Professionals say: baked goose is a dish that simply cannot be ruined. Based on personal experience, I disagree. My first, what to hide, and the second attempt ended in failure. I was in complete confidence that I would not mess with this capricious bird again. There is nothing special to enjoy there: a mountain of skins, a lot of fat and a little tough meat. And the goose was by no means small, almost 6 kg.



In general, I would have remained in my opinion, with which the family agreed, if one day a goose baked in the oven did not appear before me in all its splendor. A ruddy crispy skin, a tender liver filling and pieces of an unusually soft, melt-in-your-mouth fillet. Well, very tasty! So I stuck to my friend with the question of how to cook a goose in the oven so that the meat is soft and juicy. It turned out, indeed, nothing complicated, if you take into account a few very important points. Since then, on New Year's Eve, Christmas, anniversaries and celebrations in our family, roast goose has always been hot.

Secret number 1: carcass preparation




Before a goose is in the oven, with apples, sauerkraut or buckwheat porridge, it will have to be pretty tricky. The preparatory process is simple, but takes a lot of time, so you should buy a weighty carcass in advance, at least 3 days in advance. To thaw, a frozen bird is placed in the refrigerator for a day, on the lower shelf. I do not advise defrosting at room temperature, the goose “loves” the cold.

Then the acquired treasure is carefully inspected, how to cook a goose with the remnants of down and feathers. If they are found, they arm themselves with tweezers and patiently pull out everything, to the last hair. Then the tips of the wings (extreme phalanges) are cut off with scissors, they will burn anyway, because the goose is baked in the oven with potatoes or other filling for about 3 hours. The approximate cooking time is calculated as follows: 20 minutes - per half a kilo of weight. Accumulations of fat are also removed with a sharp knife, in the neck and on the abdomen, from below. To get rid of excess subcutaneous fat, the skin on the breast, legs, especially at the junction with the body, is pierced with a knitting needle. They direct it almost parallel to the carcass so as not to hurt the meat.

Next, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. They lower the goose upside down into it, stand for a minute. They take it out, wait for the water to boil again, turn it over and again immerse it in boiling water for 60 seconds. After a hot bath, dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Rub the outside and inside with a mixture of coarse salt (a teaspoon per kilogram), ground black pepper and dried herbs, such as sage and oregano. They are laid on a large flat dish and put in the refrigerator, there is no need to cover, ideally the bird is hung in the cellar for 2-3 days. There is no other sure way to cook a goose in the oven so that the meat is soft and juicy, and the skin is fried and crispy.

Secret number 2: how to cook stuffed goose




If you stuff the prepared bird correctly, you can not rack your brains on how to cook a juicy goose in the oven. Meat juice and fat melted during heat treatment will be absorbed into the filling, making it appetizing and fragrant. What to do for this? Do not try to stuff more apples or sauerkraut inside, fill the carcass only 2/3. Do not tamp the contents, the voids between the slices will allow the filling to steam out, swell to the maximum. I prefer, for example, to fill the goose with beef liver, interspersed with chopped onions, thyme, preferably fresh, and pieces of a long loaf. He takes in so much!

And, of course, the edges of the inlets must be fastened, otherwise the goose, or rather the filling, will be baked dry, the liquid will flow out. It is convenient to chop off the neck incision with wooden toothpicks (skewers), and sew up the abdomen with large stitches. Choose a thick thread when the goose is baked, it is easier to pull it out. By the way, another method on how to cook a juicy goose in the oven is to use a culinary sleeve. The goose in the oven in the sleeve will reach faster and definitely will not dry out.

Secret number 3: temperature

How to cook a soft goose in the oven, but with a well-done, golden skin? Be patient so that at the last, decisive stage, the luxurious bird is not spoiled. We will build a suitable “bed” for her, while the oven is heated, turned on to its fullest. In a deep pan, so that the fat does not burn, pour a little water, up to 1 cm high. A metal grate is installed on it, on which the stuffed carcass is laid, back up. The legs of the goose are crossed and tied with a strong thread. In this position, in a very hot oven, the goose is a quarter of an hour.




Then the temperature is reduced to 150-160 degrees, and the bird is turned over on its back. A goose baked in the oven will come out especially tasty if you pour it with rich broth every half an hour. It forms at the bottom of the pan. After 1.5-2 hours, check the dish for readiness. Pierce the upper part of the leg with a knife (knitting needle). Clear juice will appear, the baked goose is ready, it's time to get it. If the goose is cooked in the oven, in the sleeve, it, that is, the protective shell, is cut and the bird is browned for 20-30 minutes. Well, that's the whole simple science of how to cook a soft goose in the oven. Agree, it's really simple. A meal, words can not convey!

