How to cook goose in the oven juicy and soft. Goose in the oven - cooking secrets Preparing the bird for baking

There is such a category of products - symbols, the preparation of which brings the whole family, friends and acquaintances together at the table. As a rule, these are meat dishes, and they are prepared quite long and intensely. Goose is just one such case. Cooked whole, it is very tasty, looks very impressive, and the smell of this dish immediately makes home comfort concentrated and potent.

How to cook goose? Cooking goose is both difficult and easy. It’s difficult because the goose is quite large, it can turn out to be hard even if you cook it for 3 hours, but it’s easy because the goose essentially cooks itself, you just need to help it a little and not spoil anything. As always, the main assistant in cooking a goose will be a sense of proportion, as well as the availability of free time, the necessary tools, ingredients, a good oven with a flat baking sheet (or a goose pan, which is better), and the goose itself, of course.

The goose is a large bird; it can reach critical sizes for your oven. When choosing a goose, figure out what it will be like in the oven, keep in mind that the goose should not only go in whole, without touching the walls, but also have a good supply of free space. The reserve is important for operations that may be necessary during the cooking process, because it can be very difficult to move a very hot bird that has barely entered the oven.

Fresh goose may be tough when cooked. If this is not critical, you can boast that “he was just walking, and now you are eating him,” but if you want softness, then you will have to condition the goose in advance. For this, fresh goose is plucked (remove any remaining feathers), gutted and refrigerated for a couple of days. Perhaps it will take less time. Oddly enough, a goose that has lain down will be softer.

An alternative method for preparing a goose is to salt it and rub it with herbs after gutting and washing, followed by keeping it in the refrigerator for the prescribed couple of days (or at least 6-8 hours).

Other ways to cook goose by tenderizing fresh goose meat:

Make a weak solution of apple cider vinegar in water and soak the goose overnight.
Rub the dressed goose with pepper and salt and pour white wine (moderately), wrap in cling film and put in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
Rub the gutted and washed goose with a mixture of crushed cranberries, salt and herbs.
Pierce the prepared goose with a sharp fork and rub with chokeberry juice.

To prepare the goose you will need:

Sharp knives.
Cutting boards.
Thick white thread.
Gypsy needle.
Apples (Antonovka or similar sweet and sour varieties). Take with reserve - there are always not enough of them.
Greens (parsley, dill, marjoram).
Spices and herbs (pepper, paprika, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise, juniper berries, salt).
A casserole dish or a large baking tray with high sides.
Turning tools.
Place a bowl of water on the bottom shelf of the oven.

Rinse the rested goose thoroughly, let it dry and rub thoroughly with salt. This must be done in advance so that not only the skin is salted, but also some of the meat. Rub the salted goose with spices. The ideal spices in this case can be considered a mixture of marjoram and ground black pepper. Coat the outer and inner surfaces thickly with this mixture. Let it sit for half an hour. It's the apples' turn. However, the filling can be whatever you want, and you can do without it altogether, but with apples, according to many, you get the most delicious goose. This is a classic.

Antonovka is best suited for baking with goose. This variety is hard, tolerates long simmering in the oven, does not lose its appearance and has the most favorable effect on goose meat. In essence, an apple replaces a lemon here, but you can add a lot more apples, and they will add their own unique flavor to the dish. Prepare a little more apples than seems sufficient. Apples lose volume during the peeling process, and there may easily not be enough of them. Wash the apples thoroughly, cut into 4 parts, remove the cores and peel. Some of the apples will go inside, some can be placed around the goose on a baking sheet. After stuffing the goose with apples, sew up the insides with thread. Why white? White does not fade, and the paint will not get into food. The thread should be strong, made from natural fibers and thick enough; you can’t sew it often - it will be easier to pull it out.

So, the goose is stuffed and is waiting for them to start cooking it. Don’t forget to tie his legs if they stick out, tie up and secure all the protruding parts as securely as possible, this way you will save yourself from unnecessary operations and the burning that can inevitably occur if the fatty legs of the goose touch the walls of the oven.

The choice of dishes in which everything will be cooked is very important. Practice shows that even a baking tray with 5 cm sides may be too small for a goose. In any case, the height of the sides should be at least 5 centimeters, otherwise you risk filling the entire oven with fat, which means: cool, wash, transfer to a new container, preheat the oven - a waste of time, at least an hour. It is better to immediately select the dishes by size. In this case, the ideal can be considered a caterpillar container with a volume of 5 liters or more, with high sides and thick walls. This is a rather specific dishware, not everyone has it. The second option is a large ceramic vessel of the same volume. This is even more specific and costs more, but it is prepared better in ceramics. Don't forget to prepare a wooden or plastic spatula and fork for the baking sheet. The fork should be the size of a spatula and have 3-4 teeth. They will be convenient for turning the goose over on a baking sheet.

