Smoked Chuckar (Pheasant) question

[meridianman]

Hey all,

I just started hunting and my buddy and I each shot a Chuckar this week. Chuckar's are medium-sized upland game birds, similar to a partridge and slightly smaller than a Pheasant. I took the advice of a guy who does a lot of game birds. Aged it 3 days, plucked it and brined it over night now I am smoking it. I left the head and neck on though I did gut it. I debated on cutting off the head first but I didn't really see any reason. I plan to cut off the head and neck after its done, but what should I do with the neck? Toss it? Should I use it for something? The guy I was following said to save the carcass and use it to make a smokey broth. THoughts?

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• meridianman
• Oct 5, 2013

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• meridianman
• Oct 5, 2013

 

[hfitch]

Personally...cut that head off... Birds are dirty animals and no telling what that thing had in its mouth just before you killed it. No way to really thoroughly clean it either. If you want to save the neck, go for it, leave a little more neck on when you cut that head off!! Probably would make an excellent smokey "chicken" noodle soup!

 

[foamheart]

Smoked Chukkar soup, smoked chukkar gumbo, use the broth add some small peas and carrots and cook down in rice. Strip a little meat with it and make a New England Chowder. All kinds of things just be inventive. Bones are were all the good flavor is. Of course a few more chukkars would have made this alot easier.

Enjoy your smoked chukkar....

 

[meridianman]

Thanks gentlemen. Just made the broth at this point. The bird was amazing though!