Brined Roast Pheasant " Outdoor Wisconsin" Style Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

Which cooking method is best for pheasant? ›

Roasting the bird whole is probably the easiest and most popular way of cooking pheasant.

Cook until golden brown and no longer pink inside (roughly 8 minutes per side). Remove pheasant from skillet and set aside. Cook game meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165°F. Using the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

Brown the pheasant all over in hot dripping then put in a casserole dish with onions, carrot & celery. Add chicken or game stock, put the lid on and braise in a medium oven for at least 2 hours. Cooked like that it will never be dry but it will be tender, moist and flavoursome.

While soaking will make the meat juicier, it will also add extra saltiness, so don't soak it for longer than necessary. Since younger birds are more tender, they don't need to soak for as long as older birds.

If you soak it in milk (or buttermilk), it further draws out the “gamey” flavor.

While there may be a slight uptick in hunting pressure over the extended Thanksgiving weekend, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be especially productive. Those who hunt in mid-December between the holidays will often have the pheasant fields all to themselves. That's the time to go.

THE BEST WAY TO COOK PHEASANT BREASTS

Using the straw, suck out the air, then zip it completely shut. Pop the bag on a roasting tray and put it in the oven at 65°C (149°F) or a pan of water at the same temperature; use a thermometer. Leave it for an hour (more does not matter – it won't overcook) then remove.

Pheasant is a lean meat and will become dry from over-cooking. Aim for meat that is slightly pink inside (like pink lamb) and with the juices from the stuffing it will be lovely and tender.

We leave the pheasants completely intact (not plucked or gutted) and hang them by the neck to keep the blood in the carcass. This helps prevent the meat from drying out or freezing if temperatures drop dramatically. We usually leave our birds to hang for a maximum of 3 days.

For dry brine, mix all spices and rub down pheasant inside and out with entire spice mix. Leave pheasant to sit in refrigerator overnight, minimum 12 hours, uncovered to dry.

How do you tenderize pheasant meat? ›

When grilling or roasting thighs, soaking them in your favorite marinade for a few hours beforehand is a great way to both tenderize the exterior and imbue with flavor. Should you wish to fry your legs, letting them sit in buttermilk a couple hours beforehand will also tenderize the exterior.

Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat and colour the crown on all sides. Add the remaining butter, reduce the heat and continuously baste the birds. Once they're golden and crispy, cook in the oven until the temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches 59ºC. Carve and serve with seasonal veg.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the meat and brown on all sides. Transfer to a casserole dish, add vegetables and stock of your choice, cover and cook for 50-60 minutes in the centre of the oven. Cook thoroughly until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and there is no pink meat.

The temperature in the shed was probably 40 to 45 F in November through January during our pheasant season. Under those conditions we hang birds for about a week, maybe as long as 10 days. Others say to hang them until the tail feathers pull out easily.

Water becomes your friend when you are ready to cook or freeze your birds. Only then do you want to rinse or brine your pheasants or quail – and even then many people frown on that. I actually prefer the flavor of a pheasant that's only been wiped clean with a damp cloth.

I generally take light-meat game birds out of the pan at 155° degrees Fahrenheit, which results in slightly rosy meat that is just cooked through but still juicy. With darker game birds, such as waterfowl and prairie grouse, I like a juicy medium—take meat off at 135°-140°.

Brown pheasant breasts in melted butter and move to glass 9×13 inch pan. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add honey. Once warmed through, pour over pheasant breasts and sprinkle parsley on top. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes at 300 degrees F or until juices run clear.

Lightly salt and pepper and cook to no more than medium-rare. Fun tip: Consider cracking fresh black pepper over the heart and fry in bacon grease. Neck: I rarely (if ever) save the neck on pheasants as very little meat exists here, but if you are persistent you can likely pick off some bits if you toss in a gravy.