Roasted Goose for Christmas Dinner

[Cottage Rose]

There is a specific way to prepare waterfowl.
Look it up online.
They need to be roasted on a rack at a certain
temp and served medium rare.
Our goose wasn't greasy at all

 

[Cottage Rose]

PS Muscovy ducks are leaner than turkey.

 

[al6517]

It is a very common practice to use a fat netting on the leaner breeds of duck & geese to not make it so dry when roasting.

AL

 

[ultasol]

Here is my X-mas goose...

 

[fowlmood]

I'm sure on this forum when most people say, that's a beautiful bird, they are talking about the live ones, with feathers....but that's a beautiful bird! So what's the trick to plucking waterfowl? All those oily feathers.....I can't seem to get the water to, well, get to the bird.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
A little dish soap in the water and a very big dunking pot.

 

[fowlmood]

I've only tried it once and it was still a pain. I'll try again when butchering season comes around again. I think I need to get the time right on how long I keep them in the hot water. Hopefully I'll get a little better at it each time I do it.

 

[ultasol]

I use a grease cutting dishwashing detergent in the water to get to the feathers. In addition on waterfowl I increase the scalding water temp from 160 (what Iuse for chickens) to 170-180ish. I swish very vigorously, short, but multiple, dips. I never have a hard time plucking, but I always make sure the bird isn't covered in pinfeathers before butchering.

My only problem with plucking geese is the down sticks to wet skin and my hands look like I've been tarred and feathered.

The goose was simple to cook, and the meat was not greasy. I made goose pot pie with the leftovers.

 

[hermiesbirdies]

for all you very big hearted animal keepers/lovers who cant bring themselves to eat their birds. talk someone else into raising the same kind and trade. that way you dont know who your eating and they dont either

just a thought

 

[ultasol]

Hermies, while I can identify with what you are saying, I feel that I am a bighearted poultry lover. Here is why I can kill and eat a bird that I have raised:

1) I know it had a good life and was properly cared for. It was never transported elsewhere in cramped conditions, was never handled roughly
2) Since I do care for my birds, I also care about how their life ends. I trust only myself to do the butchering, as I spent time learning how to do it quickly and humanely
3) If I buy birds from a grocery store I know they were mass produced and I feel my birds are raised in far more favorable conditions
4) If I were to bring someone elses birds here for processing, unless quarantine measures are taken for the butchering area, I risk my biosecurity. I also am having to stress the birds by transporting them off-site in order to butcher.

It helped that I did a lot of reading before attempting to butcher and bought a butchering book. My tools are all in order and everything is sharp and ready before I start. I also had someone help me the first time I did it... although that is a story in itself.