One of the most underrated usages for goose meat, in my opinion, is ground meat. Ground meat or burger meat is the cornerstone of so many classic and delicious recipes. In college, when I was first introduced to dry field goose hunting, it’s pretty much all we made with goose. As a broke student living in an overpriced, crappy apartment, it was an easy way to save on the grocery bill by not needing to have store-bought beef. Beef fat is cheap; my buddy already had a grinder, and since we were hunting just about every weekend, ground goose meat became a staple for me.
Although burgers are far from the only thing you can make with ground meat, they’re simple and always a classic. From what I can tell, no one knows exactly when smash burgers became such a craze but sources say they’ve been around as early as the 1930s. Regardless of when they came into existence I thoroughly enjoy them. Some might say it’s a scam because of the thin patties, but the beauty of a smash burger to me is the addition of multiple patties and the opportunity to stuff a lot of toppings in between those layers. For this recipe, we’re busting out the Loco Cookers Classic Tabletop Griddle. No matter where I’m headed during the season, this griddle is an essential piece of gear to have in my truck. Be it breakfast in the blind or cooking up brats after an all-day sit, your stomach and your hunting buddies will thank you for coming to the hunt prepared with the right mobile cooking setup.
Now, bust out the grinder, grab your chef hats, and follow along for this easy weeknight recipe—Goose Smash Burgers with Wild Chanterelle Mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Goose (I cut my goose ground with beef fat–70/30 or 60/40 ratio. You could also substitute the goose for duck ground and the beef fat for bacon or pork fat, depending on how you like your ground.)
- Burger Buns (I used Brioche)
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder
- Montreal Seasoning (seasoning of choice)
- Avocado Oil (or other high smoke point oil–just enough to coat the griddle surface)
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Half a Medium Onion
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Chanterelle Mushrooms (can sub in oyster mushrooms, portobellos, etc.)
- Parchment Paper
- Patty Press (if you have one, that’s great; you can also use a small plate or bowl.)
Additional Add-Ons: Sliced cheese, shredded lettuce, etc. The star in this recipe is obviously the smash patty-style goose ground. Cut with beef fat, it tastes just like normal burger meat, so build your burger with the toppings you like!
Instructions
- Start by preparing the griddle. Get that sucker oiled down and hot!
- Roll the goose ground into small balls, depending on the size of your bun and the desired thickness of your patty. The balls I rolled out were probably a little over an inch across. You can experiment beforehand by pressing out your patties on parchment paper to dial in your preferred thickness.
- Cut your onions into thin rings or strips, and have your seasonings ready to go.
- Griddle time- get your onions on and cook them down until they are nice and caramelized. I like to do 2-4 small piles on the griddle, evenly spaced out.
- At the same time, you can add your mushrooms to a separate pile and cook them down. Once they’re ready, I’ll set them aside and add them between the layers when we’re ready to assemble.
- Add your balls of ground goose to the center of the onion/mushroom piles and smash them to your preferred thickness.
- If you have a patty smasher, great; if not, you can use the flat bottom of a small plate or bowl with a square of parchment paper in between. Cut your parchment paper to size, center it on top of the burger ball, and use the plate or bowl to smash it down. Parchment paper works great because it doesn’t stick to the meat. If you do run into sticking, just add a little smear of oil to the meat-facing side of the parchment paper.
- Season the patty once it’s smashed with Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Montreal Seasoning (you can also season your ground meat when you’re making the burger balls, either way, you like.)
- Sit back, crack open a cold beverage, and let your patties cook for a couple of minutes before flipping them and seasoning the other side.
- Toast your buns on the griddle while your burgers are cooking or right after you pull them off.
- Once your patties come off, it’s time to assemble.
- I like to spread some mayo on the bottom bun first. Then I’ll add a patty, mushrooms, a dash of Worcestershire, Thousand Island sauce, the next patty, more Worcestershire and Thousand Island, and finally, any extra loose mushrooms or onions from the griddle.
- Toss that top bun on (and any toppings you like) and enjoy your goose smash burgers.