The oven is preheated, the goose is ready and waiting, the dishes have been found. Pour 1-2 cm of water into a dish, place the goose on it, and you can put it in the oven. Do not add apples for garnish yet - they will burn. Start covering the bird with them about 40 minutes before the end of cooking. Please note that depending on the size of the bird and its properties, and the characteristics of the oven and utensils, the cooking time varies from 1.5 to 3 hours! A small detail: sometimes the legs and wings tend to burn. It depends on the oven - in some everything is fine, but in others they burn. You can correct the position by putting “caps” made of food-grade aluminum on each protruding element. For the first 15-20 minutes, keep the oven temperature above average - 250-270°C, then reduce it to 220°C, and for the last 40 minutes or an hour you can keep it at 180-200°C. In any case, check by eye. It is better if the temperature is lower, but the cooking time is longer, otherwise the goose will immediately become crusty and not baked inside.

Spices. When choosing spices for your goose, be guided by your own taste and do not forget about your guests. Freshly ground black pepper is better, dried herbs can be used, the rest is purely to taste. If you are not sure, then one pepper and herbs will be enough (even dill will be enough). Alternatively, you can make a mixture of ¾ pepper with herbs and ¼ additional spices. Be careful with juniper berries and cloves - you can add a couple of them at a time - in 2 hours they will give the desired aroma note. You can add a little more star anise. Crush the cumin or grind it into small fractions.

Start baking the goose with its back down, after 20 minutes turn it over onto its breast and reduce the flame. Baste from time to time with rendered fat and turn the carcass every half hour or more often. Don't forget about the apples intended to cover the goose on all sides. Place them 40 minutes before they are ready. Instead of apples, you can put potatoes. Baste the goose with fat a little more often than you turn it. When everything is ready, remove the threads from the goose and pour the fat into a separate jar, it will come in handy later.

Apples are not the only classic goose filling. You can use sauerkraut (along with apples), oranges, lemons and tangerines, buckwheat with onions, oatmeal and other cereals, cherries and cherries, and white wine will not hurt. Goose with buckwheat porridge can be considered a classic Russian holiday dish. Usually this dish was prepared for Christmas. The filling was prepared from buckwheat and onions dried in a frying pan. The peculiarity of the preparation is that before putting the goose to cook, it was doused with boiling water. This is done so that the pores on the skin close and the fat comes out inward and not outward. Thus, the porridge is soaked in fat, and the entire dish is cooked evenly and whole.

There is another way to bake a bird - on a bottle. In short, the entrails and breast bones are removed from the goose, a bottle is placed inside, around which apples, berries, and herbs are placed. Everything is sewn up and set to bake.

I will not describe the option of roasting a goose with wormwood, because, firstly, the taste is specific, and secondly, wormwood requires much more delicate handling than ordinary aromatic herbs. But the quince filling for the goose will be a win-win. To do this, take 500 g of peeled and seeded quince fruits, finely chop and mix with a tablespoon of sugar, freshly ground black pepper and salt. You can add cinnamon and star anise. Quince filling can be used together with apples. An excellent option would be a mixture of apples and cranberries, cranberries and sauerkraut, or a cherry filling.

You can serve the finished dish with potatoes (boiled or baked), fresh vegetable salad, sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, herbs and pickles. In the side dish, focus on fresh vegetables and lettuce. Let there be very few potatoes.

Red wine is traditionally served with goose. Choose a dry wine that is rich in tannins, thick and strong enough. The wine must have high acidity, mature taste, and be sufficiently aged. Burgundy and Bordeaux or wines based on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties are perfect.

Goose with apples on the holiday table is a special dish: there are secrets and skills required. The biggest problem is that the meat of baked goose often turns out “hard”, tough, and the crust is flaccid and inexpressive. If a goose is stuffed, the filling is sometimes dry, despite the fact that the goose is a very fatty bird.

Still, problems have solutions if they are turned into tasks. So, I want a goose baked in the oven, beautifully festive, rosy and glossy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, with a delicious apple “accent.” And be sure to have a crunchy crust!

How to bake a goose with apples in the oven (theory)

The process of preparing a festive goose begins with the preparatory stage. I cooked from a fresh carcass (but without feathers or giblets), but you may end up with a frozen goose. Then it must be defrosted, without resorting to water or a microwave, in a natural way. To do this, remove it from the freezer to the “warm” part of the refrigerator.

Then the goose should cut off the sharp ends of the wings (the so-called phalanges) or the entire wings. Then cook goose broth from them for another recipe. If the wings are plump (the goose is large or you like them), wrap them in foil while cooking.

Degrease the goose as much as possible!

Next we deal with fat. The goose is fat, a very fat bird, trim and render the fat without pity! Remove it wherever you see it, pay special attention to the belly (my goose has most of the fat accumulated in the cut), in the neck area, in the tail area. Be sure to cut off the last one! (and don't forget the testicles).

However, fat removal alone is not enough, you will have to do something else (the step-by-step recipe has details about this with photos). Ahead of the description, I will say that when you bake a fatty bird (duck or goose), be sure to make cuts with a knife - they serve as additional “outlets” for lard. Please note that you should not touch the meat with a knife - only the skin.

The secret to crispy baked goose

The next important point is the interaction of meat with boiling water. In the recipe, I poured boiling water over the goose from a kettle, but one day I observed in the village how the housewife dipped the goose into a tub of boiling water, first holding it by the neck and then turning it over. Why is this being done? So that the skin tightens and does not crack during baking. Just be sure to dry the wet bird thoroughly with paper towels.

