Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2024)

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4.95 from 58 votes

By Hank Shaw

January 27, 2017 | Updated June 18, 2020

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Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2)

Goose pastrami is what I do with most of my Canada goose breasts. It is an easy project that makes the most out of these often-tough slabs of meat.

Why geese? Well, Canada and snow geeseare very close to grass-fed beef in flavor (they eat the same thing), they have large, easy-to-work-with breasts, and they do have a tendency to be tough, which means that any way you can cook them that lets you slice the breasts thinly is a good thing.

Pastrami, in case you’ve never had it, is a cured meat from Eastern Europe or Turkey — remember the Ottomans ran Eastern Europe for a while — that’s normally beef or mutton. Although here’s an interesting tidbit from Wikipedia: “Among Jewish Romanians, goose breasts were commonly made into pastrami because they were inexpensive.”

So there ya go. This is traditional!

To make pastrami, you dry cure (sometimes brine) the meat for a few days, dry it a bit, coat it in the characteristic black pepper and coriander and then smoke it. Sliced thin on a sandwich, it’s God’s gift. Good pastrami at a Jewish deli is something you must eat at least once before you die.

If you have any goose breasts in your freezer, go for it. A pastrami on rye with good mustard, a slice of cheese and maybe some sauerkraut, and you got yourself some awesome there!

Once you make your pastrami, it will need to be eaten within a week or two, or you’ll need to vacuum seal and freeze it.\

4.95 from 58 votes

Goose Pastrami

I specifically call for Canada goose breasts here because they're the only ones I think are large enough to make this with, although domestic goose breasts will also of course work, if you have them lying around. Ditto for swan or sandhill crane breasts. Could you do it with snow goose or speck breasts? Yeah, but they'll be a lot smaller, and I'd only cure them for 24 hours instead of 24 to 36.

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Course: Cured Meat

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 8 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 skinless Canada goose (or domestic goose breasts
  • Kosher salt see recipe notes
  • 3 grams Instacure No. 1, good for up to 3 pounds of goose
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed juniper optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper plus 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup brandy red wine, vinegar or water
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander

Instructions

  • Weigh your goose breasts. For every pound of goose, you'll need 10 grams of kosher salt, which is about a tablespoon. It's OK if you are a little off on this measurement. Mix the salt, curing salt, sugar as well as the thyme, celery seed, caraway, juniper and the teaspoon of black pepper and grind them all together in a spice grinder. Pack the goose breasts with this mixture, massaging it into the meat. Put the goose into a closed container in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours.

  • When you are ready, rinse off the goose and pat it dry. It's fine if you have a little bit of the cure stuck to the meat, but you don't want too much. Put the goose breasts on a rack in the fridge and let them dry uncovered for a day.

  • Dip the goose into the brandy -- or really any other liquid you want -- and then coat thoroughly in the remaining black pepper and ground coriander seed. I like to grind this myself so the texture is a little coarse, a little fine.

  • Smoke the goose breasts until the interior hits 140°F, which takes me about 3 hours.

  • Let the goose pastrami cool and eat as lunch meat, or on crackers or whatever.

Notes

A word on the Instacure. The 3 grams I call for will actually be enough to cure up to about 3 pounds of goose meat. A general rule is about 1 1/4 grams of Instacure per pound. Do not use more than I call for, though. You can buy curing salt No. 1 online.

Be careful when you are smoking your goose, as the internal temperature can skyrocket in such small pieces of meat. They'll be ready in 90 minutes in a hot smoker, which to my mind isn't enough time on the smoke. Try to keep your smoker at 200°F or cooler; I like to keep it at 160°F, which lets me smoke the goose for a solid 3 to 4 hours.

What wood? Your choice. I prefer oak, maple or hickory for this, followed by walnut, pecan or cherry.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Charcuterie, Ducks and Geese, Featured, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2024)

FAQs

Is goose pastrami good? ›

Good pastrami at a Jewish deli is something you must eat at least once before you die. If you have any goose breasts in your freezer, go for it. A pastrami on rye with good mustard, a slice of cheese and maybe some sauerkraut, and you got yourself some awesome there!

Should you brine goose before cooking? ›

Dry-brining the goose ensures that the meat remains especially moist and juicy. The added baking powder also helps it develop extra-crisp skin. Pricking goose skin and blanching the bird in boiling water before roasting helps to render the large volume of fat.

