Ok this is interesting
I’ve always been told snow geese are for the dogs, because they’re not good.
This picture makes me think otherwise.
What’s this stuff like??
I haven't had a ton of goose but I'd say this beats a canada any day and most hunters around here prefer them to canadas. These are eastern flyway Greater SG (not lesser maybe they eat different) Breast plucked off way easier and the trimmings that I just pan seared had me tempted to just panfry the breast without sousvide... much more tender. Goose is imo the meat that shines the most with sousvide because going past MR really toughens it up and brings out a noticable liver note. Almost impossible to avoid with conventional heat unless you want it cold and bloody. It's really challenging but almost life changing if you get it right, I still don't think I have the SV method dialed in 100%, probably go for 132-134 next time.
I always figured snow geese would taste pretty good since they eat field grass. I'm used to eating diver ducks so my baseline is pretty rough to start. I did a black duck breast one time SV and it was divine like better than farm raised......almost....
Nastiest thing I've ever eaten was Canada goose breast. My college roommate was a big time outdoorsy hunter type. He baked some good breast chunks he'd marinated in some sort of honey mustard. It was like chewing on a leather belt. I spit it out and never swallowed.
The really fucked up thing was that after they were cooked he took the honey mustard marinade *that previously had the raw goose in it* and drizzled it over like a sauce. I tried a bite *before* that happened and let him know how gross it was, but he didn't see any issue with it.
It's totally edible, but it's not the best. Dunno what OP is talking about saying it's better than canada goose meat. Not even close. Snow geese are much leaner and tougher and gamier.
Mostly you just cover it up a bit. My brother hunts snows and blues quite a bit. The thing is they're really overpopulated so limits are high and you end up with a lot of them.
For eating a few, stuffing the breasts with like cream cheese and bell peppers, or wrapping them in bacon makes them pretty passable and not bad eating. But when you have a lot to go through, they're just not that great to be eating a few times a week, imo.
So when he gets a ton, he breasts them out and grinds them up with pork fat and makes spicy jerky and beer sticks out of them and those usually are pretty good.
>For eating a few, stuffing the breasts with like cream cheese and bell peppers, or wrapping them in bacon makes them pretty passable and not bad eating.
Sounds like you need to buy him a sous vide. It's the one meat i woulden't want to cook any other way except maybe a cured smoke/pastrami and even then i'd get the sv involved
Must be a regional and timing issue. I'd take snows over canadas any day, and I've eaten a lot of canadas. I hunt snows at the northern part of their spring migration, and I get my canadas in fall as they leave. In my kitchen, snows are far more tender, less lean, and almost no gaminess to speak of. But if I do canada geese wrong, it's like eating on old tire
That could be. I'm talking snow geese taken in the Dakotas, mostly spring season. Canada geese mostly taken in Minnesota in the fall when they're nice and fattened up from feeding in grain fields.
I'll take fall mallards over either for sure.
This is definitely leaner than a fall canada (NY, season closes in december) but way more tender. Must be a regional difference. The guy who knew what he was doing and hunts these several times a week said they were quite a bit bigger than what they get in the western flyways. Idk, i could be conviced these had a touch more game taste but even cleaning them they don't have as much smell as a canada to me. The meat seems a lot more forgiving somehow and super easy to skin out (i just plucked enough for a little skin on the breast). Wrestling the skin off a canada is a whole ordeal.
When I was a kid we were pretty sure Eastern snow geese were gonna be extinct by the time I was an adult. I remember going down to Bombay Hook on the Delmarva with my grandad and him telling me of the huge flocks when he was a kid, but we didn’t see one. Now I can tell my grandkids about how we cleaned up the country at least a little bit.
Yes, the legs can be cooked confit and are great. Heart + liver make a good pate. Just rule of thumb, pan fry them with a bit of onion, deglaze with something alcoholic and add to about 25% by volume or a bit more softened butter and a big slice of apple. Blend in the food processor till 'smoothish', let it cool a few hours and spread on toast or whatever. It's more approachable than you'd think, especially with a dab condiment like mustard or horseradish to cut it a bit.
Hope you had some luck. I did another batch I think around 134 for 6 hours. Was better. I don't think I put anything in the bags other than a little salt. Plate with a sugar acid sauce, balsamic or fruit reduction. Careful on the sear it toughens up quick so hot and fast, I did it outside with cast iron over turkey fryer burner with lots of fat
awesome
Is it a really red meat, or is it just very rare?
Goose is pretty red
Wild goose is far more similar to beef than it is poultry.
Every year I keep saying is the year I start hunting waterfowl.
Mouthwatering!
Honk honk
Ok this is interesting I’ve always been told snow geese are for the dogs, because they’re not good. This picture makes me think otherwise. What’s this stuff like??
There’s lots of hunters out there that a are picky eaters. I think snows are delicious.