And now - the main secret. To make the baked meat soft and the crust crispy and appetizingly brittle, the goose must first be marinated. You can marinate in two ways - dry and wet. For dry marinating mix salt, pepper and dry herbs (any herbs of your choice, for example, Provencal) and thoroughly rub into the carcass on all sides.

For wet marinating There is no need to rub it - just immerse the goose in a hot marinade consisting of the same ingredients as the dry one, plus vinegars, sauces, water, broth and similar ingredients of your choice. After which the goose must be taken out into the cold for at least 1 day, and preferably 2-3 days. For what? During this time, its skin will dry out (including during wet marinating, paradoxically), which is what we need, because this is the secret of a crispy crust - it should become dry and “tight.” At the same time, pre-marinating will help the meat become aromatic and soft.

About proper baking

You need to start baking in a very hot oven, after 10-15 minutes you should reduce the heat. It is better to place a baking tray with water under the goose, into which the goose fat will drip. The same water can be used to water the bird.

Step-by-step recipe for oven-baked goose (practice)

Preparation time: 1 day.
Cooking time: 1.5-2 hours.

Preparation

First of all, rinse the carcass thoroughly, both outside and inside, and wipe dry. Then scald with boiling water (1 liter), placing the bird on a rack in the sink, and then dry thoroughly again.

Remove the tail.

Prepare the ingredients for the marinade by mixing them in a ladle and simmering for about 5 minutes.

Pour the hot marinade over the goose in a large container.

When choosing a vessel in which to marinate the goose, give preference to a wide bowl or pan. It is in it that the goose will stand in the cold (on the balcony or in the refrigerator) for 2-2 days.

And don't worry about your bird not being completely submerged in the marinade. During the day, you will turn the goose over from time to time (3-4 times), and the side that will always remain not immersed in liquid will dry out slightly, which is exactly what we need to prepare the skin for the temperature.

Another important point is the notches along the entire surface of the breast. Make sure to do them, and then you will get more than just beautiful fried strips. Excess fat will come out through them, which, in addition to other benefits (less cholesterol, for example), will allow the skin to become drier and the crust to crunch even more appetizingly.

All is ready. Now the bird with the marinade can be sent to the cold.
If you marinate using the dry method, increase the marinating time to 2-3 days: wrap in cling film and put on the balcony (in winter) or in the refrigerator.
After this time, keep the goose for 2-3 hours at room temperature.

Sweet and sour apples are very suitable for stuffing a goose (they will also remove excess fat). For these purposes, choose juicy varieties with delicate skin.

Cut the apples in half and stuff them into the goose's belly. This time I did not sew up the bird or tie its legs. After all, the contents are only apples, which are unlikely to fall out and burn (I would definitely sew up buckwheat and other cabbage). But you can sew it up and knit it (then serve it not spread out, but neat and gathered).

Pay attention to this point: minced meat for poultry It is recommended to lay it in such a way that there is room left - then it will be saturated with the aroma and fat of the meat. To be honest, I don’t see the need to soften and soak the apples with fat - they’ll take as much as they take, so I compacted them well. But if you want a real apple side dish, add less fruit, preferably in pieces. I also recommend adding quince.

If you haven't trimmed the goose's wings, now is the time to wrap them in foil, as the meat is thin and they can get burned.

Preheat the oven. Place a low baking tray with water on its lower level. All the fat will drain onto the baking sheet with water, so it will not produce smoke from burning.
Place a wire rack over the baking sheet on which the goose will be roasted. Cover the bird with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C. Then slightly reduce the temperature (180 degrees C) and bake for another 45-60 minutes.

Coat the bird with a mixture of honey, Worcestershire and soy sauce - this will give a perfectly tanned crust and an additional tasty accent (an option is honey and mustard, also very tasty). Bake for another 30-40 minutes at 170 degrees.
You can additionally coat the goose with the mixture a couple of times. An alternative method for “self-tanning” is pouring greasy water from a baking tray.

To make sure the dish is ready, pierce the leg area of the goose: if the juice comes out clear, turn off the oven. Otherwise, bake a little longer.

And further…

Remember that everyone's oven is different. In addition, your goose may be a different weight. Keep in mind that every kilogram of poultry requires about half an hour of temperature treatment, and therefore a goose weighing 2.5 kg will spend a total of about 1.5 hours in the oven at the indicated temperatures. If cooking at 160 degrees, increase the time to 2 hours.

Some people call goose meat fatty, but most connoisseurs agree that it is rather juicy, tender and very appetizing. In addition, the fat in poultry meat is not at all equivalent to that in pork or beef - it contains almost no dangerous cholesterol, and contains a lot of useful components that are necessary to maintain a balanced metabolism. Cooking goose allows you to decorate a family dinner or even a holiday table with a real culinary masterpiece that will appeal to people with a wide variety of food preferences. It’s not for nothing that goose is cooked for Christmas in many countries - this wonderful tradition has clear origins. Knowing how to cook a goose in the oven, you can please all your loved ones with a very tasty, appetizing and healthy dish.

