Smoked pheasant is delicious game meat that makes for an adventurous alternative to barbecue chicken. Prepared with a wet brine and BBQ dry rub, this apple smoked pheasant recipe is juicy and soaked in flavor! While getting hold of pheasant might be tricky, smoking this wild game recipe isn’t.
What does smoked pheasant taste like?
It does taste a lot like chicken, but with a more intense, slightly gamey and distinct flavor. A farm-raised pheasant will be more mild in taste than a wild-caught bird. In addition, the meat is lean and more like dark meat than white meat.
How long does pheasant take to smoke?
Pheasant should reach 160 degrees after approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours of smoking. Once internal temperatures are right, remove birds and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Cut each bird as desired and serve.
What do you do with a smoked pheasant?
Eat smoked pheasant right off the smoker for dinner, or you can let it cool and slice the breast meat for sandwiches. Gnaw on the thighs for a snack, and shred the drumstick meat for soup, tacos or burritos, in omelets or hash… you get the point.
What’s the best way to eat pheasant?
Roast pheasant with orange and onion marmalade and juices
Roasting the bird whole is probably the easiest and most popular way of cooking pheasant. It makes an excellent Sunday lunch with the usual sides, from braised red cabbage and roast parsnips to comforting boulangère potatoes.
How do you eat smoked pheasants?
Your smoked pheasant is an excellent meal when hot, but it can also be cooled and sliced thin. Eat as a snack or combine with cheese and crackers.
Does pheasant taste better than chicken?
Summing up. Pheasant meat has a similar flavor and texture to chicken, with a subtle gamey undertone. It’s the perfect stepping stone for people seeking meat that’s more ambitious than chicken, but not as gamey as duck.
Why do you brine pheasant?
One is an eight-hour brine; this will season the bird and help it to retain moisture. Brining is a critical step when roasting lean game birds such as wild turkey, pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, or even smaller birds such as chukars or quail. You risk dry birds if you skip this step.
Should you soak pheasant in buttermilk?
Whether you are cooking wild turkey, deer, gator tail, pheasants, rabbits, waterfowl, squirrels, wild hogs or doves, a good soak in buttermilk does wonders to tenderize, flavorize and remove gaminess.
How long do you soak pheasant in salt water?
If you have the time try brining you upland game for 1-2 hours. After you are done brining it is always good to let you birds “rest” for half an hour before cooking to let the solution even out throughout the meat.
How long should pheasant be cooked?
To cook: Preheat the oven to 220C, gas mark 7. Place the pheasant in a roasting tin and cook in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. Baste frequently during cooking. Cook thoroughly until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and there is no pink meat.
What sides go well with pheasant?
What to Serve with Smoked Pheasant? 7 BEST Side Dishes
- 1 – Soft Macaroni Cheese.
- 2 – Garlicky Roast Tomatoes.
- 3 – Creamy and Spicy Slaw.
- 4 – Refried Beans.
- 5 – Rosemary Celeriac Fries.
- 6 – Lime Corn and Salsa.
- 7 – Creamy Spinach.
How long does it take to smoke a pheasant breast?
Preheat the grill or smoker to 225 F. Transfer pheasant to the grill and smoke for 40 to 50 minutes, until an internal temperature of 165 F is reached.
Is pheasant a healthy meat?
Loaded with protein, as well as significant levels of B vitamins and potassium, this is a healthy meat to look out for. Pheasant flesh also has high levels of the best kind of iron for your body. They taste great slow cooked in a stew but can also be roasted.
Does pheasant taste like chicken?
Pheasant, particularly farm-raised pheasant, will taste a lot like chicken. There’s a lot of white, lean meat on these smaller birds. There will be a hint of gamey flavor to the pheasant, which can be expected because it is, after all, a game bird.
Can you eat pheasant medium rare?
Don’t treat partridge as you would a chicken – these birds need far less time in the oven, and are best served pink and juicy. Pheasant breast should also be cooked medium rare.
How do you brine a bird game?
For wet brine, add sugar and salt to water. Stir until dissolved. Add peeled, smashed garlic cloves and smashed ginger, along with peppercorns. Completely submerge birds in brine and soak overnight, approximately 12 to 14 hours.
What is the best tasting game bird?
The 10 Most Delicious Gamebirds and How to Cook Them
- Bobwhite Quail.
- Sharptail Grouse.
- Mallards and Pintails.
- Wood Ducks.
- Wild Turkey.
- Mourning Dove.
- Ringneck Pheasant.
- Bluewing and Greenwing Teal. Teal are among the best eating ducks of all.
How do you get the gamey taste out of pheasant?
Place your meat in a bowl of ice cold water; let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes then drain. Then fill your bowl with warm to hot tap water and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times. This process causes the meat to expand and contract forcing out excess blood and therefore removing the gamey flavor.
Why is my pheasant tough?
“A lot of times people will overcook pheasant just because they are thinking the time and temp needs to be the same as chicken when it doesn’t.” Many people use heat that’s too high or cook pheasant too long, Hill said. A slow cooker is a great way to help avoid that trap. Another method: marination.
Do you soak pheasant before cooking?
Soak the pheasant.
Since pheasant doesn’t have as much fat as other meat, it can dry out quickly during the cooking process. Soaking it in liquid before cooking can add more moisture to the meat, and this will make for a more tender bird. For younger birds, soak the meat for about four hours.