In Europe, a roasted goose on the holiday table has been a tradition since ancient times. And while turkey may be plumper, there's nothing like the taste of goose.
Goose is often compared to duck, with similar lean, dark and robust meat. In fact, it's all dark meat, and quite rich, so it can satisfy the appetite with smaller portions than chicken or turkey, which leaves more room for a wide variety of side dishes.
There's plenty of fat on a goose, but much of it renders out while cooking, leaving just the lean meat behind. Please don't waste that liquid gold; instead save it for roasting vegetables (especially potatoes).
How much goose do you need? We recommend estimating 1½ to 2 pound of goose meat (raw weight) per person.
Just the facts
- Humanely-raised in free-range environment
- No antibiotics, no hormones, ever
- Air-chilled; no added water weight
- Fresh geese are available seasonally in the Nov./Dec. holiday period
- Pre-ordering is recommended
- Frozen geese are available for shipping at any time, while supplies last (note: may thaw in transit)
- Serves 5-7
- Sold in an uncooked state
- Product of USA
- For Thanksgiving orders delivered on Nov. 17, 18, or 21, fresh birds will have a use or freeze by date of Nov. 26, 2017
Our mission is to find farmers that share our vision of a more humane and sustainable way of rearing livestock. We build real relationships with our farmers, and work only with those who respect nature and focus on the best animal welfare practices.
That’s why we turn to a group of small-scale, family farms for our geese. They raise the White Embden breed the right way: in a humane, free-range environment where the birds can forage outdoors with full access to shelter. The geese subsist on a diet of corn, soybean meal, greens, vitamins, minerals and clean water. Neither antibiotics nor hormones are ever used.
Because they are hand-processed and air-chilled, these geese offer maximum flavor with no added water weight. The natural lifestyle results in a delicious bird, with robust and succulent dark meat, ideal for special occasions.
To prepare a goose cut off the excess fat from the neck and from the inside cavities. The fat may be rendered like duck fat and made into cracklings, or used to cook potatoes, croutons, or omelets.
Prick the skin of the back, breast and legs well to let fat escape as the bird cooks. There will be a lot of fat –up to a quart—so it needs to be removed at least every 30 minutes during cooking. A bulb baster or large spoon will work. Take care; that fat is very hot.
As with most poultry, the problem with geese is that if they are cooked whole, the breast is done first and can dry out while the legs are finishing. Either remove the breast and keep it warm, or tent it with aluminum foil. Continue to baste the legs often to keep them moist.
The goose is cooked when the meat measures 165 degrees to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the breast juices run pale pink (not rose-colored, like a duck’s) when pricked. As a rule of thumb, calculate between 13 and 15 minutes per pound unstuffed, and 18 to 22 minutes per pound stuffed. When the goose is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 to 25 minutes before carving.
To reheat a goose, cover the bird with aluminum foil and put it back in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) until heated through. Alternately, reheat in a sauce to keep moist.