It is worth noting that goose meat is not only quite fatty, but also tough. If cooked incorrectly, it will not lose its unique taste, but it will be quite difficult to eat such a dish.

To make the meat juicy, it is recommended to bake it in a sleeve, but even this is not always enough. Experienced chefs recommend rubbing the carcass with sour cream and spices in advance, but this method also gives a rather weak result. The best way to achieve softness is to soak the goose in a special solution.

You can cook a goose deliciously, obtaining exceptionally tender and juicy meat, if you heat 8–10 liters of water in a large saucepan and add 4–5 tablespoons of salt to it. After slightly cooling the resulting solution, dip the goose carcass into it. You need to store the bird in this form throughout the night or even a day - to do this, put the pan in a cold place. Some chefs prefer to soak the goose in milk without salt, but this gives the poultry meat a spicy aroma and taste that not everyone will like. One of the tips given here should be used in all subsequent recipes.

The simplest option

To cook a whole goose and present it beautifully on the table, you need a lot of patience, and it will be difficult to butcher it later. Such deprivations can be endured only for the sake of a special occasion, while for an ordinary family dinner you can choose a simpler recipe. Goose can be cooked in pieces - this does not lose its taste, but the cost of time and effort for cooking is significantly reduced. In addition to the main ingredient, you should choose the following products:

After soaking the goose carcass according to the method described above, cut it into several parts - the sternum is cut into four segments, and the wings and legs are separated from it. If the goose is large enough, the breastbone can be cut into 6 or even 8 pieces.

In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise with ready-made homemade adjika and rub the poultry meat with the resulting sauce.

By adjusting the ratio of these components, you can change the taste of the dish - by increasing the amount of mayonnaise, you will make the goose meat very tender, but at the same time it will lose the expressiveness of its taste, while spicy adjika will emphasize all the nuances of the dish.

Rub a baking sheet with vegetable oil and place the goose pieces on it, making sure they lie in two layers. Cover the baking sheet with foil and leave overnight in the refrigerator or on an unheated closed balcony. About 2.5 hours before serving, place the baking sheet in the oven. If you are not afraid that the goose meat will turn out to be excessively fatty, bake it in a sleeve.

Set the oven temperature to 190-200 degrees and leave your dish for about an hour. After this, you will need to take out the goose, swap the layers and pour white wine over the meat - 100 ml will be enough for the entire amount of food. To make the goose juicy, leave it in the oven for another hour, but do not forget to open the door every 15 minutes and pour the rendered fat mixed with wine over the top layer. You can serve goose with pickled apples, vegetable salads, mashed potatoes, and a variety of cereals.

Country recipe

In the modern abundance of aromas and impressions, sometimes you just want to have a tasty and unpretentious meal, enjoying pure sensations, not spoiled by “fusion” cuisine and other newfangled inventions of culinary experts. Goose can also be cooked without unnecessary frills, highlighting its taste with a small set of spices.

In addition to the pre-prepared and soaked carcass, you will need the following ingredients:

ketchup;
mayonnaise;
spices;
allspice;
salt;
garlic.

Cut the prepared goose carcass along the breastbone so that it separates and you can access its interior. Take a small bowl, pour ground allspice, salt and other spices to taste into it, and also add 1-2 heads of garlic, squeezing them out with a special tool.

After thoroughly mixing everything, rub ¾ of the resulting marinade onto the goose carcass, ensuring that small lumps of spices remain on its surface - this will give the dish a piquant taste and a wonderful aroma. Don't forget about the inside of the carcass, because otherwise the taste of the meat will be incomplete.

While the goose is marinating, take a bowl with the remaining spice mixture and add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and ketchup to it (you can choose hot, mild or garlic sauce - it all depends on your taste). Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly and turn on the oven, setting the temperature regulator to 200 degrees. After about an hour, remove the carcass and spread the second marinade on it. All you have to do is wait another half hour, after which the goose can be served with boiled potatoes or fresh vegetable salads. Using this recipe, the bird can be baked in a sleeve, however, each stage of baking in the oven will increase in duration by 10 minutes, and the temperature should be reduced to 180 degrees.

The most New Year's recipe

What would New Year be without tangerines and other citrus fruits? The holiday atmosphere can be maintained if you use similar fruits when preparing an original New Year's goose dish. The result can be served to even the most fastidious gourmets - no one can resist the incredibly aromatic and juicy meat. You will be required to purchase the following products:

five large tangerines;
ground sweet paprika;
cinnamon;
soy sauce;
spices to taste.

This recipe involves cooking the goose in foil, but you can also bake it in a sleeve - this will give more room for the tangerines.

First, prepare the marinade - using a juicer or a regular citrus squeezer, get the juice from one tangerine and filter it through a strainer, pouring it into a small bowl. You also need to add two tablespoons of honey, three tablespoons of soy sauce, half a tablespoon of salt, spices to taste, as well as a quarter teaspoon each of paprika and cinnamon. Whisk the resulting mixture thoroughly, and if it starts to clump, add a little purified water. Spread the goose carcass inside and outside with the resulting multi-component marinade and leave it in the refrigerator for a day.

