Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2024)

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4.95 from 57 votes

By Hank Shaw

January 27, 2017 | Updated June 18, 2020

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Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2)

Goose pastrami is what I do with most of my Canada goose breasts. It is an easy project that makes the most out of these often-tough slabs of meat.

Why geese? Well, Canada and snow geeseare very close to grass-fed beef in flavor (they eat the same thing), they have large, easy-to-work-with breasts, and they do have a tendency to be tough, which means that any way you can cook them that lets you slice the breasts thinly is a good thing.

Pastrami, in case you’ve never had it, is a cured meat from Eastern Europe or Turkey — remember the Ottomans ran Eastern Europe for a while — that’s normally beef or mutton. Although here’s an interesting tidbit from Wikipedia: “Among Jewish Romanians, goose breasts were commonly made into pastrami because they were inexpensive.”

So there ya go. This is traditional!

To make pastrami, you dry cure (sometimes brine) the meat for a few days, dry it a bit, coat it in the characteristic black pepper and coriander and then smoke it. Sliced thin on a sandwich, it’s God’s gift. Good pastrami at a Jewish deli is something you must eat at least once before you die.

If you have any goose breasts in your freezer, go for it. A pastrami on rye with good mustard, a slice of cheese and maybe some sauerkraut, and you got yourself some awesome there!

Once you make your pastrami, it will need to be eaten within a week or two, or you’ll need to vacuum seal and freeze it.\

4.95 from 57 votes

Goose Pastrami

I specifically call for Canada goose breasts here because they're the only ones I think are large enough to make this with, although domestic goose breasts will also of course work, if you have them lying around. Ditto for swan or sandhill crane breasts. Could you do it with snow goose or speck breasts? Yeah, but they'll be a lot smaller, and I'd only cure them for 24 hours instead of 24 to 36.

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Course: Cured Meat

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 8 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 skinless Canada goose (or domestic goose breasts
  • Kosher salt see recipe notes
  • 3 grams Instacure No. 1, good for up to 3 pounds of goose
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed juniper optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper plus 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup brandy red wine, vinegar or water
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander

Instructions

  • Weigh your goose breasts. For every pound of goose, you'll need 10 grams of kosher salt, which is about a tablespoon. It's OK if you are a little off on this measurement. Mix the salt, curing salt, sugar as well as the thyme, celery seed, caraway, juniper and the teaspoon of black pepper and grind them all together in a spice grinder. Pack the goose breasts with this mixture, massaging it into the meat. Put the goose into a closed container in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours.

  • When you are ready, rinse off the goose and pat it dry. It's fine if you have a little bit of the cure stuck to the meat, but you don't want too much. Put the goose breasts on a rack in the fridge and let them dry uncovered for a day.

  • Dip the goose into the brandy -- or really any other liquid you want -- and then coat thoroughly in the remaining black pepper and ground coriander seed. I like to grind this myself so the texture is a little coarse, a little fine.

  • Smoke the goose breasts until the interior hits 140°F, which takes me about 3 hours.

  • Let the goose pastrami cool and eat as lunch meat, or on crackers or whatever.

Notes

A word on the Instacure. The 3 grams I call for will actually be enough to cure up to about 3 pounds of goose meat. A general rule is about 1 1/4 grams of Instacure per pound. Do not use more than I call for, though. You can buy curing salt No. 1 online.

Be careful when you are smoking your goose, as the internal temperature can skyrocket in such small pieces of meat. They'll be ready in 90 minutes in a hot smoker, which to my mind isn't enough time on the smoke. Try to keep your smoker at 200°F or cooler; I like to keep it at 160°F, which lets me smoke the goose for a solid 3 to 4 hours.

What wood? Your choice. I prefer oak, maple or hickory for this, followed by walnut, pecan or cherry.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Charcuterie, Ducks and Geese, Featured, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Goose Pastrami Recipe - How to Make Goose Pastrami at Home (2024)

FAQs

How is pastrami made from scratch? ›

Pastrami is made from beef, usually brisket, that is wet-cured in a brine, then highly seasoned with a rub consisting mainly of black pepper and coriander, then smoked for flavor, and steamed to finish. It is often sliced hot and served as a sandwich, though it can also be chilled and sliced as a cold-cut meat.

How long does it take to cure pastrami? ›

Pastrami – Dry Cured
  1. Choose a brisket flat with even thickness across the end of the meat.
  2. Trim the fat side to 1/8″. ...
  3. Dry-cure for seven days in the refrigerator.
  4. Rinse and soak for three hour before cooking, then apply the cooking rub.
  5. Smoke at 250-275°F to 165°F internal temperature.