However, everyone's taste preferences are different. Someone likes the classic goose, with apples, others cook it, for example, with walnuts and prunes. You can experiment with fragrant quince, chestnuts, pineapples, even canned ones, oranges and tangerines will do. Not only the traditional goose with apples is baked, but also with sauerkraut or buckwheat porridge flavored with

Pieces, not every housewife knows, because such a bird is not an everyday product, and most often it is used to create delicious dishes exclusively on holidays.

Today we will tell you about how to cook a goose in slices in the oven, stew it on the stove and make it out of it. Believe me, none of your household members will refuse such hearty and fragrant dishes.

Stepping the pieces into the oven

Such a dish can be made not only for the festive table, but also to present it for a simple dinner along with any side dish. For this we need:

• small goose carcass - 1 pc.;
• fresh lemon - ½ fruit;
• lime honey - an incomplete dessert spoon;
• fine salt, ground allspice, basil - use at discretion;
• garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
• low-fat mayonnaise - 2 dessert spoons.

Poultry processing

Before being sliced, it should be well processed. To do this, the meat product must be completely thawed, and then it must be washed, unnecessary elements removed and cut into medium pieces.

Preparing the Sauce

In order for the baked goose to be well browned in the oven in pieces, to turn out tender and very tasty, it should be lubricated with a specially prepared sauce without fail. For him, we need to mix with grated garlic cloves, low-fat mayonnaise and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Also add salt, dried basil and allspice to the sauce.

Shape and bake in the oven

How to cook goose in pieces? To do this, the entire meat product must be greased with a self-made sauce and put in a culinary sleeve. Next, the filled bag should be tied up, placed on a baking sheet and several punctures made in the upper part with a sharp knife. In this form, the dish must be baked at a temperature of 210 degrees for an hour. During this time, the goose will be completely cooked, it will become tender, juicy and covered with a golden crust.

Serve at the dinner table

Now you know how to cook goose in pieces. After the meat is baked in the oven, it should be removed and distributed on plates. It is recommended to serve it to the dinner table along with crushed potatoes, which can be additionally poured over with fragrant broth that remained in the culinary sleeve. Enjoy your meal!

Goose in a slow cooker: a delicious roast recipe

As mentioned above, you can cook such a bird in different ways. In this section of the article, we decided to tell you about how to make a delicious roast out of a goose. For this we need:

• small fresh goose carcass - ½ part;
• small potatoes - 5 pcs.;
• large carrot - 2 pcs.;
• fine salt, ground allspice, herbs - use at your discretion;
• garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - 45 ml;
• drinking water - 170 ml.

Preparing the Components

The recipe we are considering is very tender and tasty. To make the dish more satisfying, we suggest using additional vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onions. They need to be cleaned and cut into cubes. As for poultry meat, it should be rinsed, removed all unnecessary elements, and then cut into large pieces.

The process of cooking in a multicooker

After all the components are ready, pour oil into the container of the device, and then lay out the pieces of poultry and fry them in the baking mode until a light blush appears. Next, you need to add carrots, onions to the meat product and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes.

When all the ingredients are fried and dehydrated, add potatoes, salt and pepper to them, and then mix well (straight from the bottom) and pour a little water. In this composition, the products must be stewed on the same program for 50 minutes. During this time, the ingredients will be fully cooked, soft and very tasty.

Final stage

After the slow cooker completes the stewing program, the dish must be flavored with grated garlic and left in the heating mode for 5 minutes. Next, the roast must be distributed on plates, sprinkled with green onions and presented to the household along with bread and marinades. Additionally, such a dish can be flavored with horseradish or use tomato sauce (ketchup). Bon appetit!

Stew goose on the stove

There are many options for cooking such poultry as a goose. About how it should be baked in the oven or fried in a slow cooker, we described above. If you want to make a simpler and healthier lunch, then we suggest using the following recipe.

Stewed goose in pieces is an easy-to-prepare, but at the same time very tasty and satisfying dish. To please them with your loved ones and relatives, you will need the following components:

We prepare products

Stewed goose slices are prepared easily and simply. To do this, a fresh and completely thawed bird must be washed, all unnecessary elements removed from it, and then cut into medium pieces. Next, you need to clean the vegetables and chop them into cubes. As for garlic, it should be grated.

Stew a dish

After preparing the bird, put it in a saucepan, add vegetable oil, onions and carrots, and then fry a little. After the first blush forms on the products, they should be flavored with spices, poured with water, covered with a lid and simmered over low heat for about 46 minutes. This time should be enough for the meat product to become completely soft.

In the future, tomato paste or sauce should be put in a saucepan with a dish, and then heat treatment should be continued for another ¼ hour. Having received a delicious rich and thick goulash, season with fresh herbs, grated garlic cloves, boil for another 2 minutes, remove from the stove and leave under a tight-fitting lid for a while. As a result of these actions, you should get a very fragrant and satisfying goulash.