Before cooking, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and stuff the goose with four tangerines - they need to be thoroughly washed and the remaining cuttings removed, but not peeled. To bake a goose in foil, you need to take a shallow tray and place the carcass on it. First, the legs and wings are wrapped in foil, and then the whole goose. If you are going to cook the bird not in foil, but in a plastic sleeve, take a deep tray and be very careful not to tear it.

Bake the goose for about 2 hours, after which the temperature will need to be reduced by 20 degrees. After the specified period of time, the carcass will need to be turned over, and after half an hour, returned to its original position and cooked for another 30 minutes. If you cook the bird in a sleeve, be extremely careful not to tear it. Serve the finished goose with boiled potatoes and stewed cabbage.

Holiday roll

If you are going to amaze all your guests at the holiday with your incredible culinary talent, a regular goose baked entirely in foil will clearly not be enough. You can prepare an original roll from poultry meat, which will surprise everyone with its unusual spicy taste, as well as the very unconventional approach to preparing the dish.

Of course, you will have to tinker a little - expect to spend at least half a day on such a culinary masterpiece. In addition to a medium-sized goose, you will need:

First you need to cut up the goose to get a good casing for the future roll. For this purpose, you need to make a large incision along the sternum and carefully move the halves apart, gradually cutting off the bones and tendons that prevent the carcass from becoming flat, like a tobacco chicken.

Now it’s worth cutting off the pieces of meat - they should be in the shape of small cubes or oblong strips. Be very careful, since the layer of meat on the back is very thin, when processing it you can damage the skin - so it is better not to touch this place with a knife.

Pour about 150 ml of wine into a separate bowl, three ginger into it, add paprika, salt and the spices of your choice. Place the flattened goose carcass on a deep baking sheet and pour the resulting marinade over it - it should remain in it for 1.5 hours, after which the meat will need to be turned over and left for the same period of time.

While the goose is marinating, finely chop the apple, cut meat and chicken (turkey) breast, add chopped prunes and chopped walnuts, then sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon and stir until smooth.

Remove the goose from the marinade and place it on parchment paper to drain any remaining liquid. Then place the stuffing mixture on the flattened carcass and distribute it evenly. We combine the halves of the carcass and sew it up with ordinary thread to get a kind of roll from the goose carcass, stuffed with meat, apples, prunes and nuts.

Be careful - there should be no holes in the carcass through which a sufficiently large amount of fat could leak out.

Spread the sewn up carcass with honey mixed with paprika and salt, and then place in the oven for an hour and a half at 160 degrees. If you don't have a pan with a built-in grate for rendering fat, it is better to cook the goose in a sleeve. After the specified period of time, turn the goose over and cook it for another 40 minutes. Just before serving, cut the roll and remove any remaining bones. It is very good to combine it with herbs, fresh oranges, and also with hot sauces.

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 domesticated in ancient times so far from us that some culinary historians, not without reason, believe the goose to be one of the first domesticated birds. From a culinary point of view, goose is a difficult bird: a lot of thick, heavy bones, a lot of fat. And if preparing stewed and even fried portioned goose dishes is not too difficult a task, then preparing a whole holiday goose baked in the oven 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 on the inside? That's it! For many housewives, tough and not very tasty goose becomes a real stumbling block, so much so that they may even refuse to include it in their holiday menu. And completely in vain! Properly cooked goose turns out very tasty and soft, unusually appetizing and rosy. 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 too complicated a task, because everything is important here: the correct choice of poultry, knowledge of the season when it was harvested, the time-consuming preparatory process, strict adherence to the chosen cooking recipe, and careful adherence to temperature conditions. But all this seems complicated only at first glance. In fact, having cooked a truly tasty, soft, aromatic 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 had not turned out so tasty, would such a huge number of different recipes for goose cooked in the oven have appeared? After all, no matter how they prepare it! Here you can find a simple roast goose, a glazed goose, a popular goose with apples, a goose with cabbage and berries, and a wide variety of stuffed goose options. Add to this the excellent compatibility of goose with many herbs, spices and seasonings, and you can easily see for yourself not only the popularity of dishes from this delicious bird, but also the great variety of tastes and aromas that goose cooked in the oven can delight you with.

Today we have collected for you the most important culinary tips and secrets, with popular recipes that will definitely 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 to buy a goose, you should understand the seasons of slaughter of 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 is in July. Typically, birds under three months of age end up in this slaughterhouse. The meat of such young geese is very tender and soft, and the loin part 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, six-month-old birds have time to fully develop, change their plumage and gain fat. Most often, it is the birds slaughtered in autumn and winter that end up on our festive New Year and Christmas tables. Their meat is a little tougher than that of young goslings, but they are much fattier and more flavorful, and are much better suited for stuffing.

