Ground Goose & Buffalo

I recently picked up a pound each of ground buffalo and ground goose. I want to make something that really brings out the flavors of the meat. Does anyone have suggestions for either?

Pie Lady wrote:I recently picked up a pound each of ground buffalo and ground goose. I want to make something that really brings out the flavors of the meat. Does anyone have suggestions for either?

Wow, where did you get them from?

I've never worked with either in ground form, but sausages or meatballs are the obvious choices for both.

For the goose, I would suggest sage and thyme, shallots... perhaps stuffed with foie gras? A fruity mostarda would be a good accompaniment, acid to offset the richness.

For the buffalo, my immediate thoughts are southwest flavors (chiles, cumin), but they're best for masking flavors, not enhancing it. I'd suggest oregano and a bit of garlic, perhaps grilled on skewers a la kefta kabob. If it's as lean as buffalo steaks, you may want to incorporate a mild cheese -- I would not go with bacon if it's the bison you want to taste.

The buffalo was from Paulina and the goose was from Schmeisser's (Niles). Maybe I can make a meatloaf with the goose and the ingredients you describe, and top it with mostarda instead of ketchup.

Whole Foods always has ground bison in stock. I use it as part of my burger recipe.

Pie Lady wrote:I recently picked up a pound each of ground buffalo and ground goose. I want to make something that really brings out the flavors of the meat. Does anyone have suggestions for either?

I'd make some sort of sausages, for sure.

=R=

I'm afraid I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to casings.

Pie Lady wrote:I'm afraid I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to casings.

You don't need to encase them.

=R=

In that case I have no idea how to make a sausage.
Do you have any good recipes?

You could do a galatine of chicken stuffed with goose. Spectacular!

Geo

Pie Lady wrote:In that case I have no idea how to make a sausage.
Do you have any good recipes?

No, I've never made sausage from either of those meats. I'd just wing it, keeping in mind that you need 25-30% total fat by weight in the grind to get the right consistency in the finished product (I'd use some good-quality pork fatback and probably add about 3 ounces to the goose and 4 ounces to the bison) and about 8 grams of salt per pound of meat-fat mixture.

With the holiday crush upon me, I just don't have time right now but there are plenty of places online where recipes and methods are discussed, including these sites . . .

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he176w.htm

=R=

I would just make rare burgers with the bison. I really like the flavor of the meat with just a little salt and pepper. It is a really lean meat, so it doesn't lend itself to overcooking.

But ground goose? I have never heard of such a thing. I think I would buy some gyodza skins (pot sticker wraps) and make a ground goose, soya sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil (just a few drops) and scallion filling. Use egg to seal the wraps in a half moon shape. Fry one side in very hot oil until brown and crisp then throw in 3-4 taqblespoons of water and cover quickly (keep the cover handy because the oil will ignite when the water hits it). Steam for about 3-4 minutes, until the skins are translucent.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I'm afraid I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to casings.

You don't need to encase them.

=R=

You can also use collagen casings. I found these a little harder to work with than natural casings, but not bad. I bought them at Northwestern Cutlery, I believe, but I bet they have them at Paulina too. Maybe even Whole Foods. The main thing, though, is that you need a method to get the sausage into the casing, whether it's a natural casing or a collagen casing. A sausage stuff is handy if you are going to make sausages every so often. Otherwise you can do it by hand. But Ronnie's idea to just make patties is much easier if you don't want to deal with stuffing casings.

Also spotted a few packages of frozen ground buffalo in the standing freezer cases in the aisle by the deli at Harvestime.

All right, I've got it. I'm making shepherd's pie with the goose and some of the herbs that people mentioned above, draining it before adding the tater top. Then I think I'll use the buffalo to make kitfo and then put some kind of vegetarian Ethiopian thing on the side. I'm ordering a book of Ethiopian recipes from the library.

I will have to return for more goose, because I really want to make stuffed gyodza soup one of these days, like d4v3 mentioned, or meatball soup.

Darren72 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I'm afraid I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to casings.

You don't need to encase them.

=R=

You can also use collagen casings. I found these a little harder to work with than natural casings, but not bad. I bought them at Northwestern Cutlery, I believe, but I bet they have them at Paulina too. Maybe even Whole Foods. The main thing, though, is that you need a method to get the sausage into the casing, whether it's a natural casing or a collagen casing. A sausage stuff is handy if you are going to make sausages every so often. Otherwise you can do it by hand. But Ronnie's idea to just make patties is much easier if you don't want to deal with stuffing casings.

Regarding alternatives to natural casings: I happen to just catch part of a Jacques Pepin show where he rolled a large sausage (about the thickness of salami) in plastic wrap and then foil. He let it cure for a few days and then showed two ways to cook it: first by poaching it (in the wrappings); second by unwrapping it and pan roasting it on the stove.