Old Timber Outdoors
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Canada goose legs and thighs

Slow Cooker Canada Goose Leg French Dip Sandwiches

Goose legs browned, then cooked all day in beef stock with onions and thyme, pulled, piled on hoagie rolls with provolone, and served with the broth for dipping.

Serves
6
Hands-on
45 min
Total
10 hr 20 min
Skill
Easy

Cooks on: Stovetop + slow cooker · Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

  • 3 lbCanada goose legs and thighs, 4 legs with thighs, bone-in
  • 2Onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 clovesGarlic, smashed
  • 1½ tspSalt, kosher, plus more to taste
  • 1 tspBlack pepper, ground
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 3 cups low-sodium beef stock, divided
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 hoagie rolls, split
  • 6 slices provolone cheese

You'll need

  • Slow cooker
  • Large skillet, ideally cast iron
  • Stovetop

Helpful: instant-read thermometer, oven.

Contains

Gluten, Dairy, Fish. Most Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. Hoagie rolls and beef stock vary; some contain soy, egg or milk. Check the labels.

Method

  1. Thaw the goose legs completely in the refrigerator first; never start a slow cooker with frozen meat. Pat them dry and season them all over with 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper.
  2. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the legs well on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes, in two batches if they crowd the pan. Move them to the slow cooker.
  3. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions with the remaining ½ tsp salt, and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute. Pour in 1 cup of the stock and scrape up every browned bit, then pour it all over the legs.
  4. Add the rest of the stock, the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and pulls off the bone with a fork. Older birds take the longer end; if it is still tight, it needs more time, not more heat.
  5. Lift out the legs and let them cool until you can handle them. Pull the meat into shreds and discard the bones, skin and tendons.
  6. Strain the broth into a bowl, saving the onions and discarding the bay leaf, and skim off the fat. Taste the broth and add salt a pinch at a time; it should taste rich and well seasoned, since it seasons the meat. Return the broth, onions and meat to the slow cooker, cover, and heat on HIGH about 30 minutes, until steaming hot.
  7. Toast the cut sides of the rolls in the dry skillet or under the broiler until golden. Pile on the meat and onions with a spoonful of broth, lay the provolone over the hot meat (a minute under the broiler melts it), and serve each sandwich with a small bowl of hot broth for dipping.

When it's done: fork-tender

Game bird legs, thighs and other hard-working pieces are done when the meat slides off the bone or pulls apart with a fork. They pass the federal 165°F for poultry long before they turn tender, so keep cooking until they do; if the meat is still tight, it needs more time, not more heat.

If it goes wrong

Meat tight on the bone
Goose legs vary with the age of the bird. Give it another 1 to 2 hours on LOW.
Thin, flat-tasting broth
The legs and onions were not browned, or it needs salt. Brown hard next time, and season the strained broth to taste; a splash more Worcestershire helps.
Broth too salty
Stock brands vary. Use low-sodium stock and add salt only after tasting.
Soggy rolls
Toast the cut sides first, and dip at the table instead of ladling broth onto the sandwich.

Leftovers. Refrigerate the meat and broth within 2 hours. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.