These addictive Game Day Goose Pastrami Sliders are smeared with yellow mustard and stuffed with briny sauerkraut and shredded cheese, then brushed with a butter-Worcestershire sauce. Game Day sandwiches never looked so good!
As a wild game chef and full-time recipe developer living in Fargo, North Dakota, I’ve cooked Canada geese just about every way I can think of. And after more than two decades of hunting waterfowl here, goose pastrami remains one of my favorite ways to turn a Canada goose breast into something my wife and 11-year-old daughter are genuinely excited to eat.
I developed my original goose pastrami recipe years ago as an approachable way for hunters to make good use of those lean, muscular goose breasts. Now I’m always looking for new ways to use that pastrami, and these hot pastrami sliders may be the easiest yet.
Goose Pastrami Sliders for Game Day
Football season and goose season overlap across the United States.
By the time Friday night high school football games begin filling the fall calendar, many of us are already watching geese fly between their roosts and harvested grain fields. Then Saturday arrives with college football, followed by the NFL on Sunday. That means plenty of opportunities for goose pastrami sandwiches.
And these are exactly the sort of game day sandwiches I like to make.
They require very little hands-on work, feed a crowd, and give hunters another reason to pull a package of goose pastrami from the refrigerator. Better still, you assemble all 12 sliders together in one baking dish rather than standing over a skillet making individual pastrami sandwiches while everyone else watches the game.
What Goes on a Goose Pastrami Sandwich?
This goose pastrami sandwich recipe borrows some familiar flavors from classic pastrami sandwiches while keeping the ingredient list short.
Yellow mustard gives the sliders a sharp tang. Sauerkraut brings acidity that balances the rich cheese and butter. Meanwhile, mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend melts around the thin slices of goose pastrami and helps hold everything together.
Then there’s the topping.
Butter, Worcestershire sauce, Everything Bagel seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder transform a package of soft white dinner rolls into something much more interesting. After 15 minutes in the oven, the rolls emerge hot and fragrant, with crisp edges surrounding soft centers and melted cheese.
Serve these goose pastrami sandwiches after their brief five-minute rest while they’re still warm.
How to Make Game Day Goose Pastrami Sliders
The beauty of this pastrami sliders recipe is how little work stands between you and dinner. Assemble the rolls, layer on the fillings, brush everything generously with seasoned butter, and let the oven take over.
If you’ve got goose pastrami waiting in the refrigerator or freezer, you’re already most of the way there.
Ingredients
- 12 soft white dinner rolls
- 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 8 ounces thinly sliced goose pastrami
- 8 ounces sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Everything Bagel seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice rolls in half horizontally. Spread mustard on cut sides of roll tops and bottoms.
2. Arrange roll bottoms, cut side up and side by side, in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Top each with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese, followed by a few slices of goose pastrami.
3. Divide sauerkraut among sandwiches, then top each with another 1 ½ tablespoons of shredded cheese. Cap with roll tops.
4. In a small bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire, Everything Bagel seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Microwave until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Whisk together with a fork and generously brush tops and edges of each sandwich with all of the butter mixture. Spoon any remaining pieces of Everything Bagel seasoning over sandwiches.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
COME GOOSE HUNTING IN NORTH DAKOTA
If you would like to come to North Dakota and experience an amazing waterfowl hunt, check out the North Dakota Game and Fish 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.
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Game Day Goose Pastrami Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 soft white dinner rolls
- 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 8 ounces thinly sliced goose pastrami
- 8 ounces sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Everything Bagel seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice rolls in half horizontally. Spread mustard on cut sides of roll tops and bottoms.
- Arrange roll bottoms, cut side up and side by side, in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Top each with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese, followed by a few slices of goose pastrami.
- Divide sauerkraut among sandwiches, then top each with another 1 ½ tablespoons of shredded cheese. Cap with roll tops.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire, Everything Bagel seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Microwave until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Whisk together with a fork and generously brush tops and edges of each sandwich with all of the butter mixture. Spoon any remaining pieces of Everything Bagel seasoning over sandwiches.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Marcy says
We love your goose pastrami! I can't wait to make this for the kids once we get more geese this fall.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks, Marcy! Glad you like the pastrami. Good luck this hunting season!
Sammy says
I've used Jeff's goose pastrami recipe for the last few seasons and it's always a big hit! Both my friends and grandkids love it. Everybody at our Duck Camp loved these sandwiches. Pastrami + Sauerkraut is always a good thing.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks, Sammy. I appreciate it. Glad you love the pastrami as much as we do.