Photo by Rick Sellers

While most wild ducks enjoy a good reputation, geese are undeservedly maligned as greasy, livery and tough. Yes, they can be all these things, but properly done, a wild goose (or a domestic, for that matter) is essentially a large duck. A normal wild goose, such as a Canada, Snow or Whitefront will feed four, while a small goose (Cackler, Aleutian, Ross’ or Tule goose) will serve two heartily. A domestic goose or a Giant Canada (really any Canada larger than 10 pounds) can serve as many as six.

Don’t overcook waterfowl breasts or they will be livery. Rare-to-medium is the mantra. As for the legs, thighs and wings, slow cook them to make them tender. Duck and goose legs are not nearly as tough as pheasant legs because waterfowl don’t do as much walking around. But their wings can be very tough.

If you find yourself with diving ducks, such as scaup, ringnecks, red-heads, buffleheads, goldeneyes, ruddy ducks, oldsquaw or eiders (or brant, for that matter) You may need to brine them to soften any possible fishy taste. One easy way to tell is to cut off the “Pope’s Nose,” or tail of the duck, and render out the fat in a small frying pan. If the fat smells icky, brine the duck with salt, sugar and garlic, plus any aromatic herbs that strike your fancy.

A note on all recipes: If you use domestic geese or ducks for any of them, it is vital that after you thaw them out, you remove ALL of the body cavity fat and then prick the skin all around with the point of a filet knife or something else narrow and pointy. Domestic geese are flying pigs, raised for their delicious fat as much as their meat.

BASICS

• How to Break Down a Game Bird, cutting it into serving pieces
• Simple Instructions on How to Sear a Duck Breast
• Making your own rendered duck or goose fat
• The Relationship Between Wild Game Fat and Flavor
• Substituting Domestic Meat for Wild Game

RECIPES

• Roast Duck or Goose, use this for most wild birds
• Slow Roasted Duck or Goose (for very fat birds, especially domestic ducks and geese)
• Breasts, skin on duck or goose breast recipes
• Legs, thighs & wings, mostly stews and slow-cooked recipes
• Soups, stews & broths, for the leftover carcasses
• Sausages & salami, for “off” ducks like spoonies, or snow geese
• The Nasty Bits, giblets like heart, liver and gizzards