I was pretty excited to receive two whole specklebelly geese from a friend of ours, Chad Belding with The Fowl Life. I had heard that these geese are some of the best geese you can get your hands on. So of course, never having had one, I thought I would create a recipe that is a bit different than most. Now you can follow the instructions for the dry rub and smoking method and then serve the geese all by themselves, or serve in a warm flour or corn tortilla with tart green apple, crispy cabbage, shaved carrots and a small amount of cilantro sauce.
Substitute Mallard Duck for the Specklebelly Geese
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 2 whole Specklebelly geese, plucked and cleaned
- Cabbage slaw, shredded
- Green apples, thinly sliced
- Flour or corn tortillas
Brine
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 8 cups water
Dry Rub Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
Cilantro Sauce
Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides.
- 2 cups cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Directions
Wash and clean geese and place in a large non-reactive glass or plastic dish. Mix water and kosher salt and pour over the geese making sure they are submerged in the brine. Cover and place in refrigerator for 24 hours.
Remove geese from brine and wash under cold water. Set on a rack over a baking sheet and air dry for 2 hours.
Mix dry rub seasonings together in a small bowl. Using clean hands, rub the seasonings all over the exterior and interior of the birds.
Heat an outdoor smoker to 250 degrees. Place geese on grill grate and smoke for 2 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check temperature on the thickest part of the birds. Continue smoking until meat registers 150-155 degrees. Remove and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Serve the sliced meat in warm tortillas with shredded cabbage slaw, sliced green apples and cilantro sauce.