2. So, when choosing a goose, first of all, ask for a certificate indicating the exact month of the bird’s slaughter, so that you know how young the bird is being offered to you. If you buy a frozen goose, then this information must be indicated on the packaging. When buying chilled poultry, in addition to checking the certificate, be sure to make sure for yourself that they are offering you a young and fresh goose. The age of a bird can be easily determined by its legs and sternum. A young goose's legs and membranes are soft, and the sternum is flexible and not stiff. An old bird's feet will be rough with dry membranes, and the breast bone will be hard and hard. Check the freshness of the bird as usual. Smell it - fresh goose smells pleasant, a little sweet. Feel - the meat should be elastic and strong. Inspect - fresh birds should not have any weathered parts of the skin. If you buy a frozen goose, make sure that the bird has not been repeatedly frozen. This is very easy to do: just make sure that the ice on the carcass is completely transparent, but the pink tint of the ice will tell you that the goose has already been defrosted and frozen again. It’s better not to buy such a carcass at all.

3. Once 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 put it in the freezer. Goose tolerates freezing well without losing its taste. Frozen goose can be stored in the freezer for as long as desired. Thaw the goose in advance. A couple of days before cooking, place the goose in the bottom of the refrigerator and let it thaw slowly at low temperature. This way you will preserve both the taste of the bird and its juiciness.

4. In order for your goose to turn out truly soft and tender inside, and for the crust to become golden brown and crispy after baking, the goose should be properly prepared. First, rinse the bird thoroughly under running cool water. Trim off the upper phalanges of the wings, the tarsus, and excess fat from the neck and belly opening. 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 again lower the goose into boiling water for a minute, but with its paws down. Dry the goose with a towel and place on a cutting board. Using a thin, sharp knife, make several shallow punctures in 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 is 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, and sage are perfect. Mix salt and sugar at the rate of 3 tbsp. spoons of salt for 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add pepper and other seasonings according to your taste and desire. Rub the goose thoroughly inside and out with the finished mixture. 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 will become golden and crispy. This completes the preparation of the goose for baking, and then you can follow the recommendations of the recipe you have chosen.

6. However, if you decide to cook 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 immediately before cooking. Put in so much minced meat that it takes up no more than two-thirds of the volume of the abdomen, otherwise the goose will not cook well on the inside, and the outside will burn and dry out. 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 you don’t have thick, strong thread on hand, use wooden skewers or toothpicks.

7. If you followed all the recommendations for preparing the goose, then baking it will be very simple, and it will definitely turn out soft and tasty with a crispy, appetizing crust. And yet, baking a goose itself also requires knowing some secrets. It is best to place the goose not on the baking sheet itself, but on a wire rack placed on it. Pour some water onto the baking sheet. Thus, the fat dripping from the goose will drip into the water, will not burn and will not spoil the finished dish with its burnt smell. Place the goose breast side down first. Place the goose laid in this way in an oven preheated to maximum and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. After the time has passed, reduce the temperature in the oven to 160 - 170°, turn the goose breast side up 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 using a thin sharp knife or a thin knitting needle. Just pierce the goose in its most fleshy part, for example, in the leg, and see what kind of juice flows 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 goose: if you want to achieve not just a golden brown, but an appetizing crispy crust, do not pour anything on the goose while baking! This is the only way the crust will turn out truly tasty and crispy.

8. The most beloved 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 trimmed excess fat. To prepare the minced meat, peel and core and cut two small sour apples into large pieces. Chop one glass of sauerkraut, but not too finely. Cut the goose fat into small pieces and melt in a frying 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 heat and cool. Stuff the goose with the finished mixture and bake as we described above. Instead of water, you can pour a mixture of one glass of water and one glass of dry white wine onto the baking sheet, which will give your goose an additional note of piquant aroma.

9. Goose stuffed with buckwheat porridge and porcini mushrooms is very tasty. It’s not at all difficult to prepare the filling for such a goose. Pour one glass of buckwheat into a dry, hot frying pan. Heat, stirring frequently, for four minutes. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan, add salt to taste, add roasted buckwheat and cook over medium heat for ten minutes. Place the buckwheat in a colander and allow excess water to drain. Soak 70 g in hot water. 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 get a goose with giblets, then cut the heart, liver and stomach into small pieces. Melt excess goose fat in a frying pan. Add the goose giblets (if available) and cook for five minutes over high heat, stirring frequently. Transfer to a separate plate. Add onions, carrots and mushrooms to the remaining fat in the pan. Fry until golden brown, then add buckwheat and giblets, salt and pepper to taste and cook everything together over medium heat for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stuff the goose prepared in advance with the prepared minced meat and bake as described above.

10. Goose baked in ginger glaze is original, spicy and very tasty. 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 in a saucepan. 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 the 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.

Roast goose, as a holiday dish, is most often associated with Christmas. However, long before Christmas, it was served in Europe at festive feasts on St. Martin's Day, which is still celebrated on November 11, dedicating it to the completion of all agricultural work. This holiday marks the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. On this day, in most European countries and, first of all, in Germany, where geese are especially loved, a dish with this bird is always on the festive table. Most German housewives know how to cook a goose in the oven, not just in one way, but in many different ways.

How to prepare a whole goose for roasting

The goose is a bird with an individual character, both in life, in fairy tales, and in cooking. You can’t run to the store or market at the last moment to grab a prettier bird and quickly fry it. It may not turn out golden on the outside and soft on the inside with a juicy, flavorful filling. The goose needs to be given time and attention. The goose planned for the holiday, and this is a festive, elegant dish, must be prepared in advance, 2-3 days before the celebration. The optimal weight of poultry for roasting is 4 kg.

