This recipe is for the toughest of the tough—goose leg quarters, wild turkey legs and thighs, venison shanks—but it turns them into something magical. There is literally no game meat too tough for this recipe! You will be rewarded with a pile of tender meat that can then be used to make countless other dishes. Some of my favorites are carnitas, barbacoa, enchiladas, and tacos, but it would be equally good for Texas style chile or bbq sandwiches. I often make this on the weekend, and our family uses the meat in other dishes all throughout the week.
This recipe calls for a pressure cooker, which makes relatively short short work of the task. My favorite is the Fissler Vitavit 8.5 qt, which can often be bought on sale, but any pressure cooker will work here—even an instapot. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you could also use a Dutch oven placed in a 300° oven—just know that your cooking time will be 4-6 hours vs the 1 1/2 - 2 hours that is called for with the pressure cooker.
Ingredients:
Salt and pepper meat heavily and smoke at 200° for 1-2 hours. You are not trying to cook the meat all the way through, just smoke long enough to impart some smoke flavor on the meat. Alternatively, brown well in batches with a little oil, duck fat, or lard. Reserve smoked or browned meat in bowl and set aside.
Sauté onion in remaining fat, salt and pepper to taste. Add stout to onions, deglaze pot, and bring to boil. Layer meat in pressure cooker up to max full line, add in any accumulated juices, and top off with chicken stock, covering about 2/3 of the meat with liquid. Bring pressure cooker up to pressure and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Turn off heat and allow pot to depressurize. Check meat for tenderness and return to pressure for 15 minute increments if not tender. Remove meat from pot and pull meat from bone, reserve 1-2 cups of remaining stock.
Use meat for pulled bbq, carnitas, enchiladas, or barbacoa. Use reserved stock as a base for sauce.
Fissler Vitavit 8.5 qt Pressure Cooker in action:
Goose legs about to go under pressure:
Venison shank after pressure cooking and sautéing in duck fat:
Enchiladas made with stout braised wild turkey legs:
This recipe calls for a pressure cooker, which makes relatively short short work of the task. My favorite is the Fissler Vitavit 8.5 qt, which can often be bought on sale, but any pressure cooker will work here—even an instapot. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you could also use a Dutch oven placed in a 300° oven—just know that your cooking time will be 4-6 hours vs the 1 1/2 - 2 hours that is called for with the pressure cooker.
Ingredients:
- Goose leg quarters, duck leg quarters, wild Turkey legs, or venison shanks (quantity to fit pressure cooker)
- Onion, sliced
- 1 Guinness stout
- Chicken stock
- Salt & pepper
- Spices if desired (bay leaf, juniper berry, rosemary, etc.)
Salt and pepper meat heavily and smoke at 200° for 1-2 hours. You are not trying to cook the meat all the way through, just smoke long enough to impart some smoke flavor on the meat. Alternatively, brown well in batches with a little oil, duck fat, or lard. Reserve smoked or browned meat in bowl and set aside.
Sauté onion in remaining fat, salt and pepper to taste. Add stout to onions, deglaze pot, and bring to boil. Layer meat in pressure cooker up to max full line, add in any accumulated juices, and top off with chicken stock, covering about 2/3 of the meat with liquid. Bring pressure cooker up to pressure and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Turn off heat and allow pot to depressurize. Check meat for tenderness and return to pressure for 15 minute increments if not tender. Remove meat from pot and pull meat from bone, reserve 1-2 cups of remaining stock.
Use meat for pulled bbq, carnitas, enchiladas, or barbacoa. Use reserved stock as a base for sauce.
Fissler Vitavit 8.5 qt Pressure Cooker in action:
Goose legs about to go under pressure:
Venison shank after pressure cooking and sautéing in duck fat:
Enchiladas made with stout braised wild turkey legs:
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