Goose Pastrami Recipe

The almighty Canada Goose... not to be referred to as Canadian Goose, as birds are not residents of any particular country. Geese get a bad rap for table fare, and it is unjust. Most people refer to geese (and ducks) as “greasy”. Almost any person you speak to about eating ducks or geese, “aren’t they greasy?!”. No, they are actually quite lean. However, it's worth noting that if you have the skin and or fat on the meat, the fat melts at a very low temperature, say the warmth of your hands. So, if you are handling the meat, the fat will melt and your hands will be covered in fat. That doesn’t translate to greasy tasting/feeling meat on the plate. I love goose meat. Its great as shredded sandwiches, its great as a steak on the grill, it makes great summer sausage and jerky too.

One of the nice things about this recipe is that it uses ingredients that I typically always have on hand. The one thing I specifically bought for this recipe was the pink curing salt. I purchased a two-pound bag from Amazon probably 6 or 7 years ago and I still have over half of it left--it doesn’t go bad. The other thing we typically don’t have around the house is brandy, but you can substitute that out for another liquid if you’d like. I have heard of people using bourbon. It doesn’t really matter, but I think the sweetness does add to the flavor profile.

One of the best things about this recipe for me is when I share goose pastrami with others who typically turn their nose up at goose meat. They are blown away by how good it is! Give this a try and be changed on goose meat forever!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cure Time: 24-36 hours
Dry Time: 24-36 hours
Cook Time: 3-4 hour

Ingredients

• 8 Goose Breasts (about 5 lbs. of meat)
• Kosher Salt (1 tbsp. per pound of goose meat)
• Pink Curing Salt (a touch over 1 tsp. for 5 lbs.; be as close as possible with this measurement)
• 2 tbsp. of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper 
• 2 tbsp. of Sugar
• 1 tsp. of Caraway Seed
• 1 tsp. of Celery Seed
• 1 tsp. of dried thyme
• 1 cup of Brandy (Red Wine, Beef Stock, or Water work as well)

Dry Rub

• 4 tbsp. of coriander seeds (fresh ground)
• 4 tbsp. of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp. of whole or crushed mustard seeds

Pastrami Prep

If you don't have a kitchen scale, it's a good investment: LEM 44 lb. Dial Scale Stainless Steel. After knowing the weight of your meat, one of the more complicated measurements of this recipe is the Instacure (pink curing salt). Don't get this confused with Himalayan pink salt. You want to ensure you have "pink curing salt number 1". According to my friend Hank Shaw, the OG of Goose Pastrami, "A general rule is about 1 1/4 grams of Instacure per pound". A quick Google converter tells me I need .37 tablespoons for 6.25 grams (5 lbs. worth). I then convert tablespoons to teaspoons to get 1.1 teaspoons. I just had the pink curing salt slightly mounded over the exact measurement. 

Make sure your goose breasts are prepped well. Clean any unwanted fat, heavy blood spots, feathers, and the thick piece of silver skin where the breast connects to the wing. Just get in there and fillet that out, careful not to waste too much meat.

Mix your kosher salt, curing salt, fresh cracked pepper (2 tbsp.), sugar, caraway, thyme, and celery seed into a blender, food processor, or spice grinder. Blend to inco

Massage the cure into each breast. Find all of the nooks and crannies and make sure it has good contact with the cure. Pour a little cure on each breast as you go. You should have just enough to cover all of the breasts completely. If you have a little extra on hand, go back to the larger goose breasts and add just a little more to them. Geese vary in size, so some may need some extra time curing. Smaller geese may only need 24 to cure in the fridge, while others may need 36 hours or more. There is really no way to know until you smoke them and cut them open.

After each breast has been thoroughly massaged and coated with the cure, place them in a non-metallic container in one layer and then cover and place in the fridge for 24-36 hours. I tend to lean towards the 36-hour mark to ensure that the cure gets to the middle of those larger birds. 

After the curing period is done you want to remove the meat from the fridge and rinse them very well under cold water. Remove nearly all of the cure from the meat. If some won't come off, that is fine, do the best you can.

Then, take a wire rack out and place it on a cookie sheet.

You will place the breasts on the drying rack in the fridge for another 24 hours to dry and set up.

After they have been in the fridge, uncovered, for 24 hours or more, remove from the fridge. 

Preheat your smoker to 160 degrees (no more than 200 degrees).

Mix one tablespoon of fresh, coarse, cracked black pepper with your ground coriander and mustard seeds. You will then take one goose breast, dip it in your brandy or other coating liquid, and then sprinkle on and cover each breast with your dry rub. The brandy helps it stick to the meat better. 

Once all of the breasts are covered, you will take them to your smoker. If you have an internal meat probe, you will want to use it here. If you have multiple probes, place one probe in a smaller breast and one in a larger breast. This will help with consistency. I use Camp Chef Competition blend pellets, where each pellet is a combination of maple, hickory, and cherry pellets. Any of those species standing alone, along with oak, would work great as well. 

Once your goose breasts reach an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees, you can pull them from the smoker and then eat them hot or allow them to cool for lunch meat, etc. 

I personally like to let them cool all the way, then place them in the fridge to chill. I will then vac-seal them individually and use them throughout the year. I then take them out, let them thaw, and then slice and eat cold. I also like to place the entire vacuum seal bag in a pot of warm water to heat it up and then slice and serve it on rye bread with good mustard and maybe some sour kraut! 

They also make great landowner gifts for those opening their farms to you. They make great blind snacks or holiday appetizers and are great for introducing new people to goose! Enjoy!

--Wild Game Cook