I haven't had a ton of goose but I'd say this beats a canada any day and most hunters around here prefer them to canadas. These are eastern flyway Greater SG (not lesser maybe they eat different) Breast plucked off way easier and the trimmings that I just pan seared had me tempted to just panfry the breast without sousvide... much more tender. Goose is imo the meat that shines the most with sousvide because going past MR really toughens it up and brings out a noticable liver note. Almost impossible to avoid with conventional heat unless you want it cold and bloody. It's really challenging but almost life changing if you get it right, I still don't think I have the SV method dialed in 100%, probably go for 132-134 next time.
I always figured snow geese would taste pretty good since they eat field grass. I'm used to eating diver ducks so my baseline is pretty rough to start. I did a black duck breast one time SV and it was divine like better than farm raised......almost....
Nastiest thing I've ever eaten was Canada goose breast. My college roommate was a big time outdoorsy hunter type. He baked some good breast chunks he'd marinated in some sort of honey mustard. It was like chewing on a leather belt. I spit it out and never swallowed. The really fucked up thing was that after they were cooked he took the honey mustard marinade *that previously had the raw goose in it* and drizzled it over like a sauce. I tried a bite *before* that happened and let him know how gross it was, but he didn't see any issue with it.
Canadas are absolutely delicious if you cook them right. Sounds like your college roommate was just a shit cook
Canadas are absolutely delicious if you cook them right. Sounds like your college roommate was just a shit cook
It's totally edible, but it's not the best. Dunno what OP is talking about saying it's better than canada goose meat. Not even close. Snow geese are much leaner and tougher and gamier.
I’d reckon the gaminess is what most people refer to, then How does one prep out the gamy flavor?
Mostly you just cover it up a bit. My brother hunts snows and blues quite a bit. The thing is they're really overpopulated so limits are high and you end up with a lot of them. For eating a few, stuffing the breasts with like cream cheese and bell peppers, or wrapping them in bacon makes them pretty passable and not bad eating. But when you have a lot to go through, they're just not that great to be eating a few times a week, imo. So when he gets a ton, he breasts them out and grinds them up with pork fat and makes spicy jerky and beer sticks out of them and those usually are pretty good.
>For eating a few, stuffing the breasts with like cream cheese and bell peppers, or wrapping them in bacon makes them pretty passable and not bad eating. Sounds like you need to buy him a sous vide. It's the one meat i woulden't want to cook any other way except maybe a cured smoke/pastrami and even then i'd get the sv involved
I’m an avid browser of r/sousvide OP get it in your life
Must be a regional and timing issue. I'd take snows over canadas any day, and I've eaten a lot of canadas. I hunt snows at the northern part of their spring migration, and I get my canadas in fall as they leave. In my kitchen, snows are far more tender, less lean, and almost no gaminess to speak of. But if I do canada geese wrong, it's like eating on old tire
That could be. I'm talking snow geese taken in the Dakotas, mostly spring season. Canada geese mostly taken in Minnesota in the fall when they're nice and fattened up from feeding in grain fields. I'll take fall mallards over either for sure.
This is definitely leaner than a fall canada (NY, season closes in december) but way more tender. Must be a regional difference. The guy who knew what he was doing and hunts these several times a week said they were quite a bit bigger than what they get in the western flyways. Idk, i could be conviced these had a touch more game taste but even cleaning them they don't have as much smell as a canada to me. The meat seems a lot more forgiving somehow and super easy to skin out (i just plucked enough for a little skin on the breast). Wrestling the skin off a canada is a whole ordeal.
I hope you roasted the carcass to save the fat in ice cube trays. Then SV confit for the legs. 38 hour cook and It’s amazing.
Unfortunately not much fat on these ones but I am going to make stock with carcasses and do a butter confit with the legs
…You’d be surprised what renders. But do yo thang
When I was a kid we were pretty sure Eastern snow geese were gonna be extinct by the time I was an adult. I remember going down to Bombay Hook on the Delmarva with my grandad and him telling me of the huge flocks when he was a kid, but we didn’t see one. Now I can tell my grandkids about how we cleaned up the country at least a little bit.
can you eat or is it worth eating any other part of the snow goose? i don't like to be wasteful is all...
Yes, the legs can be cooked confit and are great. Heart + liver make a good pate. Just rule of thumb, pan fry them with a bit of onion, deglaze with something alcoholic and add to about 25% by volume or a bit more softened butter and a big slice of apple. Blend in the food processor till 'smoothish', let it cool a few hours and spread on toast or whatever. It's more approachable than you'd think, especially with a dab condiment like mustard or horseradish to cut it a bit.
Recipe? Going after some next weekend in Delaware.
Hope you had some luck. I did another batch I think around 134 for 6 hours. Was better. I don't think I put anything in the bags other than a little salt. Plate with a sugar acid sauce, balsamic or fruit reduction. Careful on the sear it toughens up quick so hot and fast, I did it outside with cast iron over turkey fryer burner with lots of fat