How should it be properly presented for dinner?

Summing up

Cooking goose in pieces is easy. It can be fried, boiled, stewed and even baked. In any case, a dish with such a bird will turn out to be very satisfying, fragrant and tasty. If you want to present this product to the festive table, then it is better to cook it whole. So, a dinner in the form of a baked goose carcass, previously stuffed with apples or ripe pears, turns out to be quite original. By the way, in order for a whole goose to brown evenly in the oven, it is recommended to pre-lubricate its skin with honey mixed in equal proportions with lemon juice.

Baked goose is a national dish that was prepared for festive meals in ancient Russia. Today, hostesses also delight guests with this wonderful treat. What could be more appetizing and tastier than a ruddy, crispy bird served for a festive dinner?

Wild goose, cooked at home, will decorate any table. However, not every culinary specialist is familiar with the features and secrets of its baking. Whole baked poultry requires a special approach. But, fortunately, these secrets are now available to anyone who is interested and, using them, you can amaze your family and guests with your skill.

How to prepare a carcass

To learn how to properly cook a goose, you first need to familiarize yourself with the properties of meat. Cooked poultry may be slightly harsh. To give it softness, the carcass should be kept for some time. The carcass is plucked and gutted, the remains of feathers are carefully removed. To do this, you can use the flame of fire. Then, the bird should rest in the refrigerator for several days.

There are other ways to prepare goose meat for subsequent heat treatment so that it is soft and juicy. For example:

• Soaking the carcass in a weak vinegar solution. Vinegar is preferable to choose apple, and you need to soak for at least 8 hours. However, you can leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
• Careful salting and rubbing with herbs after washing it. You also need to withstand the carcass for 6-8 hours.
• The butchered bird is carefully rubbed with salt and pepper, poured over with white wine, wrapped in cling film and sent to the refrigerator overnight.
• Rubbing the carcass with a mixture of salt, herbs and a mass of crushed cranberries.
• Piercing a bird with a fork and rubbing it with chokeberry juice.

Poultry meat can also be quite fatty, so in many cases, before you cook a goose in the oven, you need to cut off all excess fat.

The older the game, the more likely it is to get dryish meat. To prevent this from happening, you need to prepare a marinade for the wild goose, in which it is aged for the prescribed time.

How to marinate

Method number 1

We take mustard and honey in a ratio of 2: 1, mix the ingredients and coat the surface of the bird with this mixture.

Method number 2

Marinade for the goose at night can be prepared in the following way. Scald the lemon and cut it into slices. The carcass, previously grated with spices, is covered with lemon slices and poured with dry white wine. In order for the carcass to sink into our marinade, you will need an appropriate deep container. To completely fill the bird, you need one bottle of wine. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the refrigerator.

Method number 3

For housewives who want to learn how to deliciously cook goose in slices, the following marinade recipe is suitable.

For this we take:

• mustard
• eggs,
• butter,
• mayonnaise,
• spices,
• salt,
• pepper,
• finely chopped prunes.

We mix all the ingredients, immerse the pieces of meat in the marinade and leave everything for 2 hours in a cool place. Before the goose is cooked in pieces in the oven, any remaining marinade is reused to process the carcass. You can use a sleeve into which the marinade is carefully poured.

Secrets of delicious dishes

In order to get a really tasty and appetizing dish, every housewife should know not only what can be cooked from a goose, but also some secrets that will help to properly prepare the meat for subsequent heat treatment. The process is simple, but it will take a lot of time and patience.

If this is a fresh product, then you need to know how to pluck a goose at home and, if necessary, gut it. Well, if frozen, then you have to wait about 2 days, leaving the meat to defrost on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

To cook a goose, you need to carefully examine it for the presence of remnants of feathers. If there are few of them, they are carefully removed with tweezers. Well, if there are too many of them, you can use special tools that will quickly clean the surface. The wings are usually cut off, we also do the same with excess fat. For this we use a sharp knife.

Wild goose, baked until golden brown, turns out to be delicious if you use one more secret. To do this, you need a pot of boiling water in which the carcass would fit. Bring water to a boil and lower it for 1 minute. If it does not fit entirely, then the front part of the bird, then the tail, alternately lowers. The water that has got inside is drained, and the carcass is thoroughly dried. Next, you can rub it with a mixture of pepper, salt and spices and leave for a couple of days to soak.

Experienced chefs know how to salt a goose, but what about novice cooks or housewives who have never cooked it. You should focus on the weight of the carcass, for each kilogram of it you need to use about one teaspoon of salt for rubbing.

How best to cook a goose, cooks will tell you who recommend seasoning the dish with the most suitable spices. These are: oregano, rosemary, sage, cumin and black pepper.

