wildgamecook.net

Recipes for game meat and fish

Author: Chris (Page 2 of 2)

Stout Rabbit Stew with dumplings

18 September 2022 / / 1 Comment

This stew is perfect for a cold winters night, the rendered fat from the speck compensates for the lean rabbit meat, and the stout adds richness and depth.

The main ingredients for stout rabbit stew

Mid-winter I had enjoyed a bitterly cold evening spotlighting rabbits on a farm in New South Wales. My father was visiting that week and had spoken fondly of the rabbit stews that he had eaten as a child, in post-World War Two Australia when chicken, beef and lamb were scarce and unaffordable for most working class families.

Inspired by a small batch porter Dad and I enjoyed over Sunday lunch at a local brewery, I came up with this rather luxurious homage to the rustic dish of his childhood.

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Stout Rabbit Stew with Dumplings

A rich rabbit stew with speck and dumplings
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Contemporary Australian
Keyword: Rabbit, Stew
Servings: 6 people

Equipment

  • Large heavy casserole dish could be made in a slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 rabbits divided into 8-10 pieces each
  • 4 small onions
  • 250 grams mushrooms
  • 1 portion speck 380-400g
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 800 ml chicken stock
  • 2 375ml bottles of extra stout or porter
  • plain flour for dusting
  • 1 knob butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Dumplings

  • 400 grams self-raising flour
  • 200 grams butter (cubed) room temperature
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried oregano

Instructions

  • Pre-heat an oven to 160 degrees Celsius (150 degrees for fan forced ovens) while you make the dough for the dumplings. Dough can be made by hand or in a food processor. 
  • Process or rub the self-raising flour with the cubed butter until the flour resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add milk until the whole mixture binds together and then knead into a firm dough. Be a little careful because if the dough is too dry the dumplings will be crumbly.
  • Roll this dough into a sausage shape and then divide into 16 – 18 pieces. Roll these pieces into balls and place somewhere cool, or in the fridge, to rest.
    dough rolled and sliced
  • If you haven’t already done so divide the rabbits, and then dust in seasoned flour.
  • Quarter the onions and cut the speck into lardons while heating the oil and butter in a large heavy oven proof casserole dish.
  • Seal and brown the rabbit pieces three or four at a time and set aside.
    browning rabbit in a pan
  • Cook the speck lardons, I like them golden and crispy. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook stirring until the onion starts to soften. 
  • Return the rabbit pieces to the dish and add one and half bottles of stout (the remaining half bottle is for the cook to enjoy). Deglaze the bottom of the pan as best as possible before adding the stock and 1 tablespoon of plain flour. To ensure the flour does not form lumps I prefer to mix it into a slurry with a splash of water before adding it to the pot. Add the rosemary sprigs.
  • Simmer on the stove top with a lid on the pot for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. 
  • Remove the lid, evenly space the dumplings pushing them gently into the stew so that the bottom half of each dumpling is submerged but the top is not.  Leaving the lid off the pot place this in the pre-heated oven and cook for a further 45 minutes. 
  • The dumplings will expand and the sauce will reduce slightly in the oven. Once the tops of the dumplings are golden brown the rabbit should also be tender. The stew is ample to feed four adults but can be stretched a bit further by serving it alongside mashed potatoes or polenta. 
Stout rabbit stew with dumplings
I particularly enjoy this stew with a dry red wine like a Sangiovese or Chianta, but a glass of stout would be just as good.

BBQ Braised Venison Neck

17 September 2022 / / 2 Comments

Like many hunters, I had in the past been guilty of discarding deer necks. However, thanks to the influence of Steven Rinella—his cookbooks and the excellent MeatEater television show—that all changed a couple of years ago and I will never again allow a neck to go to waste. Nor will I go to the effort of boning the neck meat for mince or sausages. I am now totally converted to the ease and delicious results of slowly braising whole venison necks. The meat once pulled from the bone can be used in countless dishes.

