Best way to cook a goose??

[BarriedaleNick]

Hi all!

Hope you all had a good time over the break.
We, for the first time, have a goose to cook for a belated feast so I am wondering what the best way to cook it is.
Ideally I'd like the breast meat pink and am a little worried about overdoing it - one reciepe suggested roasting for a while then removing the breasts while returning the rest to the oven.  The breasts then to be pan fried, skin down to crisp up.

Others say just to prick the skin, roast as normal but keep it raised out of the fat.

Any suggestions as to getting the best out of the bird would be most welcome?

[BarriedaleNick]

[Melbourne12]

The problem with goose is the huge amount of fat.  It's a bit like duck, only more so!  I think that removing the breasts is a bit of an admission of defeat, so what we do is to salt the goose for a while (12 to 24 hours) before drying and cooking it.

Personally, I favour brine over dry-salting, but either will do.  Make up a brine to about 5% (or rub salt over and inside the goose).  Dunk the goose in the brine, and keep it covered for 24 hours.  We use a washing-up bowl, kept for food prep.  Take the goose out and dry it thoroughly (or rinse and dry it if you dry-salted it).

Place onto a good deep trivet in a roasting pan.  Put into a hot (>220C) oven for the skin to brown, then turn down to 160C until the internal temp reaches 75C (165F).  Cover with foil and leave to rest for half an hour before carving.

[BarriedaleNick]

Cheers for that - I think Ill cook it whole and save any experimentation for another time!
I'd better get downstairs and get salting!

[Jayb]

Let us know how it goes, I've only eaten goose a few times and never cooked it.

[Doris_Pinks]

I never bother brining mine, just bung it in the oven, I can't be faffed to brine, lazy me!  I do it 2 ways, either apple wine braised, or just to add to the calories, stuffed with prune and fois gras (Or in my case pate) and sausage and apple stuffings, YUM 
However you do it hope it is delish  DP