The Deerslayer's Wife
Embracing the Hunting Lifestyle
A Word about my Christmas Goose
Oh, by the way,…… I almost forgot to share my goose hunting experience. The junior deerslayers and I decided that we wanted to “go Victorian” for Christmas this year. Christmas goose was going to be the star of the show. Figgy pudding would provide the grand finale. Since we had just had a typical South Texas thanksgiving with turkey, cornbread dressing, and such, we were in the mood to shake things up a bit.
So I began the hunt….. to the local grocers. Clearly, goose is not only NOT a tradition in these parts, I had to spell it out to several local butchers. When I say “spell it out”, I’m talkin’ G-O-O-S-E spelling it out. Don’t forget, goose is not traditional fare for this area.
Finally, after several days of hunting, I spotted my prey. Stealthily, I crept up to the unsuspecting flock, in the frozen food aisle. No hurry, though. Remember that no one else in this neck of the woods was in the market for a goose. I had my pick. The grocer seemed strangely proud of these birds that aren’t part of the local customs. Perhaps, since they are exotic, they fetch a premium price.
By Texas standards, the price was high, but the experience, in my mind, would be priceless.
I followed the instructions, piercing the skin all over to allow the fat to render out of the bird while it cooked. I cut away the extra fat around the opening to the cavity. Domestic goose, while very juicy and pretty much all dark meat, needs to have the fat drained away from the meat. Our ten-pound bird rendered out over a quart of fat. I have to say, though, that a little goose fat, some rich drippings, giblets, and neck meat produced an amazing gravy that we served with garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli-rice casserole, and peas. The meal was finished off with a delicious figgy pudding, the likes of which have never been experienced in South Texas. I don’t know how authentically Victorian the meal was but it was tasty and we enjoyed it. All was right with the world. Next year, turkey. Or nilgai!
The first waterfowl I ever cooked was a good long time before I ever met Matt. Living in a medium-ish sized town in rural Illinois at the time, the only place to buy it (a duck) was a specialty butcher shop. Also expensive. It rendered a ton of fat and I got over a quart of duck gravy. It was a pretty big deal- first time cooking Thanksgiving for myself.
Even if we didn’t duck and goose hunt these days, my favorite grocery store carries not only pheasant, duck, and goose whole, but also de-boned breast of each, year-round. It’s not exactly a tradition here, either, so I’m not sure why they always have it in stock. If you can get your hands on any of the above wild, though. Tasty. Wild geese just can be old, though.
Chinese Turkey!
Christopher M. Graham, CIC
Vice President/Partner
Shepard Walton King Insurance Group
121 Pecan
McAllen, TX 78501
(956) 682-2841
cgraham@swkins.com
*a member of the Insurors Group*
But more expensive!
A quart of fat?! Wow! That is some pretty expensive fat 🙂
Congratulations on the successful hunt!
Thank you so much. I was worn out after tracking the beast! Should I have it mounted?