Stop! Don’t throw away your goose legs. This hands-off recipe will blow you away if you can make the time to wait. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy)
August 13, 2022
By Jack Hennessy
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So often and so so unfortunately, goose legs get tossed in the discard pile. Yes, they are not as easy to cook as breasts. They take time, a pinch of love, and a good deal of patience. But they can be incredible if you’re willing to set aside the hours to make it happen.
For this recipe, the process of smoking and cooking these legs is largely hands off. You smoke ‘em, then you let ‘em sit in a crock pot for several hours until the meat falls off the bone. The most difficult part of this recipe is cutting your vegetables, but you can bypass that step if you wish by buying pre-cut stir fry vegetables. The real star here is the super tender goose-leg meat.
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I rarely (if ever) pluck my goose legs. The skin and its fat turn to gelatin when slow cooked and I don’t prefer that texture. So consider taking a few extra minutes to pull those skinless legs from your birds. Yes, this recipe would work with any set of waterfowl legs—you just need more if pulling from ducks, for example.
In terms of smoking wood choice, choose what you like. I went with mesquite here and used my Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill , but any smoker will work. Yes, you can even use a charcoal grill if you're careful—properly managing closure of vents—and put wet woodchips on coals (use a chimney starter not lighter fluid).
This goose leg stir-fry recipes makes the most of the all too often discarded legs of waterfowl. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy)
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How to Make Goose Leg Stir-Fry
Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 2 hours Cook time: 10 hours
Main Ingredients: 4-6 skinless goose legs, total 40 ounces bone-in Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper Garnish (optional): Toasted sesame seeds and finely minced chives Crockpot Ingredients: 32 ounces beef stock 4 mandarin oranges 3 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons Sambal chili paste 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger [ad d]
Vegetable Ingredients: 12 ounces baby corn 8 ounces water chestnuts 9 ounces broccoli florettes 6 ounces snow peas One red bell pepper, cut julienne One green bell pepper, cut julienne One red onion, cut julienne 8 ounces sliced mushrooms 2 carrots, finely minced Peanut oil Rice Ingredients 1-1/2 cups jasmine rice 2 cups cold water This easy-to-make recipe is the ideal “set it and forget it” for those who are not confident with their culinary abilities. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy) Cooking Directions: Dust goose legs with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Smoke for 2 hours at 160 degrees. After smoking for 2 hours, place in crock pot with 32 ounces beef stock, four peeled mandarin oranges, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons Sambal chili paste, 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger. Cover and set crock pot to low and let simmer for minimum 9 hours, until meat falls off the bone. When meat falls off the bone, pull bones from crock pot. Use tongs to help pull meat off bone. Cut vegetables: all bell peppers and red onion cut into strips (julienne style), then finely mince carrots. In a large (preferably cast iron) skillet or wok, heat a thin layer of peanut oil on medium-high. When oil is hot, add vegetables and flash sear. Set aside. To make rice, add 1-1/2 cups jasmine rice to medium saucepan along with 2 cups cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. When a boil is reached, turn heat to low. Rice is done when water is fully absorbed. This should take about 10-15 minutes. To serve, add rice to plate, top with seared vegetables and finally shredded goose leg meat from crock pot along with juices from crock pot. Feel welcome to garnish with finely minced chives and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Any questions or comments, please reach out on Instagram @WildGameJack
