doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT: The care and handling of pheasants

I know most of you in the east aren't big Mexican food fans, but I've also made tacos and burritos out of phez. This is a good way to deal with small pieces and shotup birds. I simply season with a spicy commercial seasoning mixture containing chili powder, salt, cayenne, garlic, and other ingredients, then saute in a oiled skillet with some salsa or a 'taco sauce' of your choice. Cut up lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc, and add make the taco/burrito.

I'm really surprised I haven't heard an Italian recipe. After having visited back east of the Delaware river several times now, I'm positive everyone is either Italian or part Italian. LOL

Kman, I'll avoid the bacon altogether when in Ireland.

Now if the dog will do his part.!!!

Chuck,
I know of only two recipies for pheasant (fagiano) dishes that are very Italian. First one is from the South/Sicily, where the bird is roasted for a short while, then allowed to soak one hour in a pot of hot sweet wine (moscatello), then for another hour in hot milk, then stuffed with a preserved fruit mustard (mustarda di Cremona) before being finished off in a very hot oven. It seems like a very old/medieval recipe, given the contents of the stuffing – plums, apricots, figs, cherries, mustard,wine – I’m not sufficiently motivated by the probable flavor to try it!
Second recipe is also used on partridge (pernici) and before roasting, the birds are stuffed with cooked finely diced ham, tongue (lamb, but ox will do) mushrooms (porcini) and a few juniper berries. This one is good, but go easy on the juniper.

In Ireland we also have home-cured pork products. My main point is that smoke contains more than 200 components, including alcohols, acids, phenols, and many toxins, several of which are carcinogenic. It works as a preservative because the toxins prevent microbe growth, the phenolic compounds and acids prevent / delay the oxidation of fats, etc.
“Artificial “ smoking is taking the least harmful of the "real" products and dipping/soaking the meat product in the “slurry.” BBQ sauce contains essentially the same stuff. Take your pick, there is not much going for either one. The Surgeon General is right!
I also agree with Dick-dup who posted above, much more scary is the use of antibiotics in meat, particularly farmed chicken and pork (almost 100% of produce) and in beef, probably about 50-60%. Another big difference between US and Europe is the use of hormone growth promoters – they are outlawed here but are still used widely in the US.
Less than four weeks to the opening of our pheasant season and some real meat.(Nov.1)
Regards,
Km.

Quick and easy pheasant recipe, ready in a few minutes, perfect for camp stoves:

- Skin and bone breast and thighs, cut into 3/4" strips.

- Brown hot and fast in sizzling butter and/or good olive oil.

- When meat is lightly browned, pour a little burgundy into the pan to glaze the meat.

- Remove from heat and serve while the interior of the meat is still pink. This works well for ruffed grouse, too.

NEVER EVER marinade or overcook game bird meat!

The best recipe I have ever used is the one from Datus Proper's book. The bird is roasted about 30-35 minutes after browning in olive oil/butter. A mildly seasoned bread stuffing is prepared and heated separately. A "Dragon" sauce is made by simmering pheasant stock or chicken broth with peppercorns, a bay leaf, the heart, feet, and gizzard, straining and then pouring in 1/2 bottle of cheap port and a little salt and reducing everything down (along with the drippings from the roast bird) to a thick sauce. The sauce goes over the slices of pheasant and the stuffing. Red wine is HIGHLY recommended with this dish. Compared to other ways of serving pheasant which have been discussed, I personally find this recipe to be unbelievably better. It is one of my very favorite things to eat; comparable to the finest restaurant fancy and expensive food. And I just cooked a pheasant like this last night!

Thanks, We are hoping to harvest the birds today. But tonight is the last of the fresh Shrimp as the season is over. Now it is Oyster season.
John

Here's the recipe we used on Monday for the 4 pheasants I got on Sunday. But first, a warm hello to the 5th bird that got away from me. HELLO.

Sautee an onion, red pepper, and a bit of garlic in a frying pan.

Cut the meat into medallions, dip them in egg and flour. Once the onion and pepper is nice and soft, push them to one half of the pan. Let the medallions brown for a bit then push all of the onions and peppers over the top of the browning phesant. Add about half a can of chicken stock or broth. Add rosemary to taste.

The flour winds up thickening everything into something like a stew. Tastes great. Not likely to leave any leftovers.....