How to cook a juicy goose in the oven: secrets and recipes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How to choose, marinate and properly bake a whole goose so that the meat is soft and the crust is crispy.

The goose is distinguished by thick skin, heavy bones and a lot of fat. Therefore, the meat is not baked, it turns out dry and tough, then it acquires an unpleasant fatty aftertaste. But all these problems can be avoided.

How to choose a goose

For baking without filling, you should buy a very young, for example, three-month-old bird: it will cook much faster and will be tender. For stuffing, a larger and more flavorful six-month-old goose is better suited.

A young goose can be recognized by its yellow, soft-membered legs, flexible chicken-like sternum, white fat, and fair skin. The old paws are reddish and rough, the sternum is hard, the fat is yellowish, and the skin is dark.

Prefer chilled poultry. A good fresh goose has a pleasant smell, dry skin without spots, firm meat, which after pressing it takes its previous shape.

If you can only find frozen goose, choose a carcass without a thick ice crust and in a transparent package: this will make it easier to assess the quality.

The weight of the goose must be selected based on the number of people you plan to feed, as well as the volume of the oven.

To calculate the cooking time for a bird, multiply its weight in kilograms by 40-60 minutes. The older and larger the goose, the longer it needs to be kept in the oven.

For baking, a goose weighing 2–4 kg is optimal, it is enough for 6–8 servings.

How to prepare a goose for baking

First, if necessary, slowly defrost the bird in the refrigerator without removing it from the package. Then get rid of all that is superfluous.

On store shelves, any bird most often gets plucked and gutted. You can simply rinse such a goose with cold water and dry it. But it is better to carefully examine the carcass and make sure that feathers and entrails are not left on it.

A domestic or farm-bought goose usually requires more preparation. Gut it if necessary. Scald the carcass to get rid of the coarse stubble and crispiness. To do this, take it by the neck and dip it in boiling water for one minute. Do the same while holding the goose by the paws.

Cut off excess fat from the poultry on the neck, belly and tail. Wrap or cut off the outer wing phalanges to prevent them from burning.

How to pickle and stuff a goose

To make the goose really soft and tender, marinate it first. This can be done in a number of ways. For example:

1. Rub the carcass with salt (1 teaspoon per kilogram of weight) and your favorite spices outside and inside. Wrap the bird in cling film and refrigerate for 8-10 hours.
2. Soak the carcass in water with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (1 teaspoon per liter). Soak the goose in this solution in a cool place for 5-6 hours.
3. Rub the carcass with salt and top with white wine, sour fruit or berry juice such as cranberry or orange. Refrigerate for 10-12 hours.

Unfilled poultry is usually baked on a wire rack, under which a baking sheet of water is placed for dripping fat. For stuffed goose, use a deep roasting pan or baking sheet.

Poultry should be started just before being sent to the oven. Fill the carcass with minced meat about two-thirds (a densely stuffed bird will not bake well) and sew up the abdomen with threads or fasten with toothpicks.

There are many variations of the filling: geese are stuffed with vegetables, citrus fruits, quince, buckwheat porridge with mushrooms, sauerkraut. Try one of these recipes for baking a bird.

How to cook a goose with apples

A great option for a festive table. Light acidity of fruit perfectly emphasizes the taste of aromatic meat with a crispy honey crust.

Ingredients

• goose weighing 2-3 kg;
• 3 teaspoons of salt;
• 3 teaspoons of ground black pepper;
• dried basil and thyme to taste;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 50 ml olive oil;
• 3 large sour apples;
• ½ lemon;
• 2 tablespoons of honey.

Preparation

Combine salt, pepper and herbs and rub the mixture well inside and out. After 8-10 hours, brush the goose with garlic and olive oil passed through a press. Let the goose stand for another 30 minutes.

At this time, wash the apples, core them and cut them into quarters. Peel off the skin if desired.

Squeeze the juice out of the lemon. Sprinkle the apples with juice and fill the goose with them. Sew up the carcass with cooking thread and wrap the whole body in foil. Place the goose on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 200 ° C.

Do not place the goose in a cold oven: the slow heating will cause a lot of fat and the meat will be dry.

Roast the goose for one hour, then lower the temperature to 180 ° C and cook for another hour and a half. Take out the baking sheet 30 minutes before cooking and gently open the foil. Lubricate the carcass with the released fat and honey.

