If you’re wanting a change from the regular teriyaki flavors that everyone does, this is a great way to change up the entire experience.
This recipe is good for about 5 pounds of raw goose meat. You could probably squeeze a bit more out of the marinade, but you should try to adjust the quantities accordingly if you’re making substantially more.
I like to use this recipe on Canada or lesser geese. Ordinarily, these birds are a little harder to work with in the kitchen since they’re so lean, tough, and generally gamey. They work fantastic for jerky.
The ingredients for the marinade are pretty simple and straightforward. Some of them are pretty strict to make the jerky cure properly, whereas others can be adjusted to suit your tastes.
Consider this recipe a reasonable starting point. The thing that I love about homemade jerky (especially from wild meat) is how easy it is to play with the flavors and come up with something really unique.
To make the marinade, here are the critical ingredients:
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon Instacure (Prague powder) #1
Just a few notes on why I’m using these as the key ingredients:
Some people use worcestershire sauce for their jerkies. I do too, for the most part. The reason that I use hoisin sauce for this one is that I think it works better for a sweet jerky.
If you don’t want a sweet jerky, by all means replace that with worcestershire sauce.
Another thing that I think is really critical: Instacure #1. This is used for short-term curing raw meat, and it’s what prevents botulism and other nastiness from happening.
I think that this is really important with any kind of wild game. You just need a small amount, but it makes cured food much safer to eat. Don’t use Instacure #2, since that’s intended for longer cure times (like several days).
Also, be careful to not overdo it. Curing salts like this are toxic if the quantities are too high. Make sure you never add large amounts to any recipe and keep it out of the reach of your kids.
The next set of ingredients are what gives the jerky its flavor. The previous ingredients will give the jerky a dark, salty flavor that’s really one-dimensional and not particularly interesting.
So these are the ingredients that you can play around and experiment with to find the balance that you enjoy most:
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup raw sugar (brown sugar can be a substitute)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
This combination is what gives the jerky a sweet, salty and savory flavor. The maple makes a Canada goose twice as Canadian.
Mix all of these ingredients together into a marinade.
Now take 5 pounds of goose breast and slice it into 1/4″ strips. If you want really thin jerky you can go down to 1/8″, but don’t cut it thinner than that or it won’t hold together properly.
For chewier jerky, slice along the grain. For tender jerky, slice against it.
Also, if you’re wanting a less gamey taste to the goose meat, I’d highly recommend soaking the breasts in a brine for about 3 days before making the jerky.
It’s really simple, just put them in a container with really salty water (NOT iodized) and soak it for 3 days, changing the water once or twice a day.
Since geese are migratory birds, their breasts have a ton of blood in them. It’s what lets them fly fast day in and day out.
Soaking them in the brine draws out the blood and other juices that make them taste gamey without drying out the meat too much.
Let the strips marinade in the fridge for 24 hours. I like to use a freezer bag for this and much everything around a couple times to make sure the meat soaks the marinade evenly.
Once the strips have been marinaded, you can dry them out a few different ways.
Personally, I really like smoking jerky. You can also use a dehydrator or even your oven, although the oven has the least reliable results.
If you are using an oven, turn it on the lowest setting and keep the door open so the jerky can properly dry out.
If you want a smoky flavor but can’t use a smoker, you can also add a bit of liquid smoke to the marinade.
The jerky should feel dry, but still be pliable. It’s shouldn’t crack apart.
If you have some pieces that are cracking while others are still moist, you probably have a problem with either uneven heat or uneven strip thicknesses (more common when you’re freehanding it).
If you want a really simple tool to help you speed up your slicing and make it dead consistent, a jerky board (link to my pick on Amazon) is a fantastic product.
Store the jerky in a Ziplock bag or other container. Use a vacuum sealer and freeze it for long-term storage.
The thing that I love about jerky is that it’s so easy to play around with flavors. I’m changing my recipes annually. As long as you’ve got the preserving elements correct (soy sauce, hoisin/worcestershire sauce, Instacure) you can change just about anything.
Wild Goose Maple Jerky
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Canada goose breast
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (for extra "Canada")
- 1/3 cup raw or light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Instacure (Prague powder) #1
Instructions
- Slice breasts into 1/4" strips
- Combine marinade ingredients
- Add strips of goose breast
- Marinate for 24 hours
- Dehydrate, smoke, or bake in oven on lowest setting with the door open until jerky is dry but still pliable, typically 6-8 hours
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
