Make this juicy Grilled Goose for the holidays. There are just a couple of key preparation steps and you are on your way to the most amazing holiday meal.
Remove the innards from the goose. Keep them for making a gravy.
Trim the fat inside the bird with kitchen shears. Keep that fat to render into schmaltz. Spend the time to remove as much as you can.
Trim the excess skin around the cavity.
Insert cut oranges, lemons and fresh herbs into the cavity.
Lightly score the skin in numerous locations. There is a fatty layer under the skin, and the fat needs a place to escape. Be generous in the slices.
Rub the skin with salt and pepper and then truss up the legs with Butcher's twine.
Grilling Instructions
Set the grill temperature to 325 degrees. This is critical to give the fat beneath the skin enough time to render out of the bird. Set the grill for indirect cooking. For a gas grill, turn off the center burners. For a Big Green Egg, add the plate setter.
Make sure to add a drip pan to capture the rendered fat. If you don’t, the fat may drip on to the heat source and create an acrid smoke. It is just easier to capture it in the drip pan. I used a small disposable aluminum one.
Set the goose on the grill with the breast side up.
Let the goose slowly cook for about 2-3 hours. It will take approximately 20 minutes per pound until it reaches a few degrees below the minimum recommended safe eating temperature of 165 degrees. Take it off a few degrees early. It will rise in temperature for a few more minutes.
Use a wireless meat thermometer to monitor the temperature. I programmed mine to sound an alarm when the temperature reached 160 degrees.
Remove the goose and cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. I recommend setting it on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. There will still be some fat that renders out, and I find the cooling rack lets it drip down and away from the bird. Slice up and serve.
Notes
If you want to speed up the grilling process, especially for larger geese, consider cutting down the breastbone with kitchen shears and then flattening the goose. This lets more of the goose rest on the grill grate and it will cook evenly and quickly. For a detailed explanation of spatchcocking (also called butterflying), refer to this Spatchocked Cornish Hens recipe or the Spatchcocked Turkey. The principle is the same and you can use it here. If you want to SMOKE A GOOSE - Lower the temperature to 275 and add wood chips to the grill. I prefer light aromatic fruit woods, like apple. The lower temperature means it will need to stay on the grill longer. Expect it to take up to 30 minutes per pound. Don’t forget the drip pan. The USDA still recommends that it is cooked to 165 degrees even though you may read to cook it medium rare, we do not recommend this and do follow the USDA recommendations for this bird.