Fallow are a medium sized deer and a fallow deer neck is ideal for this recipe

I find the best results are achieved by braising very slowly in the oven using a large French enamelled cast iron casserole dish. But it is a lengthy process that can take over six hours depending on the size of the neck, and it needs regular inspection to ensure the meat remains covered in sufficient stock.

For this recipe I have taken the much faster route and used an electric pressure cooker. If you do have a large casserole dish and not much on for the day I suggest trying this same recipe in the oven.

Shredded venison neck meat
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BBQ Braised Venison Neck

Slowly braised venison neck making the perfect base for a variety of meals
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Contemporary Australian
Keyword: bbq, braised neck, braised venison, venison, venison neck
Servings: 4 or more people

Equipment

  • Pressure or large heavy casserole dish

Ingredients

  • 1 fallow deer neck (trimmed of excess fat and tendon removed) half or even quarter neck for larger deer
  • 1 tbsp canola oil or any oil with a high smoke point

For the rub

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tbsp nutmeg
  • ½ tbsp onion powder

For the stock

  • 3 cups game stock beef stock if you don't have your own game stock on hand
  • 4 tbsp bbq sauce
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tbsp HP sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste withhold until thickening the sauce

Instructions

  • Firstly, combine of all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  Set half of the rub aside and using the other half, cover all sides of the venison neck well. 
    herbs and spices in a small dish
  • While preheating a heavy frying pan, combine all of the stock ingredients (except the tomato paste) along with the remaining half of the rub. 
  • Once the frying pan is hot, add the oil and brown all sides of the neck.
    You could skip this step entirely, but the depth of flavour in the finished product will be lacking.
  • Place the browned neck into your pressure cooker and pour over the stock. Set your pressure running, for my particular model I’ve found 90 minutes at medium pressure works perfectly.
  • Once the pressure cooker is finished, carefully release the pressure, and check on the neck. The meat should easily slide off the bone. That easily that you will need to take extra care removing the neck from the pot. Set the neck aside to cool a little while you reduce the stock.
  • I like to strain the stock to remove any chunks of meat or tendon. Once strained, add the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and place the stock in a saucepan over medium/ medium-high heat to reduce.  Reduce the stock until it has a sauce like consistency. 
  • While the stock is reducing pull the meat from the bone using a pair of forks and some tongs. Combine the pulled meat and the reduced stock and use in any dish you can imagine, if you can resist eating it all straight away. 
  • The pulled venison neck meat makes the perfect base for any number of meals, some of favourites include burgers, enchiladas, tacos, boa buns, and bibimpab (Korean mixed rice)

Notes

Without a pressure cooker the same, or even better, results can be achieved in a large heavy casserole dish placed in the oven for 4-6 hours at 150C.

These are some of my favourite ways to use venison neck meat, the spring rolls and boa buns are real crowd pleasers and a great way to introduce wary friends and relatives to game meat.

magpie goose stir fry garnished with chilli and sesame seeds

Crispy magpie goose stir fry in sticky sauce

15 September 2022 / / 1 Comment
silhouette of a man at sunrise
Waiting for ‘shooting light’, Harrison Dam NT

Magpie goose, either fresh from the field or out of the freezer, was consumed almost weekly while my family enjoyed living in the Top End.

Admittedly my first attempts at cooking with magpie goose were more miss than hit, and the meals received pretty dim reviews. Things took a turn for the better when I started treating the meat more like beef or lamb and less like poultry.

This particular dish, inspired by the smells and flavours of the many Asian food stalls at Mindil Beach Markets, became a firm family favourite. This recipe should yield sufficient quantity to serve 4-6 people, especially if served with rice or noodles and some Asian greens, but it’s honestly that good that there are rarely any leftovers when served to only four.

I can normally have this on the table in less than 40 minutes, but I suggest taking your time and allocating at least an hour so that you’re not too rushed.

