Duck, Duck, Goose
 | Author:
Eileen Clarke - Rifles and Recipes
Author: Rifles and Recipes |
Duck, Duck, Goose
Eileen Clarke
Rifles and Recipes
There are at least two things I love about waterfowl hunting. One is the way the birds set their wings to come in for a landing. Weather permitting, I could sit and watch that all day long. The second is just sitting quietly, watching animals move where land and water meet. On the other hand, I do like to amend its flavor for the table. Sometimes it’s just wrapping a mallard breast around a jalapeno pepper with a length of bacon to hold it together on the grill. Sometimes a dry rub, marinade, or brine. This recipe has both a brine (which not only amends flavor, but tenderizes), but an after-cooking dollop of delicious Sweet Slaw. Both of these recipes are in Tenderize the Wild, along with over 100 more.
PS: As written, this is for 4 tacos but can easily be doubled, tripled or more depending on how many birds you have on hand.
Goose Tacos with Sweet Slaw
Makes 4 tacos
The Brine Ingredients
36-48 hours ahead
1 cup thinly sliced duck or goose meat (about 8 ounces)
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon non-iodized salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Mix brine ingredients in a re-sealable plastic bag. Shake it up to dissolve the dry ingredients, add the goose slices, then place in the refrigerator 36-48 hours.
Rest of the Ingredients
4 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons oil
Preparation
2-3 hours ahead, combine all the ingredients of the Sweet Slaw below. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Cooking
1. Prepare the tortillas: Heat 4 hard corn tortillas, already folded, in the oven, or heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat and lightly fry soft corn tortillas. Keep warm until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.
2. Discard the brine and pour the goose slices into a sieve or colander and let them drain a few minutes. (Removing the excess brine liquid will let the meat brown more easily without having a pan full of gray foam.)
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the goose strips until both sides are lightly browned and transfer them to a large plate.
3. To assemble, divide the sautéed goose meat and sweet slaw among the tortillas and serve with cold cerveza.
Ingredients for the Sweet Slaw
Make the slaw 2 hours ahead so it can chill.
2 ½ cups prepared cole slaw mix (half a 14-ounce bag)
1 carrot, julienned (sliced thin and long like a mini French fry)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Combine all, cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Eileen Clarke was game cooking columnist for Field & Stream and Successful Hunter for many years, and has written a dozen wild game cookbooks. They’re available at https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/406-521-0273. Tenderize the Wild, 208 pages, color photos, spiral bound, over 100 recipes for wild game.
Article Images
Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
PhotoCredit: Eileen Clarke
Image 1 Caption: Eileen with her geese
Photo Credits: Eileen Clarke