Gut a fresh goose from the market. At a store-bought one, check the quality of the gutting and remove the bag of giblets (if there is one). Defrost frozen poultry on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (previously it was defrosted in a spacious, ventilated cellar, but now few people have access to this). The defrosting process usually lasts 25-30 hours.
Cover the table with film. Place the carcass on it, inspect it and carefully remove the remaining feathers with tweezers. Another way is to quickly scald or very briefly heat the carcass in the oven or microwave, let it cool a little and remove the remaining feathers. In addition, folk wisdom suggests singeing a goose not only over a gas stove, but even with a blowtorch. But this must be done carefully, because... Fat will leak out of the carcass.
Using scissors, cut off the first phalanx from each wing. They usually burn when baked, and they are of little use. Typically these wing parts are used along with the neck and giblets in soup. Some cooks even remove the wings completely, although the goose will not be as beautiful.
Using a sharp small knife, remove some of the visible fat around the abdominal incision and around the neck opening.
Use a knitting needle or a thin skewer to pierce the skin on the goose's breast and at the junction of the legs with the body. The puncture should run parallel to the skin so that the meat is not damaged.
Take a large saucepan, the diameter and height of which will allow you to easily place the goose there. Boil water and lower the carcass halfway there for 1 minute, first with the neck hole down, remove. Wait for it to boil again and lower the carcass a second time with the opposite side, also for 1 minute. Completely drain the water that has gotten inside and dry the goose inside and out with a cloth (not paper!) towel.
Lay a new, clean, dry film, place the carcass on it and rub it with salt, 1 tsp. per 1 kg of weight, salt can be seasoned not only with black pepper, but also with dried oregano, sage, thyme, cumin or your favorite spice in reasonable quantities.
Place the goose on a plate and refrigerate for 2-3 days, turning occasionally. The ideal option is to hang the bird in a cold cellar. During this time, the meat will soften, and the skin will dry out and when baked, it will become not only beautiful, but crispy and tasty.

How to bake a goose in the oven

Humanity has accumulated some experience in cooking goose in the oven. By following all the rules and advice, the likelihood of getting a positive result is very high. However, it is worth keeping in mind that the goose is a capricious bird. You may not obey the first time; it is useful to carry out a rehearsal before preparing a festive dish, taking into account the rules of preparation and baking.

The filling is determined by the specific cooking recipe. It could even be simple fresh white bread, cut into cubes and mixed with fried onions. It is important not to stuff the goose very tightly; the minced meat should lie loosely and fill the belly by ⅔, so that there is room for it to increase in volume when it warms up and absorbs the goose fat.
The goose must be stuffed before placing it in the hot pot. You cannot store raw stuffed poultry as a semi-finished product.
Sew with thick threads and large, clearly visible stitches. It is important that the threads are easy to remove from the finished goose carcass. It is better to chop off the neck hole with wooden skewers or skewers. The legs can be tied crosswise so that they do not stick out in different directions.
Preheat oven to high temperature, usually around 300°C.
Pour 1 cm of water into a baking tray with high sides, place a wire rack on it, and place the goose on it, breast side down. Place this structure in the oven on a medium level, taking into account the height of the carcass, for 15 minutes. Close the door.
Reduce the temperature to 160-150 °C and carefully turn the goose onto its back. To avoid getting burned, you need to use an oven mitt. Bake for 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of the carcass. From time to time, pour a spoon on a long handle with the juice that will be obtained in the pan.
If the goose starts to burn, cover it with a sheet of foil on top and add a little hot water to the pan.
Readiness is usually checked with a knitting needle, which must be pierced through the leg. The juice released from the puncture site of the carcass should be transparent. However, haute cuisine masters do not like this procedure; they believe that it violates the integrity of the dish.

Video recipe

How to cook a goose in the oven

It is customary to cook a real goose whole for the holiday. In different regions of Germany, which actually dominates this branch of cooking, there are different traditions and different fillings for stuffed poultry.

In Bavaria, goose giblets are mixed with bread soaked in milk, flavored with onions and spices, and hard-boiled eggs are added.
In the Rhine Valley, raisins and prunes are soaked in alcohol for the filling and apples with a lot of marjoram are added to them.
In northeastern Germany, goose is stuffed with prunes soaked in schnapps, which is mixed with breadcrumbs.

In addition, there are apple-onion, nut, bacon-mushroom fillings and many, many others. In addition, the goose is fried in large pieces and served with stewed cabbage, a multi-layer casserole with goose liver or giblet stew is made. The culinary experts of our country do not lag behind the Europeans and offer recipes for cooking goose in the oven with a national flavor.