Halve each breast lengthways and slice into evenly sized strips
magpie goose stir fry garnished with chilli and sesame seeds
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Crispy Magpie Goose Stir Fry in Sticky Sauce

Asian food stall inspired crispy stir fried magpie goose
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: asian, asian magpie goose, chinese goose recipe, goose, magpie goose, magpie goose stirfry
Servings: 4 hungry people

Equipment

  • wok

Ingredients

  • 4 magpie goose breasts
  • ½ cup corn flour
  • garlic salt or steak spice
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ thumb sized piece of ginger
  • 4 spring onions
  • 1 red chilli optional
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1-1½ cups canola oil or any neutral oil with a high smoke point
  • 1 tbsp peanut oil

Sauce

  • ½ cup hoi sin sauce
  • ¼ cup light soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine rice wine
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
  • ½ tbsp chicken stock power
  • 1 piece palm sugar (crushed)
  • 2 tbsp corn flour for a slurry to thicken sauce
  • 2 tbsp water for a slurry to thicken sauce

Instructions

  • To get strips of meat that are genuinely crispy on the outside and tender in the middle you will need to deep fry the meat and then stir fry the rest of the ingredients prior to combining everything with the sauce. This is best done in a steel wok over high heat.
  • Start by preparing the strips of goose meat. I run a sharp filleting knife horizontally along the length of each breast, to create two fillets of half the original thickness. Then slice each fillet into strips around half a centimetre wide.
    slicing magpie goose breasts for stir frying
  • Once you have cut all of the breast meat, spread it evenly across the cutting board and season liberally with either garlic salt or steak spice.
  • Place the meat in a bowel and toss through half a cup of corn flour, coating each piece of meat evenly. You can leave the meat in the bowl, however I like to lay the meat out in a single layer to prevent it sticking together.
  • Slice the onion, capsicum, garlic, ginger, chilli and spring onions and set aside. 
    sliced spring onion, capsicum, onion and chilli
  • With that done, place the sesame seeds in the wok over a low-medium heat and gently toast them.
  • While the sesame seeds are toasting you can prepare the sauce by combining all of the ingredients (except the corn flour and additional water) into a small bowl.
  • In separate bowl make a slurry from two tablespoons of corn flour and the same amount of water and set that aside too. Keep an eye on the sesame seeds while you do this and make sure to remove them from the wok as soon as they start to lightly brown.
  • Now all of the ingredients should be prepared and within easy reach of your wok. Meaning that you can get the cooking done as quickly as possible and serve the dish while it is still hot and crispy.
  • Add 1 to 1 ½ cups of oil to the wok and heat over a high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer add a piece of meat, if it bubbles immediately the oil is hot enough to start cooking. Fry the meat in batches of ten or so pieces, but don’t crowd the wok. Fry to golden brown and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
  • Once all of the meat is cooked carefully discard the oil. Add a tablespoon of peanut oil to the wok and toss the onion and capsicum constantly for a minute, then add the garlic ginger and spring onion, being careful to not let the garlic stick and burn. You should be aiming for onion and capsicum that is cooked but still retains a firm texture. Once the vegetables are cooked sufficiently remove them from the wok.
  • Add the sauce to the wok and stir it around to ensure all of the palm sugar is dissolved, as soon as the sauce starts to bubble add in the corn flour slurry. Boil for just a moment until the sauce begins to thicken and then turn off the heat.
  • Return the vegetables and the meat, toss well to combine. Serve immediately in to individual bowls, or a large share plate, garnish with sesame seeds, chilli and additional (raw) spring onion.
Serve on a pre-heated plate and garnish with sesame seeds, sliced chilli and additional spring onion

Magpie Goose Pastrami

14 September 2022 / / 2 Comments

Magpie goose hunting is unlike any other waterfowl hunting that I’m aware of. The large black and white waterfowl live in the swamps and billabongs of northern Australia, and can only be harvested by recreational hunters in the Northern Territory or Top End. The season begins around late-September or early-October each year and runs until Christmas time. At that time of the year the weather is almost a constant 32 degrees celsius and nearly 100 per cent humidity. 