Return the baking sheet to the oven, reduce the temperature to 160 ° C and bake the poultry for another 25-30 minutes.

How to bake a goose with prunes in your sleeve

The goose is especially juicy in the roasting sleeve, and the prunes give it a pleasant sweet and sour aftertaste.

Ingredients

• goose weighing 3 kg;
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 teaspoons of salt;
• 3 teaspoons of ground black pepper;
• 300 g pitted prunes;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Preparation

Place the prepared carcass in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and refrigerate the goose for 5-6 hours.

Remove the goose from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels and rub with a mixture of salt and pepper. Let the bird stand for 10-15 minutes.

Rinse out the prunes. If the berries are tough, soak them in hot water for 15–20 minutes. Start with a prune goose. Sew the threads over the carcass and tie the legs together.

Lubricate the inside of the baking sleeve with vegetable oil. Place the goose inside. Tie the bag and make 2-3 punctures with a toothpick so that it does not burst when baked.

Bake the goose in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for one hour, then lower the temperature to 180 ° C and cook for another hour and a half. Cut the bag 10 minutes before it is ready to brown the goose better.

How to cook a Christmas goose with oranges

A whole rosy bird, baked with fragrant citrus fruits, will decorate any festive table.

Ingredients

• 5 large oranges;
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of honey;
• ½ teaspoon salt;
• ½ teaspoon of paprika;
• goose weighing 3 kg.

Preparation

Squeeze the juice out of one orange, chop the rest of the fruit coarsely. Combine orange juice with soy sauce, honey, salt and paprika. Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder to the marinade, if desired. Rub the prepared goose carcass thoroughly with the mixture and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours.

Stuff the goose with oranges. Wrap the legs and wings with foil. Place the poultry on a wire rack with the back facing down, place a baking sheet with water under it. Send the goose to the oven at 200 ° C.

After an hour, reduce the heat to 180 ° C, turn the bird over. Brush it with the rest of the marinade and bake for another two hours.

How to bake a goose according to Jamie Oliver's recipe

The British chef recommends adding aromatic anise, hot ginger and a little wine vinegar to the goose for piquancy.

Ingredients

• goose weighing 4 kg;
• a piece of ginger 6 cm long;
• 6 cinnamon sticks;
• 6 stars of anise;
• 2 teaspoons of cloves
• 3-4 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper;
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 oranges;
• 3-4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.

Preparation

Remove the goose from the refrigerator in advance so that the meat is at room temperature, and if desired, cut in half. Peel and chop the ginger.

Using a mortar, grind the ginger, cinnamon, anise, cloves, salt and pepper into a smooth paste. Rub the mixture thoroughly into the skin of the goose, leave it to marinate for 40 minutes.

Place the poultry in a large deep baking sheet, drizzle with oil and place in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Chop oranges coarsely. After two hours, add fruit to the goose, cook it for another hour.

Remove the finished bird from the oven, cover with foil and leave for 30 minutes. At this time, remove the fat from the baking sheet. Pour the vinegar into the mold, mix it with the juices released from the goose, and pour the resulting sauce over the meat.

How to cook a goose stuffed with cranberries and nuts

A delicious filling of dried berries, dried apricots and crispy hazelnuts will turn out to be no less tasty than juicy poultry meat.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 50 g hazelnuts
• 80 g pitted dried apricots
• 80 g dried cranberries
• 50 g butter
• 175 g white bread
• 2-3 sprigs of parsley
• 1 lemon
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• goose weighing 3-4 kg

Preparation

Peel and finely chop the onion. Chop the hazelnuts, chop the dried fruit coarsely. Fry the onions in melted butter until soft, add the nuts to the pan, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Cut off the crusts from the bread, crumb the crumb. Chop the parsley, remove the zest from the lemon with a fine grater. Add dried apricots, cranberries, bread crumbs, herbs and lemon zest to the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir and let cool completely.

Rub the goose with salt and pepper, leave for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Stuff the bird loosely and secure the hole with toothpicks or cooking string. Place the roasting rack over a baking sheet of water and place the goose on top of it. Cook the poultry for two to two and a half hours. During this time, pour over the melted fat 3-4 times. Remove the goose from the oven, cover with foil and let sit for 20 minutes.