The Best French Dip Sandwiches with Goose Meat

French Dip Sandwiches with Goose Meat are absolutely mouthwatering and can easily be made right in the comfort of your own home.

This hearty French dip sandwich, packed with tender goose meat and melty cheese is so warm and satisfying and the perfect way to treat yourself this week. The best part? The homemade au jus. One dunk, and you'll be hooked.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches are perfect for those busy weeknights when you don't want to come home from work and have to cook for an hour. Make your work week a little easier by making this all-day-long slow cooker French Dip recipe. Simply pop the ingredients in, turn your slow cooker on in the morning and come home to a hearty and satisfying meal.

Very few things make me as happy as holding one of these deliciously drippy French dip sandwiches. Especially when I get to reminisce about a frigid late season goose hunt that landed this fantastically flavorful meat on a toasted steak roll with cheese.

THE GOOSE HUNT

It was a frost on the windshield kind of morning. One of those when I'm thankful I packed handwarmers to slip in my gloves. After three hours of bare skies and nothing but silence, giant honkers began to fly into the corn stubble from all different directions. In just 30 minutes I had my daily bag limit of 8 birds.

Successful solo hunts are all the more rewarding when I get to watch my wife and daughter dip the game meat I bring home into the most delectably savory au jus, devour it, and then fight over the extra sandwich still sitting on top of the stove.

CAN YOU EAT GEESE? WHAT DO GEESE TASTE LIKE?

I get the question, "Can you eat geese," a lot! There is something about eating a Canada Goose that stops people in their tracks. Is it because we seem them paddling around the city stormwater retention ponds? Or maybe it's their predilection for foraging for food and crapping all over the local golf course? Goose meat is just as versatile as beef and any other wild game I have come across. Some people even describe it as "rib eye in the sky". You can enjoy everything from the goose breast to the legs and thighs.

I do a lot of goose hunting in ND. Early Goose season in North Dakota usually starts on August 15. Starting this July, I'll start scouting and looking for flocks of birds. Every time I drive somewhere in late summer, I'm searching for certain types of fields that Canada geese will be using once they start leaving the water. Wheat fields are obvious targets. Other small grains – such as oats, barley and peas – can be great as well. But those are usually found on the western side of North Dakota. If you are planning to hunt early goose season anywhere near Fargo, you should be watching wheat stubble fields. For lots of great goose recipes, you can go to my Duck and Goose Recipes page.

GOOSE MEAT

You may notice that I have a lot of goose meat recipes on this food blog, and lots more coming. That's because I love using the legs and thighs from ducks and geese. They are the most flavorful parts of a duck or goose, although they also need long periods of slow cooking to become tender. Other than your local golf course geese, most gees migrate thousands of miles. That’s a lot of work for those muscles.

In general, you should be cooking goose legs and thighs to an internal temperature of at least 160 F degrees F, but if you follow these directions for 8 to 10 hours in the slow cooker, you'll reach that easily and beyond no problem. After braising them for that long, the goose meat will fall right off the bone.

I make one of my slow cooker recipes at least once a month for my girls, because they are SO easy to throw together and we love them all. But these Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Goose Meat are one of our all-time favorites! After slow cooking the goose legs and thighs in the sauce all day, you’ll end up with a fall-apart and flavorful meaty sandwich to dip in the savory juices left in the slow cooker.

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

French Dip Sandwiches are typically served on a French steak roll or baguette, but you can also use ciabatta. Mayonnaise plays a crucial role in adding richness and creamy texture, while ensuring that no bite is too dry. It also needs to include your choice of cheese, Swiss or Provolone. Just make sure it's melted. There is nothing worse than biting into a beautifully toasted French Dip and finding a slice of cold, unmelted cheese.

When I make it for my hunting buddies, I'll also throw on a big pile of sauteed onions. But our family version is super simple and yields amazing results every time!

AU JUS RECIPE

And finally, always make sure you serve each French dip sandwich with a bowl of au jus. Au jus is a French culinary term that means "with juice". And when you make this goose recipe, you're going to end up with lots of meaty and savory juice at the bottom of the slow cooker. When you dip your sandwich into the au jus, it turns the sandwich into a fun interactive experience, allowing you to control how many bites are infused with that amazing broth's rich, concentrated flavor.

MORE GOOSE RECIPES

If you are looking for another goose meat recipe using those legs and thighs from your Canada Goose, be sure to check out my Goose and Pepper Stew or my Fettuccine Alfredo with Goose and Broccoli. For more great goose recipes and duck recipes, check out the Duck and Goose Recipes page here.

If you would like to come to North Dakota and experience an amazing waterfowl hunt, check out the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.

CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITY

If you make these Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Goose Meat, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfish

Did you enjoy this Goose Meat Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!

5 from 26 votes

Print Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: au jus recipe, french dip, french dip recipe, french dip sandwich, french dip sandwich recipe, french dip sandwiches, goose meat, goose recipes, slow cooker french dip

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 5 20

Servings: sandwiches

Author: Jeff Benda

Ingredients

4 cups beef broth
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Skinless legs and thighs from 2 Canada Geese
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 French steak rolls or ciabatta rolls, sliced open
¼ cup mayonnaise or mustard
6 slices Swiss or Provolone (or 12 slices if you love it super cheesy)

Instructions

In the slow cooker, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme.
Generously salt the goose legs and thighs, then sear them in a skillet with the 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer them to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat easily shreds with tongs or a fork. Discard the bones.
Preheat the broiler on your oven. Place opened steak rolls on a rimmed baking sheet, brush each one with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and broil for 2 minutes until toasted. Remove from oven.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise or mustard over the cut-side of each steak roll. Using a slotted spoon, add a layer of the shredded goose meat to the roll. Top with 1 or 2 slices of cheese. Place the open sandwiches back under the broiler for 1 minute until cheese is melted.
Serve the sandwiches warm, with the juices from the slow cooker in small bowls alongside for dipping.

The Best French Dip Sandwiches with Goose Meat