How to properly stuff a goose

One way to cook a whole goose in the oven is to stuff it.

The filling can be very different, but to get an excellent result, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the features of the process.

• It is only necessary to fill the inner cavity with the filling by two thirds, since during the baking process it increases in volume.
• The filling must be compacted without leaving loosened.
• After filling, the hole closes tightly. You can use regular toothpicks. Well, it is preferable to sew it up with strong threads. The stitches should be large so that you can easily get rid of the threads later. It is necessary to close the hole securely, not only so that the minced meat does not fall out, but also to preserve the juice and aroma inside the bird.
• To give an aesthetic appearance to the bird, before sending it to the oven, the legs are tied.

How long does it take to cook meat?

Usually a wild goose is cooked for about 2-3 hours. Moreover, the following sequence of temperature regimes should be followed. A bird is placed in an oven preheated to 250 degrees, baked for about 20 minutes. Further, the temperature is reduced to 180 degrees and baked until fully cooked for about 2 hours.

How much to bake a goose in the oven depends on the model of the oven, so each housewife must determine the nominal temperature. The lower it is, the better the meat is baked, but it will take more time to cook.

How much a goose is cooked also depends on the size of the carcass. You can check readiness in the following way. We press gently on it, if colorless juice stands out, it can be removed from the oven.

So that the baking process does not turn into true torment, you need to take care of the following conditions. The baking sheet in which the bird is placed must have high edges so that the dripping fat does not fall on the inner surface of the oven. The smell of burning, which will appear as a result of this, will not please anyone. You can add some water to the pan. Well, before you cook a goose with apples, you need to wait until the carcass is baked. Apples are added half an hour before the dish is ready.

Cooking a goose in the oven will require close attention, since every half hour you will need to turn the carcass. This will ensure that the crust forms evenly. To begin with, the bird is laid breast-side up, then turned back up. Periodically, it is also watered with juice flowing into a baking sheet. And so - until complete readiness. After that, all the threads are removed, the carcass is transferred to a wide dish. Well, the remaining fat can be used for cooking other dishes.

Goose dishes in the oven are very popular. They are tasty, appetizing and healthy. There are many recipes that use both basic ingredients and original, exotic products.

Stuffed

Goose stuffed with apples and oranges

We cut all the fruits into pieces, removing the seeds and all inedible elements. Mix everything with chopped nuts and scalded prunes.

We process the prepared carcass with spices both outside and inside. Rub the inside with a clove of garlic. We start the carcass and fasten with threads. We shift the bird into a baking dish and grease it with vegetable oil. Nearby we have the remaining apples and the peeled onion. We cover everything with a lid and periodically pour the bird with the resulting juice. So you can cook a goose in about three hours. But 15 minutes before the bird is ready, remove the lid to form a crisp, and excess liquid is also drained. From above, you can sprinkle the carcass with orange juice. It will add spice and flavor to the dish. Great recipe for roasting goose in the oven!

Before serving, the fixing threads are removed, the dish is decorated with greens and fresh slices of apple and orange.

Goose stuffed with liver and rice

Ingredients:

• Carcass up to 2 kg;
• Chicken liver - 200 g;
• Bow - 1 pc.;
• Dry white wine - 100 g;
• Cashew nuts - 100 g;
• Rice - 300 g;
• Olive oil;
• Spices - 1 teaspoon.

Thoroughly rub the plucked bird with salt, spices and olive oil, send it to the refrigerator overnight. Then, boil the rice in salted water. Liver and onion cut into cubes. Fry the onion in a pan, then add the liver and wine, simmer everything under a closed lid for about 15 minutes. We mix rice, nuts and the resulting liver consistency, add spices and stuff the carcass. We fix the belly and bake in the oven for about 3 hours.
Braised poultry

Fatty voluminous bird after cooking is smooth, ruddy and beautiful. However, what to do if the carcass turned out to be small in size, how to cook a goose deliciously? In this case, it is better to cut it into pieces and put it out in a cast iron.

Braised goose pieces

Cooking goose in pieces is easier and faster, which is why many housewives resort to this method. What can be cooked from a goose in pieces depends on the personal preferences of the cook. You can add various spices to the dish, and serve potatoes, baked vegetables, broccoli or rice as a side dish.

We will need:

• bird pieces;
• onions - 5-6 pcs.;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• salt;
• Bay leaf;
• pepper.

Goose recipes are varied, but this dish will take a lot of time, as it is cooked over low heat.

How much to extinguish a goose depends on the intensity of the fire, the size of the pieces of meat. In general, the process lasts at least 3 hours.

Pour a small amount of vegetable oil into a deep container. We heat it up on high heat. We lower the pieces of meat and mix intensively, until a crust forms. The process lasts no more than 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and pour the finely chopped onion, salt, add pepper and bay leaf to taste.

