Thanksgiving oven schedule

Roast goose Christmas dinner timeline

Short answer: a 7 to 15 lb goose roasts for about 1.5 to 3.5 hours, starting at 475 °F for 10 minutes and then 375 °F until the thigh reads 165 °F. Add 20 to 40 minutes if it is stuffed, and plan a 30 minute rest before carving.

A lot of the goose's fat runs out into the pan, so drain it as it collects (both recipes say to). The clock matters because the goose usually has the oven to itself for hours, and the sides get what is left. Put in the goose weight and the time dinner starts, and the checklist below counts back from there: oven on, the hot start, the drop to 375 °F, the thermometer check, the rest, and when the sides use the oven.

Goose roasting time by weight

The ranges are from the Old Farmer's Almanac roast goose recipe. The clock columns are for a 6 PM dinner with the goose at the heavy end of each band (my arithmetic: out of the oven 30 minutes before dinner, for the rest).

A weight on the edge of two bands (9, 11 or 13 lb) uses the lighter band here. The thermometer overrules the table: goose size, oven and pan vary.

Start time by dinner time

For your 10 lb goose, using the long end of the range. Moving dinner moves every step by the same amount.

What the sources say, and where they differ

• The Almanac recipe: roast at 475 °F for 10 minutes, then 375 °F until a thermometer reads 165 °F. Its chart runs from 1.5 to 2 hours for 7 to 9 lb up to 3 to 3.5 hours for 13 to 15 lb, plus 20 to 40 minutes if the bird is stuffed. It says to prick the skin, drain the fat while roasting, and rest the goose 30 minutes under loose foil. The Almanac recipe also lets the goose stand 2 hours at room temperature before roasting; this plan leaves that step out and keeps the goose in the fridge until it goes in.
• Food Network's roast goose by Michael Lomonaco uses a 10 to 12 lb goose at 325 °F: 1 hour 30 minutes breast side down, then 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours breast side up, so 3 to 3.5 hours in all. It also simmers the raw goose for 20 minutes first and keeps the roasted bird warm under loose foil, with no set rest time.
• The difference: for a 10 to 12 lb goose the Almanac gives 2 to 3 hours at 375 °F after the hot start, and Lomonaco gives 3 to 3.5 hours at 325 °F. My reading: the lower oven explains most of the longer time. This page follows the Almanac chart because it lists every weight, so if your recipe says 325 °F, add time and trust the thermometer.
• Doneness: University of Minnesota Extension lists duck and goose at 165 °F in its safe temperature table. Both recipes use the same number, measured in the thigh in the Food Network recipe. This page cites the extension table.

What the sources do not give is how long a goose can wait before carving. The plan allows up to 45 minutes between oven and table, rest included (my assumption), so the sides have time to finish. The side dishes (roast potatoes 50 minutes, carrots 35, red cabbage 40 on the stovetop) are example times, not sourced.

When the sides can use the oven

After the 10 minute hot start the goose sits at 375 °F, a normal temperature for roasted vegetables, so potatoes and carrots can share the oven with it in the checklist above. The plan lets at most three dishes in the oven at once. When the goose comes out at 5:30 PM, it rests for 30 minutes under foil and the oven has room again for a dish that needs a different temperature, once the sides come out. Anything that needs a different temperature, like a 350 °F casserole, has to wait for that window or move to a second oven. The side dish oven temperature chart lists temperatures and times for the usual dishes.

More Christmas oven timing

• Christmas prime rib dinner timeline: a beef roast at 325 °F that takes the oven for hours.
• Christmas beef tenderloin timeline: the faster roast at 425 °F.
• Ham cooking time per pound: the USDA chart by cut.
• The oven schedule planner: enter any menu and get one checklist for the day.