I don't normally target geese, and the last one I shot I plucked and roasted whole and it was pretty marginal as table fare. So yesterday, instead I skinned the goose, took off boneless breasts and bone-in thighs, and saved them for the smoker. I also kept the neck, heart, wings and gizzard to mix in with ducks parts for stock. (Not a fan of liver of any kind . . . .)


I followed a recipe I found on the DU website for the smoking: Brined in cider/salt/garlic/bay cut with a little cider vinegar for 6 hours, then slow smoked over apple chunks at about 225 degrees to an internal temperature of 165. Flavor is good, but the meat turned out a bit dry for my taste. Not quite jerky, but not much internal moisture.

Interested in thoughts and recipes from those of you who smoke goose and duck. Skin on better to retain moisture and fat? Baste with oil or cover with bacon or salt pork in the smoker? Smoke to a lower internal temp? (I've always smoked poultry to 165 for food safety reasons, but I don't cook duck that high when I pan sear or grill it.)

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold

I think the internal temp was too high for breast meat.
Also, I would have brined overnight to get more moisture into the meat.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

Wild game should be done medium rare / medium. Brine in brown sugar and salt. Smoked makes great snacks.

I will second using brown sugar, I use equal ratio of, or more sugar v.salt in my brines.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

I smoke quite a bit of duck/goose. It's only dry if you over cook it.

I use:

Yashida's teriyake sauce, worcestershire sauce, beer, olive oil, garlic (lots), and Italian seasoning. Soak ducks for 3 days, geese for 4-5. Smoke on the lowest setting you have. Should be done in 1-2 hours tops. Poke them with tongs to feel how done they are. Cut them in half to check as you learn. I like them a reddish pink.

Slice it thin and put on a salad and it's amazing! Or in a sammich or with cheese and crackers.

Poke them to see if they're done - Yeah Steve McCullough did that to me too. i guess when you get enough experience that works but for the occasional smoker thermometers work so much better.

Any way long time ago Steve came up to my house to make EPS decoys with me. He brought his charcoal smoker and smoked up a bunch of my goose breasts for me while we boiled decoys. The following is the prep work he suggested I do to them before he got here to have them ready to go:

"Here goes:
Soak the meat in a salt water brine for about 24 hours with a couple changes of water to extract as much blood as possible. After soaking, dry breasts off. In a bowl mix 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, tablespoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Mix the dry ingredients well. Spread aluminum foil out and sprinkle some rub onto the foil. Lay the breasts on the rub. Use the remaining rub to cover the meat well. This may not be enough rub for the amount of meat you want to make, just make more in the same proportions. Be generous. Wrap the meat up very tightly and place on a cookie sheet and put another sheet on top and then place a heavy phone book or brick on the sheet.
Refrigerate for 12 hours and then flip the package over for another 12 hours. Some juice may run out when you flip; that is OK. When done, unwrap the meat and rinse off with cold water. Pat them dry with paper towels and store in a cool dry place NOT back in the fridge. You can place it in front of a fan to help with the drying. The meat will form a leather type appearance, this is called a pellicle and this is exactly what you want for smoking. Then the meat will be ready to smoke. I'll bring up the wood. I have a pile of hickory."

The goose came out really well and a great time was had by all! ps: I was lazy/ignorant on the camera setting this sure wasn't April in CT. The email I took his prep instructions from dates to May. All way before the new DHBP "new" format. Damn was that really over 20 years ago?

1 Cup kosher salt, 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 3-4 smashed garlic cloves and what ever for taste. Cover well with dry and refridgerate a day. Wash off brine and air dry well. Smoke for 1 1/2 and check. After smoking brush on canola oil, will leave a nice finish. Great snacks while duck hunting. You can freeze excess for later.

Thanks for the all the responses.


Some thoughts.

(1) Sounds like 160 was too high. If anyone has a "food safe" temp for wild duck and goose, I'd love to know what it is. I found recipes online with temps from about 150-160, and based on how mine came out at 160, I think those are all too high. (FWIW, my breasts ARE still pink in the middle.

