Need help

[pc farmer]

Yes I need help. A buddy is giving me 2 pheasant breasts tomorrow to smoke for him. I have never ate pheasant before or cooked it. Assuming smoke like chicken. Being a wild bird should I brine? What brine?

Thanks
Adam

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Definitely brine. The meat is great, but will dry out fast.

 

[foamheart]

Brine AND wrap in bacon. I never found a way to smoke pheasant that I liked. Neighbor in NM went yearly to Nebraska and would bring back is limit. I hated smoking them cause it was the only thing I couldn't eat smoked. it was terrible. 'Course I didn't brine back then either. Dark meated birds are really hard to smoke.

 

[pc farmer]

Brine AND wrap in bacon. I never found a way to smoke pheasant that I liked. Neighbor in NM went yearly to Nebraska and would bring back is limit. I hated smoking them cause it was the only thing I couldn't eat smoked. it was terrible. 'Course I didn't brine back then either. Dark meated birds are really hard to smoke.

Well I need to make them for him. I gotta nail this. I will take a couple slices to try.

 

[hardcookin]

Adam
I just use equal parts of apple juice, water, cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of kosher salt and some maple syrup.

 

[chopsaw]

Used to bird hunt in Red Oak Iowa years ago . Shot my share . We used to slice and pan fry . I think I would use Pop's brine on a whole breast . Assuming he skinned it , I would use something in place of the skin . The breast is good meat , but dries out fast .

 

[smokin peachey]

Definitely wrap in bacon.

Maybe use a brine similar to a turkey brine.

Duck fat maybe?

 

[pc farmer]

Used to bird hunt in Red Oak Iowa years ago . Shot my share . We used to slice and pan fry . I think I would use Pop's brine on a whole breast . Assuming he skinned it , I would use something in place of the skin . The breast is good meat , but dries out fast .

Dont know if its skinned or not. I dont think it is thou knowing him. So cure it?

 

[foamheart]

Well I need to make them for him. I gotta nail this. I will take a couple slices to try.

Just a thought here. It might be a good place to use a phosphate. Maybe go to town and buy a 6.00 duck. Same meat. Well close anyway. Then it gives you a practice shot?

 

[smokin peachey]

Just a thought here. It might be a good place to use a phosphate. Maybe go to town and buy a 6.00 duck. Same meat. Well close anyway. Then it gives you a practice shot?

Just tell the boy to get cha a duck and give him the shot gun PC

 

[pc farmer]

Just a thought here. It might be a good place to use a phosphate. Maybe go to town and buy a 6.00 duck. Same meat. Well close anyway. Then it gives you a practice shot?

Aint no 6.00 ducks here. I have phos thou

 

[chopsaw]

Dont know if its skinned or not. I dont think it is thou knowing him.

So maybe he plucked it , Skin still ? Maybe pump it full of Tony C's creole butter .
Birds that mostly fly - dark breast
Birds that mostly run - white breast
Pheasant is in between , but they run more than fly .

 

[pc farmer]

So maybe he plucked it , Skin still ? Maybe pump it full of Tony C's creole butter .
Birds that mostly fly - dark breast
Birds that mostly run - white breast
Pheasant is in between , but they run more than fly .

I was told they cut the beasts out. I will find out tomorrow

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

The Texas boys wrap quail cubes or dove breast pieces with bacon and smoke them as an appetizer. I would still brine and smoke just long enough to cook bacon. Years ago Jim Fowler from Wild Kingdom, came up to hunt pheasants with my employer. I was there and we had thick sliced pheasant breast with bacon wrap grilled on a Weber. He loved it.

 

[chopsaw]

I was told they cut the beasts out. I will find out tomorrow

We did they same . No skin . Good luck , I'll be watchin .

 

[pc farmer]

We did they same . No skin . Good luck , I'll be watchin .

LOL Thanks

 

[tropics]

Never smoked one but use to cook the breast in a cream sauce with shrooms.
Don't use a lot of pepper he may thing its pellets LOL
Richie

 

[buzzy]

I would skin an debone if not already done. Brine then wrap in bacon. Take to IT of 160 so carry over takes to 165. Maybe dust with some poultry rub before wrapping in bacon

 

[chef jimmyj]

I would not cook it beyond 150°F. With a rest, the 2 minutes needed to pasteurize will be met and there is no issue with drying or getting a Livery overcooked flavor...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

I was told they cut the beasts out. I will find out tomorrow

If they cut the Breasts out of a Pheasant, there isn't anything left, but two very skinny legs (no meat), two very skinny wings (no meat) and a Backbone (no meat).
I'd definitely brine the Breast---It's Dry like a very small Wild Turkey. Not moist like a Duck.

Bear