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

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4.95 from 58 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 58 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.

Is goose pastrami good? ›

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!

How to make pastrami on the stove? ›

How to Cook Hot Pastrami
  1. Fit the steam basket into a pot and pour in water to 1 inch below the basket.
  2. Bring the water to a boil.
  3. Put the desired amount of sliced pastrami into the steam basket and reduce the heat to medium. ...
  4. Cover and steam for 10 to 20 minutes.

How do you cook a mature goose? ›

Method
  1. Bring the goose to room temperature: ...
  2. Remove the neck, giblets, and wing tips: ...
  3. Remove the excess fat: ...
  4. Prick the goose's skin all over with a needle: ...
  5. Season the goose and place in the oven: ...
  6. Start the gravy: ...
  7. Add root vegetables to the roasting pan: ...
  8. Carve out the breasts:

How was pastrami originally made? ›

According to The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home, pastrami originates from the jerky-like pastirma, developed by the Ottoman Turks, who dried and salt-cured meat (often beef, goat, or mutton) as a way to preserve it, then rubbed it with spices.

Why do Jews eat pastrami? ›

Romanian Jews emigrated to New York as early as 1872. Among Jewish Romanians, goose breasts were commonly made into pastrami because they were available. Beef navel was cheaper than goose meat in America, so the Romanian Jews in America adapted their recipe and began to make the cheaper-alternative beef pastrami.

Why is goose meat not popular? ›

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.

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

Cuts of Meat

Pastrami is made with point brisket, which contains more marbling and fat. Pastrami can also be made with other cuts of beef, such as deckle (a lean shoulder cut) or navel (aka beef belly, which comes from the plate, a juicy section just below the ribs).

Is pastrami healthier than beef? ›

Though pastrami and corned beef have the same nutritional elements, like protein and fat content, they have different quantities of salt. The sodium content in corned beef is higher compared to pastrami. Because of this, many people consider pastrami healthier and more flavorful than corned beef.

How do you know when pastrami is done cooking? ›

Insert a meat probe into the thickest part of the flat and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 204 degrees. For a meat probe, we are using a Thermoworks DOT (check them out here>>) At this point it needs a couple hours to rest and you're ready to eat.

How do you know when pastrami is done? ›

Place the pastrami directly on the grill grates, spiced side up. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the brisket. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, 3-4 hours.

How long do you boil pastrami on the stove? ›

WHOLE PASTRAMI
  1. Remove meat from plastic packaging and place it in a large pot of water.
  2. Boil for 3 hours, or until tender. Use a fork to test for tenderness. ...
  3. Remove pastrami from water and trim any excess fat, if so desired.
  4. Slice against the grain for maximum flavor and tenderness.

How long should a goose be cooked for? ›

Put some water in roaster if fat begins to smoke. next turn oven down to 175 , open oven door to let out hot air, then roast breast side up for 6 to 7 hours, or, when thickest part of meat reaches 158 degrees. note. Oven temps vary as does goose weight so total roasting time will vary.

Does goose have to be fully cooked? ›

A whole duck or goose must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook poultry to higher temperatures.

How do you know when your goose is cooked? ›

How do you know when a goose is cooked? To check your goose is fully cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the stuffed goose – if the juices run clear, it's done. If you like to use a thermometer, the bird should have a core temperature of 70ºC.

What cut of meat is used for pastrami? ›

Corned beef is made from brisket, which comes from the lower chest of the cow; pastrami is either made from a cut called the deckle, a lean, wide, firm shoulder cut, or the navel, a smaller and juicier section right below the ribs. These days, you may also see pastrami made from brisket.

What part of the animal is pastrami? ›

Pastrami is made from a part of the cow called the beef plate, a tough and fatty cut which comes from the belly between the brisket and flank. To become pastrami it is slow cooked by multiple methods, usually steamed and smoked. It's brined before hand, then covered in all the spices pastrami is known for.

Is pastrami just smoked corned beef? ›

The main difference between corned beef and pastrami is the way they're cut and processed. Plus, after cutting and curing, corned beef is boiled, whereas pastrami is smoked and steamed. Whether you have a taste for Corned Beef or Pastrami, you will find an expansive list of items on the Brent's Deli menu.

Is pastrami considered a 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. It's not yet clear exactly why these meats increase risk for colorectal cancer.

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