Waterfowl hanging from a small game holder
A successful morning on Harrison Dam with several magpie geese and a wandering whistle duck taken

Magpie goose flesh is unlike any other waterfowl I’ve ever eaten and lends itself much better to red meat dished than poultry recipes. A poor cook can easily render prime goose breasts almost inedible, but in the hands of a skilled cook magpie goose is a true Australian bush tucker delicacy.

Magpie Goose Pastrami
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5 from 2 votes

Magpie Goose Pastrami

Cured magpie goose smoked and served cold
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Curing time2 days
Total Time2 days 3 hours 10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: smoked game meat
Keyword: cured magpie goose, goose, goose pastrami, magpie goose, magpie goose pastrami, magpie goose pastrami recipe, smoked
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • smoker

Ingredients

  • 2 Magpie goose breasts (skin free) Replace with any wild or domestic goose meat
  • 1 gram Cure #1 – 6.25%
  • 10 grams flossy or kosher salt
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp celery salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ⅛ tsp ground cumin
  • Brandy, bourbon, whiskey or rum
  • woodchips

Instructions

  • Firstly, combine the Cure #1, salt, herbs and spices in a mortar and pestle, and pound together until they are a uniform mixture. Rub this mixture evenly over the surface of the magpie goose breasts, ensuring you massage the mixture into any crevices.
  • Place the magpie goose breasts in an airtight container. Allow the breasts to cure in the fridge for 36 – 48 hours. Then rinse the cure off the breasts, under cold running water, and dry the meat with paper towels. Place the meat, uncovered, on a plate in the fridge for 6 or so hours so the surface dries out.
  • Prepare your smoker, with the aim of holding a steady temperature of between 160°F and 200°F (70°C-93°C). I use a vertical smoker, and half-fill the water pan with very hot (not quite boiling) water to speed up the pre-heating process a little. 
  • Remove the magpie goose breasts from the fridge and rub a splash of liquor over them. I used cheap brandy, but will give a little Bundaberg Rum a try next time. Then sprinkle the meat with freshly ground black pepper. Place the breast meat into the smoker and throw a good handful of moistened woodchips and a couple of chunks of wood onto the coals. I used a mix of cherry and oak, but I’m sure any smoking wood will do just fine. Smoke the breasts until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F to 150°F (60°C-66°C), this should take about three hours. Make sure there is a good flow of smoke throughout the cooking time.
  • Once the meat has reached the required internal temperature remove it from the smoker and allow to cool before slicing. Slice the magpie pastrami thinly; serve with mustard, gherkins, and crusty bread or crackers. 

Notes

Cure #1 is also known as Pink Curing Salt, Prague Powder #1 and Instacure #1. It is readily available from smallgoods and sausage making retailers. The sodium nitrite inhibits bacterial growth, gives the cured meat the characteristic pink colour, and is one of the key components in the bacon-like flavour of cured meats. Follow the direction on the pack carefully, as sodium nitrite is highly toxic in large quantities. Our kitchen scales are not sufficiently accurate to measure one gram increments, so I use an old reloading balance beam scale when fooling around with small quantities of Cure #1, using 15.5 grains of Cure #1 per 500 grams of meat.
Magpie Goose Pastrami
Magpie Goose Pastrami, the most popular part of a charcuterie board

Smoked goat with charred vegetables

7 November 2021 / / 3 Comments

Marinated and smoked leg of goat, served with charred vegetables, salad, and garlic sauce inspired by Turkish and Middle Eastern flavours. This meal is great for sharing with friends over a weekend BBQ or dinner.

Goat meat, or chevon, is incredibly popular across much of Africa and the Middle East. Despite this it is quite rare to be served goat in most Australian homes. There are millions of feral goats across Australia (resulting in $25 million of losses to agriculture per annum) , they can be a challenge to hunt, and are great to eat (perhaps with the exception of big old billy goats).

