This is one of my favorite hunting season recipes to keep in the crockpot for the night before or lunch after the hunt. It is pretty easy and is one of those, throw it together and let the slow cooker do the work.
What you will need:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups water
4-6 Crane or Honker breasts
1 pound of bacon
1 pound pork ends or pork shoulder chops
1 cup navy beans
1 cup black beans
1 cup black eyed peas
White pepper
Black Pepper
Salt
Start off by cutting a pouch in each of the breasts making the opening about an inch wide and then hollowing out the inside of the breast. Stuff each breast with 1/2 1 inch cut bacon strips and 1/2 1 inch cubed pork end/pork shoulder chops. Sprinkle with the white and black pepper and the salt. A little dash of each will do ya.
Place the stuffed breasts on the bottom of the crock after you have coated it with olive oil. Let those sit on about 200 or low for about an hour.
Next add the beans, but not the water just yet. Let the beans sit on the breasts for a couple hours, let them soak up the crane and pork juices real good. After the beans have started to soften a little bit, add the water and let cook overnight on low. By morning you have yourself the best bean and ham/crane soup you will ever taste.
I have cubed the crane after it is cooked before and I have left it whole and ate it like a steak with the stuffed pork intact. It is stellar either way. I have also done this recipe with Honker and it is a different flavor but a very effective way of removing the toughness of a Greater Canada Goose.