Cover everything with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally. There should be a lot of onions, it is he who gives a delicate taste to the meat. It is important to ensure that the temperature is such that the onion does not fry, but “melts”. A few minutes before full readiness, add finely chopped garlic to the container.

How to cook a wild goose so that it turns out tender and appetizing? You just need to know how to properly pre-prepare the carcass.

Goose cutlets are prepared using the same ingredients. Moreover, they can either be baked in the oven, or fried in a pan.

Fried

Every housewife knows how to fry a goose, but the following ingredients will help spice up the dish:

• oranges;
• red wine;
• bouillon;
• starch;
• spices;
• salt.

Any goose recipe in the oven is incredibly useful, but if you first fry the pieces of poultry in a pan, you can get a delicious, golden crust. This is how we do it.

In another container, heat the wine, add peppercorns and broth. We lower the fried meat pieces and bring to full readiness. Take out the meat and put it on a wide dish. At this time, prepare the sauce. Dilute starch in water and add to the wine mixture. Fry the orange slices, also lower them into the sauce. We pour them over the meat before serving, you can also learn how to cook a goose with potatoes, which goes well as a side dish with meat.

Up your sleeve

There are many goose recipes up your sleeve. The baking sleeve is very popular with modern housewives, as it can be used to cook game deliciously without additional fat smudges.

Game with cherry sauce

We will need:

• Carcass - up to 3 kg;
• Pitted cherries - 300 g;
• Red wine - 1 glass;
• Cinnamon - 3 teaspoons;
• Salt;
• Pepper.

We prepare the carcass in the classical way: how to pluck a goose at home, remove the insides and process with spices, can be found above. We make several punctures in the carcass and send it to the oven. At this time, prepare the sauce.

Pour the wine into a container, add cherries and spices, put on fire. Bringing the resulting mass to a boil, remove from the stove. Half an hour before the dish is fully cooked, carefully pour the cherry sauce into the bag.

How to cook wild goose in sauce so that guests are satisfied? It remains only to prepare a side dish for the dish. Potatoes go great with this mouth-watering delicacy.

Goose baked with prunes

What to prepare:

• Carcass weighing up to 4 kg;
• Prunes - 300 g;
• Cognac;
• Pepper, salt.

Experienced cooks will tell you how to bake a goose correctly. The carcass is prepared, washed, dried, excess fat is cut off. The outer and inner surfaces are rubbed with a mixture of salt and pepper. Prunes are poured with cognac until they swell, after that, they are placed in the abdomen of the cooked carcass, the hole is sutured. The bird is placed in a baking bag, in which several small holes are made to allow steam to escape.

Boiled

Tersky goose

In order to cook a goose in Tersky style, you will need the following ingredients:

• Carcass of a bird;
• Bow - 1 pc.;
• Corn or wheat flour - 0.5 kg;
• Egg - 1 pc.;
• Salt.

Boil the plucked bird by adding an onion and a pinch of salt to the water. We take out and rub again each piece with salt, set aside so that they insist and soak. From water, eggs, flour and salt we will make dough for dumplings. You can add crushed garlic to it. We select the upper, fattest part of the broth in which the meat was cooked, put the dumplings there, cook them until tender. To prepare the sauce, use 2 cups of the fatty part of the broth, also add crushed garlic to it. The goose is served in Tersky style as follows: put dumplings on a dish, then slices of chopped meat, pour over everything with sauce.

Culinary experiments have not been canceled yet, so you can create unique dishes by combining game meat with homemade sauerkraut, potatoes, tangerines, lemons, buckwheat, quince, cereals, cranberries. Guests and family are sure to enjoy this delicious dinner!

Video

In the video you will find the original recipe for stuffed goose.

In Russian cuisine, goose dishes have been known and loved since time immemorial. Once upon a time, the goose was the exclusive prey of hunters, but that was a very, very long time ago. The goose was tamed in antiquity so far from us that some culinary historians, not without reason, consider the goose one of the first domesticated birds. From the point of view of cooking, the goose is not an easy bird: a lot of thick heavy bones, a lot of fat. And if the preparation of stewed and even fried portioned goose dishes is not too difficult, then cooking a festive goose baked in the oven as a whole often becomes an impossible task for many novice housewives. Remember how many times you couldn’t bake a goose so that it turned out golden and crispy on the outside, but at the same time tender and soft inside? That's it! For many housewives, a tough and not very tasty goose becomes a real stumbling block, to the point that they may even refuse to include it in their holiday menu at all. And absolutely in vain! Properly cooked goose turns out to be very tasty and soft, unusually appetizing and ruddy. You just need to know a few important cooking secrets and strictly follow them. Today we invite you to learn and remember with us how to cook a goose in the oven.