How to prepare wild goose for cooking? ›

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. Rinse and pat goose dry. ...
  3. Stuff the ball of butter into the body cavity of the goose. ...
  4. Place 2 large layers of foil on a work surface. ...
  5. Roast in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 hours.
Nov 9, 2019

What does goose need to be cooked to? ›

Either way, continue to baste the legs often to keep them moist. The goose is cooked when the meat measures 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the breast juices run pale pink (not rose-colored, like a duck) when pricked.

What makes pastrami taste like pastrami? ›

Pastrami is made from beef brisket that has been cured, coated in spices, cold smoked and then steamed. Pastrami's thick coat of spices typically includes crushed black pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, garlic and other spices that might be included in a pickling spice mixture.

What is the best cut of meat to make pastrami? ›

This Jewish Deli is made from a fine brisket; however, you can make it from turkey or lamb as well. Generally, chefs use certain cuts, such as the deckle. It is a lean, wide, and firm shoulder cut for pastrami. Sometimes, they use the navel, juicier and smaller section just below the ribs for pastrami.

What does it mean when pastrami turns GREY? ›

The presence of oxygen, however, eventually turns beef grayish-brown. Myoglobin's chemical compound contains iron, which, after a few days of oxygen exposure, will oxidize. This creates metmyoglobin, which is responsible for the meat turning grayer than your grandpa.

Do you need pink curing salt for pastrami? ›

The nitrates in pastrami come from pink curing salt, which contains a little over 6% sodium nitrite, and the rest is regular table salt. If you're looking to avoid nitrates or refined sugar, or if you simply enjoy curing meat at home, this nitrate-free pastrami recipe is for you!

Why do you boil pastrami? ›

WHOLE PASTRAMI

Monitor water level during the boil to ensure pastrami is submerged at all times. Note we do not recommend using sous vide or pressure cooker for this process, the boiling water helps to tenderize & loosen up the meat. Remove pastrami from water and trim any excess fat, if so desired.

What do you soak goose meat in? ›

A litre of cold water mixed with ¼ cup of coarse salt and¼ cup of brown sugar makes the perfect waterfowl brine. Soak duck and goose meat in the brine for 8 to 12 hours, and you'll see the difference in color. Much of the blood stored in the meat is drawn out by the brine.

How to tenderize goose meat? ›

The more traditional go-to method for tenderizing tougher cuts of wild game is to first brown and then stew the meat in a flavorful broth with vegetables. Once cut into cubes, even old honkers will break apart after simmering for several hours.

Should you brine goose before cooking? ›

Dry-brining the goose ensures that the meat remains especially moist and juicy. The added baking powder also helps it develop extra-crisp skin.

Why is my goose meat tough? ›

Like duck, it's also a red-meat bird and goose breast is meant to be cooked medium-rare. You'll want to watch the cooking closely, the overcooked goose isn't like overcooked chicken or turkey. Instead of turning dry and stringy, it will become tough and chewy and taste like liver.

Should goose meat be pink? ›

Both ducks and geese are red meat birds—meaning the breasts of both need to be served medium-rare. That's pink, or 140-150°F for those of you with thermometers.

Is goose an expensive meat? ›

United States. Goose has generally been replaced by the turkey in the United States. In the United States, the high price per pound of goose, coupled with the large size of the bird and low yield of meat to bone and fat, makes a goose more expensive per serving than Turkey.

Is pastrami made from cow tongue? ›

Normally, pastrami is made from the brisket, but I was relieved to find that Carrots & Ginger had successfully made a Tongue Pastrami and I decided to combine a bit of their recipe with Ruhlman's traditional pastrami recipe from Charcuteri.

What part of the animal is pastrami? ›

Beef plate is the traditional cut of meat for making pastrami, although it is now common in the United States to see it made from beef brisket, beef round, and turkey. New York pastrami is generally made from beef navel, which is the ventral part of the plate.

Is deli pastrami processed meat? ›

AICR/WCRF expert report defines processed meat as “meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or addition of chemical preservatives.” Ham, bacon, pastrami, sausages, hot dogs and luncheon meats are all considered processed meat.

Is pastrami smoked or boiled? ›

Pastrami was first made as a way to preserve meat. A brine is used to first cure the brisket; then it's smoked, and typically steamed until tender.

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