Smoked Goose

A friend came up to me several days ago and asked if the Cannons were having dodo for Thanksgiving. I remarked, "no," but we are having smoked goose.

I think the response more than satisfied him. It appears we are getting a little bit of a reputation for eating unusual foods. Most people will probably not believe this, but Judy is actually a participant, even an instigator, in this unusualness. In fact it was she, not me, that suggested and ordered the smoked goose for Thanksgiving. It was a brilliant idea and one I fully supported.

She ordered it from a firm in Louisiana, but the bird actually came from North Carolina.

It was wonderfully packaged, shrink wrapped in plastic, and needed only to be warmed and served. While the turkey and Cornish game hens were nearing completion, I removed the shrink wrap

and wrapped the goose in foil and put it on our grill. It remained there about 40 minutes, then was removed

and carved.

It was wonderfully different. The meat was reddish and smoky smelling,

much like a cured ham or bacon.

Some pieces also resembled corned beef. It also had a very strong taste like smoked ham or bacon. I'd just had a roast goose less than a week prior and the smoked goose was completely different tasting.

We got a plate full of the smoky red meat which complemented the grilled Cornish game hen and turkey.

Andrew commented that it was the best Thanksgiving meal yet, and I think I agree with him. Smoked goose is not something I would want to eat regularly, but it suited this occasion perfectly. Andrew made a sandwich of it this morning, along with some avocado, and said it was wonderful. Although still relatively greasy, the smoking got rid of the vast majority of the grease.