Having done most of my hunting until recently in the Top End opportunities to enjoy wild goat had been few and far between. Living down south has led to some more wild goat meat in our diet. I came up with this recipe to first introduce my family to goat meat.

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5 from 1 vote

Smoked goat with charred vegetables

Marinated and smoked leg of goat, served with charred vegetables, salad, and garlic sauce inspired by Turkish cuisine.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Contemporary Australian, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Keyword: chevon, Goat, smoked
Servings: 6 people

Equipment

  • smoker
  • Digital meat thermometer

Ingredients

Goat

  • 1 bone-in leg of goat could be substituted with lamb
  • 2 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 2 tbsp sea salt
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary
  • olive oil
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 Onions
  • 4 long red chillies
  • 1 cup mesquite woodchops soaked in water

Salad

  • Rocket
  • 2 tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • sea salt flakes

Garlic sauce

  • 2 cups sunflower oil or similar tasteless oil
  • 4 cloves garlic very finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • sea salt

Instructions

  • Make a rub by crushing the coarse salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary in a mortar and pestle. Once all ingredients are thoroughly crushed add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and mix well. 
  • Rub the mixture all over the goat leg, being sure to work it into all of the gaps between the muscles. Set the meat aside, at room temperature, to take on the flavours of the marinade while you prepare your smoker. 
  • If you haven’t already, start soaking a good couple of handfuls of woodchips in water, I used mesquite for this recipe. 
  • I aim to have the smoker stable at 95-105°C (200-220°F), with the water pan at least three quarters full. To achieve this quickly, and to avoid a dramatic drop in temperature, I use a chimney to start the charcoal and once white hot I pour it into the smokers charcoal tray, and then add hot water to the water pan.
    Once the smoker has reached a stable 95-105°C (200-220°F) you’re ready to add the meat.
  • Zest a lemon over the goat leg immediately before putting the leg in the smoker.
  • Put the goat on the top rack of your smoker, and add a handful of woodchips to the charcoal.
    With the smoker at 95-105°C (200-220°F) it should take about three hours to cook, but the size of the leg and amount of fat and connective tissue will vary this time.
    The only way to absolutely know how cooked the meat is with a meat thermometer.
  • While the meat smokes, very finely chop four cloves of garlic.
    Using a small food processor, stick blender, or by hand with a whisk (if you’re a bit of masochist) slowly trickle the sunflower oil into a bowl with the garlic.
    Just like mayonnaise, or a hollandaise sauce, you are trying to make an emulsion. Too much oil too quickly and the emulsion will split.
    Once all the oil is added you should have a thick mayonnaise type sauce, slowly add the lemon juice as you whisk. Then if the emulsion is still too thick slowly add ice-cold water until you have the desired consistency. Add salt to taste, pour into a container and set aside in the fridge.
  • Once the internal temperature of the meat has reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit, or your desired level of doneness, remove the meat from the smoker and set aside covered to rest for twenty minutes.
  • While the meat rests make a salad of rocket and sliced tomato, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Grill onions and long chillies (a mix of red and green, halved lengthwise) over a very hot grill. Finally, warm some Lebanese or Turkish flat bread and carve the meat from the bone. Serve the sliced goat, topped with char grilled onions and chillies, salad, and flat bread on large plates in the middle of the table to share. 

Notes

With a smoker you really want to avoid constantly lifting the lid to check the temperature, so a remote probe type thermometer is a must. An internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) will result in meat cooked to a medium doneness, 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.5 Celsius) equates to well done and anything five degrees past that will be well done. The average sized upper leg of goat will probably take about three hours to cook to medium, continue to add woodchips throughout the cooking process to ensure a good flow of smoke.

Smoked kangaroo fillet with tomato and macadamia salad

7 November 2021 / / 3 Comments

Smoked kangaroo fillets, and tomato, basil and smoked macadamia salad make a perfect combination. Served as an entree this dish will impress even the fussiest dinner guests.