(2) Sugar in the brine. I hear you. I'm type 2 diabetic, and don't need insulin or major drugs if I am VERY careful with sugars. I'm sure it would help the product, but not going there.

(3) Longer brine time. Yup. But I had the smoker going anyway on Monday afternoon, and went with a shorter brine time to make use of an empty rack.

(4) I am hearing NOBODY suggest smoking skin on. If anyone thinks different, let me know. (I did find one Hank Shaw recipe for a skin-on smoked DOMESTIC goose breast.)


I shared one of the dried out breasts around in the field today with some co-workers and most liked it. What I came up with is plenty edible; I just think it could be better.

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold

How to Make the Best Smoked Goose Breast - Grill Master University
https://blog.cavetools.com/how-to-make-the-best-smoked-goose-breast/


We have used this recipe with very good success. We use electric meat thermometer to monitor temperate. We usually do like 20 breasts in a batch.


Why get a low profile boat and put a high profile blind on it?

Went to that link last night. The photos show a smoked breast that has skin on and a very thick layer of fat--almost surely a domestic goose, I think. (Or at least nothing like the wild geese we see from Maine.)

But the video shows prep of what looks a skinned boneless goose breast half.

Have you used this skin-on, skin-off, or both? And if I remember right, the recipe calls for smoking up to 150 degrees. Is that what you used?

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold

 I do not time my smoking. Weather has a effect on time. I just cut one open and try it, job benefit. Top or bottom shelf makes a difference also.

I typically try to keep breasts at 140 to 150. Anymore and it's too done for me. I do love goose jerky though!

Take care,

Ed L.
East Moline,
Illinois
_________________________________________
If I'd had asked what they wanted they would have said faster horses" - Henry Ford

wild duck, goose, 145..max

Or forget it and do a pastrami cure and smoke to 145, you'll thank me later.

The medical people will tell you to overcook it for safety.

People who enjoy the flavor will tell you to under cook it (red/pink).

You will have to decide which way you are comfortable with. Nearly everyone around here keeps it rare-medium rare and none of us have ever gotten sick.

I don't like the skin/fat so I cut it off. If you do, leave it on. I've pan fried it on high heat for a very short time to crisp it up a bit and liked that.

Quote

Yep. For years, I dry-aged, brined and then grilled/broiled/pan seared duck breast to rare-medium rare and have never had a problem.
But I only do this with breast fillets with no pellet holes or very clean pellet holes (no wads of feathers pulled in), so there is little chance of contamination.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

I did see that recipe in my online search. Did not have all the spices or it would have been made.

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold

Jeff, Hank Shaw has a Spickgans recipe that's been good even without the liquid brine to soak out the blood. It's in his duck, duck, goose Book. Skin on. It's breasts only, but it is smoked. We always have some in the freezer (shelf life longer than he says), and it gets gobbled up every single time we put it out.

Double post


Why get a low profile boat and put a high profile blind on it?

We do skinless with Canada Goose breasts. We stop just shy of 150⁰. We try to manage smoker and meat temperature pretty close.


Why get a low profile boat and put a high profile blind on it?

Hey Scott!!! Holy Christmas!!! That is a blast from the past!! I still have those decoys in my spread when I chase mallards.

I haven't smoked birds in a few years, but here is what I remember. I would usually brine in a pastrami birine for a few a days. I do remember for sure that skin on is waaaaaay better. the more fat the better. Keeps the meat moist and delicious. I would smoke with the skin side up. I can't recall for sure what temp I would go to but I want to say 140.

Thanks for all the advice. Will be better prepared for my next goose, and in the meantime while my smoked goose parts are drier than I wanted, flavor is good and they are holding up well after more than a week out of the smoker. Thinly sliced, makes for nice jerky, and is pretty good on crackers with a nice sharp cheddar.

"At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant."
— Aldo Leopold

 Remember that the goose will still cook some after removing from smoker. I keep on lower rack, less heat.