Make Your Own Snow Goose Jerky

At the end of a successful spring snow goose hunt, you’ll be faced with a good problem to have: What should you do with all that meat? Snow goose fillets are pretty tasty when cooked on a hot grill or by other conventional methods, but my favorite way to prepare this rich, flavorful meat is to make it into jerky. Here’s an easy way to turn ground snow goose fillets into tasty snacks that you can enjoy during the off-season.

Step 1

Fillet the breast meat from each bird. Thoroughly wash the fillets and carefully pick out any shot pellets. Next soak the meat overnight in salt water or your favorite brine solution.

Step 2

Remove the fillets from the brine, dry them with a paper towel, and lay them on a baking sheet. Cover the sheet with aluminum foil and place it in the freezer for about a half hour (chilled meat is easier to process). Next grind up the fillets in a meat processor, and combine all the ground meat in a large bowl.

Step 3

Weigh the ground goose meat using a kitchen scale. You can prepare your own seasoning and cure mixture, but buying a prepackaged kit (like those from Hi Mountain, Cabela’s, and others) makes the process much easier. Jerky kits have the perfect amount of cure and spice for a certain amount of meat, usually 5 to 10 pounds per package. Following the directions provided with the kit all but guarantees jerky with a good flavor that’s properly and safely cured. Mix the seasoning and cure with the ground meat. Cover the bowl with foil and store in the refrigerator as the kit directs. 

Step 4

For the final step, you will need a jerky gun, which looks similar to a caulking gun. Load the ground meat into the gun, and then squeeze out long, thin strips of ground meat onto a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place the sheet in a dehydrator, smoker, or oven. Set the temperature low—200°F or a little lower—and begin drying the meat, checking it every few hours and rotating pieces as needed. If you’re using an oven, prop open the door slightly to help the meat dry. Drying time can vary, but plan on five to six hours minimum.

The advantage of using ground meat and a jerky gun is that the strips are mostly uniform in size and thickness, and will all finish drying at roughly the same time. The finished product is easier to chew than jerky made from strips of meat and is frequently more flavorful too.