a dozen ways, none of which were edible or even chewable. The closest I got was a slow-cooker method that I use for duck legs and is a family favorite, but goose legs proved too much.
Last year, I shot a whopping three Canada geese, of which I decided to keep the legs (just five because one was too shot-up). I'd been saving them, hoping to stumble across a recipe that could turn them into a something that resembled food.
Then I stumbled on this beauty for Teriyaki goose legs from blogger Hank Shaw: http://honest-food.net/2016/08/04/teriyaki-duck-legs-recipe/
Hank turned me onto exploring deeper into culinary arts with wild game many moons ago, but I've since been a bit turned off by his posts. Mostly, they're getting to far-fetched and too complex. Something may look good, but his ingredients are impossible to find. Or they're very regional, so you're out of luck in Fargo.
I liked the process in the recipe for the Teriyaki goose legs of braising the legs and then grilling. I use this technique when I braise duck legs in french onion soup mix and then slather with BBQ sauce before grilling. But braising IN the sauce before grilling -- now that was an idea.
I didn't follow Hank's directions and actually make my own teriyaki sauce. Again, no desire to buy $50 worth of ingredients that are only going to get used once and then thrown. So I bought a $3 bottle of teriyaki marinade from the store.
Started off lightly seasoning the legs (skinless, screw plucking those bastards) with S&P and then browning them in a heavy skillet that I'd use later with a lid in the oven. Browned the legs two at a time and then removed them. Deglazed the pan with plain old water (about a half cup) then mixed in the bottle of teriyaki sauce. Added the goose legs in and turned them a couple times to assure they were covered. Put the lid on and put into a 300 degree oven.
Hank suggests 3 hours for Canada goose legs, but you're gonna want at least 4. I tried them at 3 and they were still tough and rubbery. Called it quits at 3.5 hours and they were markedly better, but I think another solid half hour and they would have been perfect. Finish off on the grill to really seal in the flavor, then service with rice and veggies.
Holy balls. These were out of sight. My wife even liked them, and she has worse PTSD than I do about goose meat. My almost-3-year-old asked for seconds.
You gotta give these a try this early season. They're a new family favorite, and I'll never, ever throw goose legs away again.
