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

With all due respect, you would be surprised at the variety and levels of pesticides and herbacides that remain in the skin of a pheasant.

Wild pheasants are pretty much agriculture dependant in the US, and as a result end up with whatever was applied to the ground and crops during their lives.

You can eliminate ALMOST all of the evil by simply removing the skin and fat from the birds. This is recommended by several state DNR departments in pheasant hunting states.

Sadly, you may want to limit the amount consumed by very young children, and pregnant, or nursing mothers, for the same reason.

I used to pluck pheasants. I skin them now, and wish for the way things were. I've been told mercury levels are up in ruffed grouse, but, there is damn little fat on a grouse, and I still pluck and stuff a few for roasting each year.

The best stuffing is made from chopped woodcock breast and thighs, but, I haven't seen enough of the little fellows to do this for several years.

More wishing for the way things used to be.
Best,
Ted

If you are in a hurry and want a quick, tasty meal:

Take your cock pheasant (I roast the hens) and make an incision in the breast bone, peel away the skin and remove from the whole bird, cutting off wings, feet and head at bottom of neck.

Remove the breast filets either side of the breast bone and, using a sharp knife, butterfly each fillet.

Pour some olive oil onto your hands and pass the fillets through them, coveringg them in oil. Then season with salt and pepper.

Put a grill pan (with ridges) on the heat until very hot. Flash grill each fillet, turning once.

Put on a nice, large white plate with a good fresh salad of crisp lettuce, small, halved tomatoes and rocket. Dress the salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pour a little olive oil on the cooked fillets of pheasant and allow to cool for a miute before eating.

Keep the rest of the bird to make soup or stock.

I generally think pheasant best if hung for two days in a cold room.

One of the ways guests seem to like pheasant the best is what I call Pheasant McNuggets.

It is best or easiest done in a deepfryer, but can be done on the stove, too. I'll say this first, like Jake, do not overcook the meat.

Cut the breast and thigh meat off of the pheasant and then cut into pieces about 2/3 the size of your thumb.

Dip the dry pieces in milk and put in a paper sack that contains flower, and a bit of crushed red pepper. Shake the closed sack so that each piece is coated with the flower mixture.

Dip the flowered pieces in beaten egg and then put them is a sack with finely crushed saltines. Shake the closed sack until the pieces ar covered with the saltines.

Put the pieces into your preheated deepfryer with canola oil or similar, or skillet with oil or butter and cook just enough to brown the saltine covered pieces. The cooking oil should be around 375 or so so the oil drips off the cooked pieces. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the "finger food" pieces with your favorite dipping sauce, such as honey mustard, bbq, raspberry chipotle sauce , or any other you like. The pheasant will be moist and tender and I never have any leftovers.

Daryl

I love pheasant chowder on a cold day. There are many great chowder recipes and I use different ones from time to time. The real "secret" lies in grilling the pheasant breast over charocal and wood until not quite done. The final cooking takes place in the chowder. Chop the pheasant into 1/2 inch cubes or smaller. The second "secret" is to use a smoked bacon as part of the chowder. Nothing better when returning from a cold day of shooting/hunting...well maybe a glass of your favorite adult beverage!

The best piece of basic advice, no matter how you cook pheasant, is don't overcook it. I grew up in Iowa, have lived here most of my life, and I have never, ever plucked a pheasant. Skinning is quicker and easier. Probably healthier too, as suggested above.

If you get a 2nd year (or older) rooster, he's a pretty good candidate for the crock pot. Toss him in with some sauerkraut and white wine.

My dad ALWAYS soaked pheasant and other small game (squirrels and rabbits) in cold salt water overnight. I do the same thing. Don't know whether it has the same effect as hanging, but I do know that it seems to draw out more of the blood from the meat.

"Picking up" on driven shoots as I do I get offered a lot of pheasants during the season; we have game of some sort on the table two or three times a week.

Hanging for a few days in a cool place does tenderise the meat and add flavour but it's more applicable to birds for roasting than other methods, however they all need to be hanged long enough for rigor mortis to disappear.

The fastest easiest and possibly the best recipe we use is...

Take the skinned breasts, cut a pouch into them sideways and push in a big teaspoon of pesto. Wrap in dry cured smoked bacon, and place in a shallow dish. Add enough dry cider to half cover them, cover with a lid or tight tinfoil and poach at 200 C for about 30 minutes. Drain off the cider reduce it to 1/3 original volume and when off the boil stir in a generous splodge of cream (creme fraiche is even better, particularly with a jolt of Calvados) to form the sauce. Briefly brown the bacon, place the breasts on your best mashed potato, and pour on the sauce. Sprinkle over with pine nuts and serve piping hot with peas and/or beans.

regards
eug

Adding about a 1/4 of the total quantity of cornstarch to a flouring mix will make the crust of the fried bird very crunchy. Some sage, red pepper, and other spices of your choice in the 'dry batter' will really zing it up. Buttermilk as the pre-dip will also make it a richer, thicker crust.

I like Drake's Crispy Fry Mix. Cook in fresh hot corn oil. Serve with Michigan Chardonnay...

jas,
Lot's of great advice & info posted here. I have nothing new to add but will strongly 2nd Ted's advice about removing as much fat
as possible. This can be a real task on some late season birds but do it because a lot of the 'bad' stuff shows up in the fat & skin.
This is a great board. Thanks everyone for sharing.
-jim

Most of all the above is good advice.
Hanging comes from the days when there was no refrigeration and is no longer needed and if not done correctly can result in spoilage. I don't do it.
The comment about a fresh chicken actually pertains to rigor. One must allow enough time to pass for the chicken to come out of rigor and the flesh relax. I get a fresh killed domestic turkey each year for thankgiving and let it rest for 4 days after slaughter. Wild birds rest for two days min, not hanging but at normal refrigerator temperature for rigor to pass.
I now renove the breasts, lightly sear in butter and finish in an oven until still a little pink. The carcass is used to make a sauce and the leg/thighs are usually braised in sour cream with seasonings.-Dick