At first glance, cooking a whole goose carcass in the oven may seem like a task too complicated, because everything is important here: the right choice of poultry, and knowledge of the season when it was harvested, and the time-consuming preparatory process, and the exact following of the chosen cooking recipe, and careful observance temperature regime. But all this seems complicated only at first glance. In fact, having cooked a truly delicious, soft, fragrant goose, you will no longer be able to deny yourself and your loved ones the opportunity to enjoy this excellent dish more than once. And judge for yourself, if the baked goose didn’t turn out so tasty, how could there be such a huge number of the most diverse goose recipes cooked in the oven? After all, they just don’t cook it! There is a simple fried goose, and goose in glaze, and the popular goose with apples, and goose with cabbage and berries, and a wide variety of stuffed goose. Add to this the goose's excellent compatibility with many herbs, spices and seasonings, and you yourself can easily see not only the popularity of dishes from this delicious bird, but also the great variety of tastes and aromas that a goose cooked in the oven can please you with.

Today we have collected for you the most important culinary tips and secrets, with popular recipes that are sure to help even the most inexperienced housewives and tell you how to cook a goose in the oven.

1. Before you go to the store or market for a goose, you should understand the seasons of slaughtering this bird in order to know for sure whether the goose offered to you is suitable for preparing the dish you have chosen. Good poultry farmers slaughter geese twice a year. The first time geese are slaughtered in the summer in July. Usually a bird up to three months old falls into this slaughter. The meat of such young geese is very tender and soft, and the sirloin is already well developed. Such geese are best suited for baking in the oven. The second slaughter is carried out in November - December. By this time, half-year-old birds have time to fully develop, change their plumage and grow fat. Most often, it is the birds of the autumn-winter slaughter that fall on our festive New Year and Christmas tables. Their meat is slightly tougher than that of young goslings, but they are much fatter and more aromatic, and are much better suited for stuffing.

2. So, when choosing a goose, first of all, ask for a certificate that indicates the exact month of slaughtering the bird in order to know how young the bird is offered to you. If you buy a frozen goose, then this information must be indicated on the package. When buying a chilled bird, in addition to checking the certificate, be sure to make sure that you are offered a young and fresh goose. The age of the bird is easy to determine by the legs and sternum. In a young goose, the paws and membranes are soft, and the sternum is flexible, not ossified. In an old bird, the paws will be rough with dry membranes, and the breast bone will be hard, hard. Check the freshness of the bird as usual. Smell - a fresh goose smells nice, a little sweet. Feel - the meat should be elastic, strong. Inspect - a fresh bird should not have weathered parts of the skin. If buying a frozen goose, make sure the bird hasn't been frozen multiple times. This is very easy to do: just make sure that the ice on the carcass is completely transparent, but the pink shade of the ice will tell you that the goose has already been thawed and frozen again. It is better not to buy such a carcass at all.

3. When you bring your goose home, think about storage. Chilled poultry can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a couple of days. If you are not going to cook the goose right away, pack it tightly in a plastic bag and send it to the freezer. The goose perfectly tolerates freezing without losing its taste. Frozen goose can be stored in the freezer for as long as you like. Defrost the goose ahead of time. A couple of days before cooking, place the goose in the bottom section of the refrigerator and let it thaw slowly at low temperature. Thus, you will preserve both the taste of the bird and its juiciness.

4. In order for your goose to turn out to be truly soft and tender inside, and the crust to become golden and crispy after baking, the goose should be properly prepared. First of all, rinse the bird thoroughly under running cool water. Cut off the upper phalanges of the wings, legs and excess fat on the neck and at the incision on the abdomen. Boil a large amount of water in a deep saucepan, take the goose by the legs and lower it neck down into the boiling water. Hold the goose in this position for a minute, take it out, turn it over and lower the goose again for a minute in boiling water, but with the paws down. Pat the goose dry with a towel and place on a cutting board. Using a thin sharp knife, make several shallow punctures on the breast and legs of the goose. Try to pierce only the skin and fat, without touching the meat. Dry the goose thoroughly again, inside and out. The first stage of preparation has been completed.

5. For the second stage of preparing the goose, you will need coarse salt, a little sugar, coarsely ground black pepper and seasonings to your taste: oregano, basil, sage are perfect. Mix salt and sugar at the rate of 3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt per 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add pepper and other seasonings according to your taste and desire. Thoroughly rub the goose with the finished mixture inside and out. Place the goose prepared in this way in a deep container and refrigerate for a couple of days. During this time, the goose meat will finally ripen and soften, and the skin will dry thoroughly, so that when baked in the oven it becomes golden and crispy. This completes the preparation of the goose for baking, and then you can follow the recommendations of your chosen recipe.

