Have a Goosey Gander.....

[slimjim]

Hey folks... been a  while since I posted.
I have been doing plenty of Jacobs ladders and pork shoulders... As well as a few chicken wings and huge tomahawks on my new super cheap (£20 DELIVERED bargain) Smokey Joe but as plenty of people have all ready posted about all those kinds of cooks (including me!) I haven't bothered putting them on here....

Was in my local butchers taking about bits and bobs. He asked what I fancied doing next... I said I thought I'd wait till the prices come down after NYE and maybe buy a Goose, as I have never cooked one AT ALL before. Let alone on the WSM.
He went in the back and brought out a 5.3kg monster from the freezer! A customer had ordered it, with a deposit, but never picked it up. In order to keep it from spoiling, he froze it. So he let me have it for what is cost him, less the other customers deposit! Jackpot, as it was supposed to be nearly £15 a KG!!!!

So after plenty of research..... I went for it.
Lots of prep but it turned out crazy succulent.
48h wet brine (Apple/Orange juice, kosher) 24h dry, pricked then blanched, 356f with apple and hickory till it hit 170f internal.
It gave out over a litre (4+ cups) of fat!
Crispy skin, layer of fat, juicy meat. I'd call that a win!

 

Fancy box. 😀

A decent size....

Some SERIOUS fat on this huge farmed bird

Thought I'd add a little extra support, to make sure it kept it's shape during the defrost, brine and smoke.

Double bagged, in a heavy box to keep the brine where it should be.

4 cups of apple juice, 1 cup of orange juice, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1 cup of kosher salt, topped up with water. (plus a couple of orange halves)
Used plain water in the box around the bag, to force the brine to surround the bird.

Defrosting, while it was brining worked a treat

Also, put some weight on it to keep it submerged.

After 48h in brine, this is 24h in the fridge to dry out. Perfectly defrosted.
Stuffed it with orange and lime segments, as well as some thyme, bay leaf and red onion.

After pricking the skin everywhere, to let the fat escape during the cook, I poured a couple of litres of boiling water over, to tighten the skin. Then dried it off again.

Spot of OCD Weber briquette positioning.
Yes, there is a LOT of fuel but I wasn't 100% sure how long it would take, plus it was a HOT cook.
We usually use the bottom section as a fire pit to sit around and drink beers after we eat, with a few S'mores.

ODC in the chimney too!

Huge tray to catch the fat on the lower rack.

After only 1/2 an hour with some apple and hickory. Look at all the fat all ready!
Sat at 350/360f

A few chestnuts....

This was only about half of the fat that came out!! Swapped the tray three times. If it had hit the flames I think it may have burned down the village!!!!!

Pretty good temps in the last hour.

 

Pulled off the heat at 180f (ish) and left to rest for 30mins while we had our appetisers.
Yes, a little hot but I was busy seeing to the guests as well. Luckily (as you will see) the brine did it's job.
Ended up taking just over 3 hours.

I think this picture kind of speaks for itself.

Very happy with the finished product.

 

Would I do it all again?
If I was doing a Goose again, yes. It turned out perfectly. It WAS a lot of effort and planning with the brining and drying, specially as it was a BIG bird and was a struggle to fit in the fridge.
The 6 guests said it was the best Goose they had ever had, one of which had a grandmother who ALWAYS cooked Goose for Christmas.

Personally, although it was cooked perfectly, it turned out I'm not a huge fan of Goose! 🤨 I think I'd have preferred Duck or Turkey.
For the cost of it (even at my discount!) I could have bought a HUGE rib of beef and done that instead, along with a pork shoulder too!
Which I think I may have preferred.

All in all, a great cook, fantastic experience... just not for me. But you have to try it to find these things out!

Thanks for reading my ramblings.... Hope it helps someone else.
 

[Smokin Monkey]

Jim, that looks a great! Something different. Did the skin go crispy?

[slimjim]

Thanks chap... I whipped over the skin with a blow torch after it rested, just to try and make 100% sure it was crisped up.
Yeah, it was pretty crisp but there was SO much fat under the skin, STILL, after a litre poured out of it during the cook!

Just fancied something different. Very happy I did it, happy with the result. but I'm not sure I'd rush back to do it again any time soon.