In June 2018, prompted by an over abundance of kangaroos and worsening drought conditions the New South Wales Government made common sense changes to the kangaroo management program. The most positive change was that volunteer hunters, assisting landholders with permitted kangaroo control measures, were no longer forced to leave the meat to waste-but instead may now use the meat and hide from any kangaroos they shoot. As I result I found my way into an abundance of kangaroo meat and was able to experiment with many different styles of cooking.

I had been aging some small roo fillets in the fridge for about ten days, when we had some friends visit for dinner. While I would not categories these friends as fussy, they are certainly not accustomed to regularly eating game meat. With that in mind I decided to smoke the fillets and use them in an entrée, in which both the texture and flavour of the kangaroo could be balanced with other elements of the dish. This dish proved to be a real hit with everyone.

Watch the Parmesan cheese closely and remove as soon as it becomes golden brown.
Kangaroo fillets in 50/50 brown sugar and salt rub.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Smoked kangaroo fillet with tomato and macadamia salad

An entree of smoked kangaroo, tomato and macadamia salad with chilli mayonaise
Prep Time4 hours
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Contemporary Australian
Keyword: entree, kangaroo, salad, smoked
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • smoker

Ingredients

  • 8 small kangaroo fillets

Brine

  • kosher salt / flossy salt 5% weight of kangaroo fillets
  • brown sugar 5% weight of kangaroo fillets

Salad

  • 8 tbsp whole egg mayonaise homemade or store bough
  • hot sauce (Tabasco, Frank's, etc.) to taste
  • 1 punnet tomatoes baby roma, tommy toe, or similar
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves
  • 1 handful raw macadamia nuts cashews would also work (but macadmia nuts are native Australian).
  • 1-2 cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Weigh the kangaroo fillets and make the dry rub. The rub is 50/50 salt and brown sugar, made to total 10% the weight of the meat.
    Just to be clear that is 5% salt and 5% sugar, so if the kangaroo weighs 1kg (1000g) you need 50g sugar and 50g salt.
  • Evenly coat the fillets, on all sides, in the rub and set aside in the fridge for three hours. The rub will act similarly to a brine and will help lock some of the moisture in the fillets.
  • While the meat rests in the fridge setup your smoker, aiming for a steady temperature of 120°C (250°F). I use an upright type smoker with a water pan, and have found the water pan both regulates the temperature and keeps meat more moist.
  • Once the smoker hits about 90°C (200°F) , throw a handful of woodchips in and smoke the raw macadamia nuts for about twenty minutes, being careful not to burn them. A pizza tray with a perforated bottom is ideal for smoking nuts. Take the nuts out before adding the roo to the smoker.
  • Grate one pile of parmesan cheese per two people onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place the tray into either a very hot (220°C / 430°F or higher) oven, or on the lowest shelf under a hot grill (broiler). Watch the cheese carefully and remove it to cool as soon as it has turned golden.
    It will harden and be crunchy once cooled.
  • Now you can remove the kangaroo fillets from the fridge and with a damp cloth or paper towel wipe off the excess rub.
  • Add the kangaroo fillets to the smoker, along with more woodchips. Cooking time will depend on the temperature of the smoker and thickness of the fillets, use a digital thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 55°C (130°F).
    Ensure you keep a steady flow of smoke through the smoker over the cooking time to get the best flavour. 
  • Prepare the chilli mayonnaise by adding hot sauce to taste.
  • Make a simple salad by roughly chopping the tomatoes and combining with torn fresh basil leaves. Immediately prior to plating up, add the smoked macadamias to the tomato salad.
  • To serve, smear a generous dollop of mayo on each plate, pile tomato salad beside the mayo and top with some cracked pepper. Crack the parmesan crisps into halves or quarters and arrange on the tomato salad. Slice the smoked roo fillets into half-centimetre slices and carefully arrange on top of the chilli mayo.

Notes

  1. The dry rub/brine is a little too salty for the meat to be left in it for more than a few hours. If you would like to brine the meat for several days reduce the salt content to 1% weight of the meat.
This dish was superb with a robust Hunter Valley Shiraz and the left over smoked fillets were quickly scrounged from the kitchen.

