Whole Pheasant?

[iowabeef]

I have two whole pheasants i need to cook/smoke.  I usually just bread and deep fry the breast or make poppers. The one caveat with these is they don't have the skin on them... I'm concerned if i try to smoke they will dry out.  Any ideas? Recipes?  I was thinking maybe dutch oven?

Thanks!

-Jase

 

[myownidaho]

You need the skin. As you know, it's a dry bird to begin with.

I breast my pheasants out, simmer the rest in vegetables, herbs, white wine and a little salt until I can pick the meat from the thighs. Carcass goes back into the stock and gets cooked down to about a quart. Strain and add fresh vegetables. Add the reserved thigh meat and adjust the seasoning. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Salt and pan sear the breasts to add color. Dice and add to pot a few minutes before serving.

This is my basic recipe. A great thing to do with this is add a bechamel to thicken it up(milk and flour cooked to a thick sauce) and use it for pot pie filling. Something about stewing a pheasant for a couple of hours turns it into something special.

 

[iowabeef]

That sounds pretty darn good. I'll be sure to let you know if I try it! Thanks.

 

[myownidaho]

One thing I noticed is it reads like all the liquid is wine. I add a cup and the rest is water.

Enjoy!

 

[oberst]

Look at an earlier post of mine on Thai pheasant sausage. If you have extra pheasants this might be worth trying. Everyone has likes it so far , even those who don't usually like wild game. I made the sausage up into hamburger type patties and fry in a skillet.