What is the best cut of meat for pastrami? ›

Pastrami is made with point brisket, which contains more marbling and fat. Pastrami can also be made with other cuts of beef, such as deckle (a lean shoulder cut) or navel (aka beef belly, which comes from the plate, a juicy section just below the ribs).

What to do with geese meat? ›

You can marinate goose meat like steak for fajitas. You can slice it lengthwise, so you have cutlets, for jagerschnitzel, goose parmesan, or goose tacos. Goose pastrami is a great way to eat Canada goose breasts.

Why is goose meat not popular? ›

United States. Goose has generally been replaced by the turkey in the United States. In the United States, the high price per pound of goose, coupled with the large size of the bird and low yield of meat to bone and fat, makes a goose more expensive per serving than Turkey.

Is goose tastier than duck? ›

Ducks are omnivores, have lighter flesh and a very gamey taste, while geese are herbivores, have darker, fattier meat that tastes sweet and fragrant.” ... A good roast goose should be tender and have a balanced flavour – not too sweet, acidic or gamey.

What do you soak goose meat in? ›

Soaking waterfowl in a saltwater solution replaces blood with brine. The process also adds flavor and moisture. Once brined in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, the meat will be paler in color, giving it less of a livery look and more the appearance of domestic meat.

What is the best brine for goose meat? ›

A litre of cold water mixed with ¼ cup of coarse salt and¼ cup of brown sugar makes the perfect waterfowl brine. Soak duck and goose meat in the brine for 8 to 12 hours, and you'll see the difference in color. Much of the blood stored in the meat is drawn out by the brine.

Should you soak goose in salt water? ›

I do not cook a duck or goose without first soaking it overnight in brine. Those of us who have discovered how much better the Thanksgiving turkey tastes after a brine bath for 24 hours know that the bird will not only cook a little faster but it will also be more moist and flavorful than an unbrined bird.

Should pastrami be thick or thin? ›

The result is a hopelessly rich cut of meat with a complex and distinctive flavor, in which smoky notes compete with the sweetness of the spices and the saltiness of the brine. Pastrami in its ideal form is fatty, pink, and thickly hand-sliced.

Why is pastrami so expensive? ›

According to one Quora poster, pastrami is expensive because it is processed in several ways. First, it's brined like corned beef, then it is dried and seasoned, then smoked, and finally steamed.

Should pastrami be sliced thin or thick? ›

Pastrami should be sliced thinly against the grain for the best texture and tenderness. This helps to ensure that each bite is easy to chew and provides a satisfying experience when enjoying pastrami in sandwiches or other recipes.

Is geese meat healthy? ›

Goose meat is an excellent source of riboflavin and vitamin B-6. These vitamins help our bodies use energy from foods. B vitamins are important for growth and healthy skin, hair, nerves and muscles. Goose meat is an excellent source of iron - more than beef, pork or chicken.

Is it legal to eat goose in USA? ›

You can raise domestic geese and so long as you own them it perfectly legal to kill and cook them.

What country eats the most goose meat? ›

China (5.5M tonnes) remains the largest duck and goose meat consuming country worldwide, accounting for 76% of total consumption.

Does goose meat taste good? ›

A wild goose, for instance, tastes like rich rare roast beef, only better. The pink flesh of a duck, dove, or even the lowly snipe has a delicate texture and a deep, full-blooded flavor that can become addictive.

Is goose a good meat to eat? ›

Goose meat is an excellent source of riboflavin and vitamin B-6. These vitamins help our bodies use energy from foods. B vitamins are important for growth and healthy skin, hair, nerves and muscles. Goose meat is an excellent source of iron - more than beef, pork or chicken.

What is the best tasting goose meat? ›

Specklebelly Goose

Like pintails, white-fronted geese, also known as specklebellies, can be even more challenging to decoy than your average Canada. They're less common, have an intriguing call, and above all, they taste outlandishly good.

Is goose better than duck meat? ›

In summary, while both duck and goose offer unique flavor profiles, duck is known for its rich and savory taste, while goose has a stronger and more intense gamey flavor. The choice between the two ultimately depends on personal preference and the desired flavor experience in your culinary creations.

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