Magpie goose rogan josh

6 November 2021 / / 0 Comments

This was the first recipe I ever had published, in Australian Hunter, back in 2017. At the time my family and I were living in the Northern Territory, Australia. Hunting and fishing remains a core way of life for many Territorians, and we made the most of the lifestyle. Magpie goose was regularly on the menu during the waterfowl season.

Many hunters much prefer magpie goose breast meat over that of legs and thighs. But one of my favourite magpie goose recipes is a rogan josh style curry made with de-boned leg and thigh meat. Personally I find the richly flavoured magpie goose meat is much more suitable for use in lamb or beef recipes than as a substitute for duck.  Rogan josh is a Persian style curry traditionally made with lamb and relatively mild dried chillies. It is wonderful with magpie goose. This dish can be cooked in a slow cooker, large heavy based pot or even a camp oven. If you live outside of the Northern Territory it will work just as well with goat (or any red meat) as it does with goose.

De-boning magpie goose legs
Spices for rogan josh
Curry on a plate with rice and bread
Print Recipe

Magpie goose rogan josh

Rogan josh is a Persian style curry traditionally made with lamb or mutton and relativley mild dried chillies. The flavours and cooking style work beautifully with magpie goose leg and thigh meat.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: goose, Indian, magpie goose, waterfowl
Keyword: curry, geese, goose, Indian, magpie geese, magpie goose, magpie goose rogan josh
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Magpie goose meat subsitute with any red game meat
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Thumbsized piece fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 10 whole cardamon pods
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • 4 onions sliced
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 3 whole red chillies
  • 1 can diced tomatoes

Instructions

  • Firstly debone the goose meat, trim the loose tendons and fat from the meat and cut into bite sized pieces. The fat if left on the meat, particularly from older geese, will give the dish a very strong gamey flavour. Eight to 10 legs will provide about a kilo of meat. Set this aside while you prepare the spices.
  • Peel and coarsely chop the ginger and garlic cloves before crushing them in a mortar and pestle or electric blender. Once crushed add four tablespoons of water and mix to form a paste. Finely chop the onion and finely slice two of the chillies. 
    ingredients on a chopping board
  • A traditional rogan josh is made using ghee (a clarified butter). If ghee is not available, use 50/50 butter and vegetable oil (or even better lard). In a large heavy based pot melt the butter and lard over a high heat. Brown the meat in small batches stirring regularly to prevent anything sticking to the pot and burning. 
  • Once all of the meat is browned set it aside. With the pot still on a high heat add the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon and cook stirring constantly until the cardamom pods swell and the bay leaves begin to brown. Now add the chopped onion and chillies and stir until the onion is soft and brown. Add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and cook stirring for a further three minutes. 
  • Add the yoghurt and stir it in before adding a can of diced tomatoes and the adding the meat back in. Fill the tomato can with water and add enough water to the pot to cover the meat. Bring it to the boil. Once boiling stir well, cover the pot and place in a 160 degree oven for four to six hours, stirring occasionally. You could do this over a low heat on the stove top, but you will need to stir the curry much more often.
  • Once the meat is tender remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid and place back on a high heat until the sauce is reduced to the desired thickness. Serve with rice, naan or roti bread, mint yoghurt and mango chutney. Garnish the magpie goose rogan josh with sliced chilli.
Magpie goose rogan josh was a real family favourite while we were lucky enough to live in the Top End.

I guarantee this recipe will taste superior to anything cooked in a pre-prepared sauce from the supermarket. But with twelve or so different spices it is a little complicated to cook especially in the field or for a weeknight dinner. A viable alternative is to brown the meat and place it in a slow cooker or camp oven with a packet or jar of supermarket rogan josh sauce and enough water to cover the meat. If using a camp oven over coals ensure you stir the rogan josh every half an hour or so. Once the meat is tender build up the heat and reduce the sauce before serving.

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