Goose stew with mushrooms

INGREDIENTS for 6 servings:

1 large goose or 2 small ones
2 bottles of dry red wine
1 onion and 1 carrot each
1 pinch dried celery or 1 branch fresh
1 bunch of fresh herbs (dill, parsley)
250 g porcini mushrooms, canned in their own juice or boiled fresh
vegetable oil, preferably olive
50 g butter
50 g flour
salt pepper

Preparation:

Rinse the goose, inspect it, if necessary, remove any remaining feathers and trim off excess fat. Cut the carcass into 12 parts, and small carcasses into 6. Chop the vegetables and herbs. Place the goose in a deep container, cover with herbs and pour in wine. Place in a cool place for 10-12 hours.
Remove the poultry pieces from the marinade, wipe and, if necessary, squeeze lightly. Filter the marinade through cheesecloth. In a deep frying pan, fry the pieces of meat on all sides without oil. Drain off the rendered fat; it will not be needed.
In the same frying pan, stir-fry the flour in dissolved butter, slowly pour in the entire marinade, add the goose, bring to a boil, cover with a tight lid, and place in the oven at 200 °C for an hour and a half.
At this time, place the porcini mushrooms in a colander, allow them to drain properly, chop and fry in a sufficient amount of vegetable oil. Just before the goose is ready, pour the mushrooms evenly into the frying pan. White bread croutons can be a compliment to this dish.

Merchant style goose recipe

INGREDIENTS for 6-8 servings:

1 goose 3.5-4 kg
2 apples
2 carrots
6 onions
400 ml poultry broth
200 ml dry red wine
several green onions
5 pieces. spicy cloves
2 pcs. allspice
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
salt, ground black pepper
800 g potatoes boiled the day before in skins
2 yolks
350 g plums
butter

Preparation:

Prepare the goose for roasting as described above. Rub the carcass with salt and pepper on all sides. Tie on the legs and wings. 3 hours before the celebration, turn on the oven and preheat it.
Cut the washed apples and 2 peeled onions into equal large cubes and fill the goose’s belly with them. Seal the cut with wooden toothpicks or thread.
Wash and peel the carrots, chop the remaining onions and green onions, place in a large roasting pan along with the spices, pour in the broth. Place the goose on top, breast side down. Place the roasting pan, covered with a lid, in the hot oven for half an hour. After 30 minutes, turn the goose breast side up and bake for another 1.5 hours in the oven without a lid.
At this time, peel the potatoes, grate them coarsely, mix with slightly beaten yolks, season with salt and pepper, make flat cakes with a diameter of 5-6 cm, fry the flat cakes in oil on both sides. Remove the pits from the plums and simmer them a little in the remaining butter in the pan.
When the goose is ready, remove it from the roasting pan, place it on a platter and cover it to keep warm. Filter the broth, add hot plums to it, wait until it boils and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Cut the goose into portions. Serve with plum sauce and hot potato cakes.

Video recipe

Goose legs in the oven

This is a very juicy, simple and economical dish. It can be served as a side dish with any stewed or boiled vegetables, including Brussels sprouts or cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings:

4 goose legs 300-350 g each
100-150 g of carrots, onions, celery root
1 apple, preferably sour
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. l. tomato paste
200 ml dry red wine
700 ml broth, vegetable or chicken
175 g roasted chestnuts, vacuum packed
vegetable oil
salt, pepper, flour

Preparation:

Wash the goose legs, dry them, rub with salt and pepper. Fry in a deep frying pan or in a 1 tbsp Dutch oven. l. oil for a few minutes until the fat is rendered out. Remove the legs from the roasting pan and discard the fat; you won't need it.
Peel the onion, apple, celery and carrots and cut into equal small cubes, fry together with bay leaf and thyme in 1 tbsp. l. oil for 5 minutes in the same frying pan, add tomato paste and wine, stir, boil a little.
Place the legs in a roasting pan, pour in the broth and simmer in the oven, without covering the roasting pan with a lid, for an hour and a half, first at 200-210 °C, then lower the temperature to 180 °C. Remove the roasting pan from the oven.

Rub the washed and dried goose breast with salt, pepper, and rosemary (you can use marjoram instead of rosemary). Pour a little water into the bottom of the saucepan, place the breasts skin side down, and simmer in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 °C. Then lower the temperature to 160-150 °C and simmer for another 50-55 minutes, pouring the resulting sauce with a long spoon.
During this time, peel and chop finely all the vegetables. turn skin side up, pour vegetables into a saucepan, pour broth over everything and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the goose breasts from the sauce, let them drain, coat the skin with sour cream, whipped with a pinch of salt, and grill for 3-4 minutes until the skin browns and becomes crispy.
Grind the sauce formed in the saucepan with a mixer or blender, you can rub it through a sieve (the mass will be more homogeneous, but the procedure will take a long time), add juice and liqueur, pour into the saucepan, heat and thicken with flour if necessary. If you don’t have orange liqueur, you need to take ordinary vodka, add a few drops of juice squeezed out of scalded orange peel with a garlic press, and a pinch of powdered sugar. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the breast on a plate, cut into slices, put thick sauce on the side, and garnish with fresh blue rosemary flowers. Serve with potatoes, best young or simply small, boiled whole. Potatoes of the same size will add a special chic to the dish.

Video recipe

How do you cook goose?

How to cook goose in the oven juicy and soft. Goose in the oven - cooking secrets Preparing the bird for baking