6. However, if you decide to cook a stuffed goose, then you should take into account that stuffing a goose has its own rules and little secrets. Whatever you decide to stuff your bird with, do it just before cooking. Put enough minced meat so that it occupies no more than two-thirds of the volume of the abdomen, otherwise the goose will not bake well from the inside, and it will burn and dry out on the outside. Sew up the belly with minced meat with a thick thread, which will be convenient to pull out after cooking. Make stitches large and not too frequent. If there is no thick strong thread at hand, use wooden skewers or toothpicks.

7. If you followed all the recommendations for preparing the goose, then it will be very easy to bake it, and it will definitely turn out soft and tasty with a crispy appetizing crust. And yet, baking a goose itself also requires knowledge of some secrets. It is best to place the goose not on the baking sheet itself, but on the grate installed on it. Pour some water on the baking sheet. Thus, the fat flowing from the goose will drip into the water, will not burn and will not spoil the finished dish with its burnt smell. Lay the goose breast down first. Place the goose laid in this way in the oven preheated to the maximum and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes. After the time has elapsed, reduce the temperature in the oven to 160 - 170 °, turn the goose upside down and bake until done. Depending on the size of the bird, the cooking time is one and a half to two hours. You can check readiness with a thin sharp knife or thin knitting needle. Just pierce the goose in the meatiest part of it, for example, in the leg and see what juice will flow from it: clear juice - the goose is completely ready, cloudy or pinkish juice - continue cooking for another 20 minutes. If some parts of the goose carcass begin to burn, cover them with a small piece of oiled foil. Another important point in cooking a goose: if you want to achieve not just a ruddy, but a delicious crispy crust, do not water the goose with anything during baking! Only in this way will the crust turn out to be truly tasty and crispy.

8. The most favorite and popular way of cooking goose in Russian cuisine is, of course, goose with apples and sauerkraut. Prepare a goose weighing up to two and a half kilograms as described above. Save the cut off excess fat. To prepare minced meat, peel and core and cut into large pieces two small sour apples. Chop one cup of sauerkraut, but not too finely. Cut goose fat into small pieces and melt in a pan. Add a small cinnamon stick, one bay leaf, and three to four juniper berries as desired and available. Warm up for a couple of seconds. Then add the apples, stir and cook over low heat, covered, for five minutes. When the apples are slightly softened, add the cabbage, stir and simmer everything together for another ten minutes. Remove from fire and cool. Stuff the goose with the finished mixture and bake, as we said above. Instead of water, a mixture of one glass of water and one glass of dry white wine can be poured onto the baking sheet, which will give your goose an extra touch of savory flavor.

9. Goose stuffed with buckwheat porridge and porcini mushrooms turns out to be very tasty. The stuffing for such a goose is not at all difficult to prepare. Pour one glass of buckwheat into a dry hot frying pan. Ignite, stirring often, for four minutes. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan, salt to taste, add calcined buckwheat and cook over medium heat for ten minutes. Throw the buckwheat in a colander and let the excess water drain. Soak in hot water 70 gr. dried porcini mushrooms for 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and then chop finely. Finely chop two small onions, cut one carrot into small cubes. If you got a goose with giblets, then cut the heart, liver and stomach into small pieces. Melt the excess goose fat in a frying pan. Add goose giblets (if any) and sauté for five minutes over the highest heat, stirring frequently. Transfer to a separate plate. Put the onions, carrots and mushrooms in the remaining fat in the pan. Fry until golden brown, then add buckwheat and offal, salt and pepper to taste and cook everything together over medium heat for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Start the goose prepared in advance with minced meat and bake, as described above.

10. Original, spicy and very tasty is the goose baked in ginger glaze. Prepare the goose as we described above. Peel and core one large green apple and cut into small pieces. Coarsely chop one red onion. Stuff the goose with apples and onions, add a sprig of sage and a couple of pitted prunes, sew up the goose and bake as usual. While the goose is baking, melt 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar in 2 tbsp. spoons of water, add a chopped four-centimeter piece of ginger root and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. 30 minutes before the goose is ready, remove the bird from the oven, brush with ginger glaze and return to the oven, baking until done.

And on the pages of "Culinary Eden" you can always find even more interesting ideas and proven recipes that will definitely tell you how to cook a goose in the oven.

Content:

A ruddy and appetizing goose with a crispy golden crust will be a worthy decoration for any holiday table. Since ancient times, a goose stuffed with various fillings (apples, mushrooms) was considered not only a traditional dish for festive meals, but was also a kind of symbol of prosperity and family well-being.

This is not at all surprising, since in addition to excellent taste characteristics, goose meat is very useful for the human body, as it is considered a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals, it contains many elements such as iron, copper, phosphorus and magnesium.

