This is the simplest, quickest waterfowl glaze you will ever make. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy)
October 19, 2022
By Jack Hennessy
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Old fashioned, like the drink, you ask? Yes. With bourbon? Yes. And it tastes amazing paired with Canada goose, but please note you can slap this glaze on any cut of wild game, including any species of ducks and geese, of course.
Another key component here though is properly cooking your Canada goose breasts to medium rare. Ideally, you want that skin left on so fat renders and your goose ends up cooking in its own fat. After all—and I sound like a broken record saying this at this point—waterfowl skin is the bacon of waterfowl. It’s liquid gold when rendered and raises the flavor potential of your birds exponentially. So, when time allows, always give a pluck.
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You will definitely want the exact cherries listed in ingredients and yes you are going to pay $20-$25 per jar, but it’s worth it. Plus, you’re going to make several Old Fashions using what’s left in the jar (only half a jar is needed for recipe).
I’m a big proponent of internal meat probes when cooking. Ovens vary per temp. My 400-degree setting may not be exact or yours might not be either. You can find stainless-steel mesh wired meat probes on Amazon for like $20. Pop one in breasts when inserting skillet in oven and you will know when you waterfowl hits 115. That is when you want to pull, since carryover (yes, meat continues to cook upon removal) will bring that temp up 20 degrees after 10 minutes.
The author is a strong advocate for properly brining wild game meat prior to cooking. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy) Grilled Goose with Old Fashioned Glaze Recipe
Yield: 2-4 servings Prep time: Overnight Cook time: 1 hour
Main Ingredients: Two goose breasts, approximately 1 pound each Brine Ingredients: 1 gallon water 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup whole black peppercorns 8 ounces crushed fresh ginger 1 fresh garlic bulb, smashed
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Glaze Ingredients: 7 to 8 ounces Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries (both cherries and syrup) 1/4 cup your favorite bourbon (use 1/2 cup if you want to taste that bourbon) Zest from half medium orange Garnish (optional): Fresh basil, cut chiffonade (explained in steps)
Brine Directions: Pour half gallon water in large pot along with all brine ingredients. No need to peel ginger or garlic—just take a meat hammer and smash and add to pot. Bring water to low simmer and stir until salt and sugar is absorbed. Add half gallon ice-cold water to pot for total of 1 gallon and place in fridge. Add goose breasts once brine is cool. Brine for 16-18 hours. Upon removing breasts from brine, be absolutely certain to thoroughly rinse off brine under cold water. Pat-dry breasts and place back in fridge until ready to cook. Glaze Directions: Add bourbon (1/4 or 1/2 cup, dealer’s choice) to medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer on medium-low heat. Once bourbon reduces to half, add approximately 7 ounces Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries (half a jar) to saucepan along with zest from half a medium orange. Allow a low simmer for glaze, stirring often so not to burn. Occasionally, use your stir or spoon to mash in cherries. After about 20 minutes, once most cherries are mashed in (you can leave a few intact), take glaze off burner and set aside, get ready to cook goose breasts. Cooking Directions: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a cold (preferably cast iron) pan, add goose breasts skin down and turn burner under skillet to medium heat. Allow skin side to sear for approximately 5 minutes, until brown, then flip and sear for another 2 minutes. Next, add skillet to oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until internal temp reads 115. Pull and allow breasts to rest outside skillet for 10 minutes before carving. To cut basil chiffonade for garnish, roll leaves lengthwise so they resemble a cigar, cut perpendicular to leaves for thin strips. To serve, slice goose and top with glaze and basil. Any questions or comments, please reach out on Instagram: @WildGameJack
