I have made probably hundreds of different popper recipes. This one is dynamite with any feathered bird- especially goose. Goose meat has a bad reputation, but when cooked properly, it can be quite tasty. This recipe proves that!
To start creating this recipe, it’s very important to remove all of the silver skin off the goose breast (the best you can). Once you have all the silver skin removed, it’s time to get our your meat mallet. I like to use a tenderizer with goose because it helps break down fibers and helps bring those big breasted birds down to a more palatable size. Then you cut it into thin trips and place it into a bowl to marinate. We will marinate it in Allegro, which you can get at your local store or even Amazon. This marinade is key because this marinade specifically tenderizes meat with its tangy and acidic profile. Plus its flavor profile compliments this popper recipe so well. Marinating overnight is ideal but an hour will do the job.
Time to assemble the poppers: We aren’t doing anything fancy here. We will start with a cored and halved jalapeño and then fill it 3/4 the way full with cream cheese. Then we will top the jalapeño half with our marinated goose breast and apply a dusting of your favorite BBQ rub. All that’s left to do now is to wrap our popper in bacon and secure it with a toothpick if necessary. I’ve found that if you wet your tooth pics prior to using them- they won’t burn on the grill.
Cooking the poppers: I like to grill my poppers, but you can also cook them on your griddle. It doesn’t take long to cook these poppers. A good indication that they’re ready to come off the grill is if the bacon is crispy on all sides.
Let’s make the jalapeño ranch dipping sauce. I am a sauce lover. So this sauce had to be perfect. I played around with it and found that simplicity is best. All this recipe needs is the perfect combination of a high quality ranch, lime juice, diced jalapeño and some minced garlic. It is the perfect flavor combination and it tastes AMAZING with these poppers.
I created this recipe for Hevi-Shot’s social media page. There is a step by step video posted on Instagram for this recipe. Check out the link above to see what other awesome recipes we have for you!
15 Jalapeños (More or Less Depending on how big the goose breasts are)
1– 2 cups Allegro Marinade
1 package Cream Cheese
Barbecue Rub, For Dusting
1 lb sliced Bacon
Jalapeño Ranch Dipping Sauce
1 ½ cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño de-seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
Clean and rinse goose breasts. Tenderize using a meat mallet until the goose breasts are just about half their original size. Cut into thin strips about the size of your jalapeños.
Place goose strips into a bowl and pour Allegro marinade overtop. You’ll just need enough to cover the goose strips. Marinate overnight or for at least 1 hour.
Combine the ingredients for the jalapeño ranch dipping sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine then cover and set in the refrigerator.
Slice jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and core.
Spread cream cheese in each jalapeño pepper until they are about ⅔ the way full.
Place marinated goose strip on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle with bbq rub then wrap with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Once all of the poppers are assembled. Combine the ingredients from the jalapeño ranch dipping sauce in a blender and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the poppers on your grill and cook until they reach your desired cooking temperature, turning about 3-4 times. The bacon should be crispy!