Due to the fact that meat is quite easy to digest, it is often included in the diet of people who need to recuperate and strengthen the immune system.

Baking a whole goose carcass in the oven, and at the same time preserving all its taste, is a whole art. The fact is that in order to cope with this task, you should know certain subtleties and nuances of cooking.

Goose carcass pretreatment

Before you start cooking the goose, the bird should be prepared. Initially, you need to thoroughly rinse the carcass under running water, so that you can eliminate the blood clots that are in the womb. Next, you need to inspect the skin for the presence of remnants of feathers. If there are any, you can remove them with ordinary tweezers. You can also scald it over an open fire.

Since it is planned to bake the most often whole bird carcass in the oven, it must be brought into proper shape. Therefore, you should carefully remove all unnecessary that is not needed for cooking. So, before baking, the goose should be removed from the body:

• paws need to be cut off at the joint;
• the wings to the elbow bend must be cut off, since there is little meat there, and the hairs are difficult to remove;
• the head of the bird must be cut off along the second vertebra located on the neck;
• since the meat itself is quite fatty, all wen should be cut off;
• remove all offal and entrails.

After you complete all the processing, the carcass should be thoroughly washed and soaked in water at room temperature for a couple of hours, and preferably for the whole night. It is desirable to soak after that and in the marinade for three to five hours.

Thanks to this, the meat will become softer and juicier, and the spices will thoroughly soak the entire carcass. You can bake a goose in the oven according to different recipes, each of which is unique and interesting in its own way. Therefore, let's look at some of the most popular recipes, using which you can cook a real culinary masterpiece, delighting your family and friends.

Traditionally, on major holidays such as Christmas, housewives bake the goose in the oven. There are many variations of this recipe, but we will consider a more classic version of the baked goose stuffed with apples in the oven. This method is perfect for both the preparation of thawed and pre-soaked poultry carcasses.

In order to cook the bird according to this recipe, you will need:

• goose carcass - one;
• apples for filling - two kilograms;
• quince - one;
• carrots - two;
• onion - two heads;
• parsley root;
• spices to taste;
• fortified dessert wine - two hundred milliliters.

It is necessary to clean the quince and cut into several pieces. Apples should be peeled and pitted and cut into three or four pieces. Fruits will play the role of the filling, which will stuff the goose. For cooking, chop the parsley root, onion and carrot.

Now you can start preparing the marinade. To do this, pour wine and eight hundred milliliters of water into a bowl. Add seasonings of your choice to the mixture. The carcass of the bird should be generously rubbed with spices, and the belly should be stuffed with the fruits that you prepared earlier. The skin must be sewn with threads or secured with toothpicks.

Pour the remaining marinade onto a baking sheet, on which we lay the goose. Around should be laid out a side dish and apples that remain. The oven must be heated to two hundred degrees and send the meat there. The bird should be watered abundantly with marinade and released fat every half hour. Thanks to this, you can achieve a ruddy and crispy crust.

After an hour and a half of baking, the goose is ready. Now it should be laid out on a pre-prepared dish and garnished with baked vegetables and fruits.

2. Goose baked in the oven

Prunes are ideally combined with poultry meat, so the goose according to this recipe will exceed your wildest expectations.

To prepare the goose according to the proposed recipe, you will need:

• carcass of one goose;
• kitchen salt - three teaspoons;
• spices to taste;
• prunes - three hundred grams;
• cognac - one hundred milliliters.

Initially, prunes should be soaked in cognac for a couple of hours. The carcass prepared according to the above rules should be rubbed liberally on all sides with spices and salt. As a filling, prunes soaked in cognac should be used.

Before baking, the abdomen must be sewn up with threads or fastened with toothpicks. It is best to bake the goose in the sleeve, because this way the meat will retain all its juice. You need to cut off one corner in the sleeve a little. Thanks to this, the steam will find a place to escape during baking.

The carcass must be put on a baking sheet and put in the oven, which was preheated to two hundred and fifty degrees. After half an hour of baking, the degrees must be reduced to one hundred and eighty. After two hours of cooking, you should carefully consider the juice that stood out from the bird. If it does not have an admixture of blood, then the meat can be laid out on a dish and decorated with herbs and vegetables.

No matter how you decide to cook the goose carcass, your dish will definitely turn out amazing and will delight your household. Most often, fruits and vegetables with which the carcass was stuffed are served as a side dish. But fresh vegetables or boiled or baked potatoes are also good. It all depends on your wishes and imagination. Thanks to experiments, you can surprise your loved ones with new dishes with interesting notes every time.

Read also...

• New Year's meat dishes for the year of the Dog: recipes with photos
• Roasted Tomatoes (grilled or pan-fried)
• Grilled vegetables - the best recipes at home
• Filled puff pastry baskets