Cooking a Christmas goose?

**PintOfBitter** · 12-14-2009, 04:49 AM

So I saw some frozen geese in the supermarket, and I was thinking that would be kind of cool to cook up for Christmas dinner. The alternative would be a turkey in the fryer. I was thinking I'd like to fry the goose, unless that's specifically not the way to go. I've never had goose before - is it tasty or just a novelty because of the tradition aspect? Do I want to brine it and fry it, or is there some better way to prepare it?

**bad67z** · 12-14-2009, 05:02 AM

I have had it prepared a number of ways, and have never gone back for seconds. There is no other fowl I can think of that I dislike as much as goose ( and I have tried a lot of them).

They seem to have quite a bit of fat, which in my experiences has made them tend to be rather greasy. I would suggest a lot of research and a back-up bird for your Christmas festivities.

HPDrifter · 12-14-2009, 05:14 AM

We used to have Goose for Christmas, and Yeah, it is a greasy bird.. but OH so sweet to eat! Never tried to fry one...

Go for it!

Myrdhyn · 12-14-2009, 12:56 PM

IMO, when cooked properly it tastes kinda like a hybrid between roast beef and turkey. We did one for Christmas last year or the year before. It was good, but IMO not worth the price tag considering you can get a turkey AND a ham for the price of one.

rebeltruce · 12-16-2009, 11:54 AM

The best thing about Goose is the skin/cracklings......nice and crispy!

The second best thing is the fat that renders out while cooking it. I don't think there is anything better than potatoes saute'd in Goose or Duck fat. Goose fat makes an excellent cooking vessel for Pork Belly confit or any kind of confit for that matter.

Third best thing is the liver....saute'd in some Goose fat...mmmmmmmmmmmm

Fourth best thing is the actual Goose meat, the breast is really about the only part of the bird worth eating.....the leg and the thigh are just OK.

Never cooked one in the fryer, I've always roasted them.

DragonTail · 12-16-2009, 11:22 PM

I've had goose for Christmas almost every year of my life, at the gatherings for my Mom's side of the family. It can be greasy, but then you don't have to worry about it drying out as much as turkey white meat can. We almost always found a local farm to get the goose from, which usually gave a better quality bird than what you found in the store, and some times, could get it "fresh" instead of frozen. As for deep frying, I'm not sure on that one. About the closest I ever came to that would be a pheasant that some one got while hunting a few years ago. We used to have Packer parties every Sunday where we would do a turkey or two, and we tossed the pheasant in. It came out OK. I'd go the traditional, roasting, route. Enjoy.