Pheasant

Our pheasant season out here is still a month away and I have yet to do one in my smoker, but if it works for turkey or chicken it will work for pheasant, with one provisal....You have to get the feathers off that bird while you're walking & watching your pointing dog. The feathers come off easy when the carcas is warm but once it has cooled you will tear the skin off and end up with a dry bird when you cook it. Follow Smokin'Okie's Holiday brine recipe and you will be amazed!
Bill H.

I don't see mentioned much, but check out the recipes button at the very top of the page, here's one:

Smoked Pheasant with cabernet sauce

And the Brine can be found at the Brining 101 pages:

Thanks for the feedback Chateau, glad it works for you.

Brining 101

I have heard this alot and hate when people tell me that pheasant is bad to eat. If done right ( and its not hard to do.) it should, could, and will taste just about like chicken. I will post a bunch of pheasant recipes if you want them. I have one for Creamed pheasant that is out of this world! By the way I use only wild birds that I have harvested myself, and I prefer to use only the breasts and thighs in most of my recipes and save the rest for soup or to make stock/broth.

As in all wild game the key is to take care of the birds before you cook them. they should be field dressed and cooled as soon as possible. Some people hang them upside down (with feathers on) for a day or two after field dressing them to let them "age". I don't do this. I clean and skin my birds at the end of every hunt, wash them under cold running water to get any small feathers off, cut off all yellow fat ( this is where the gamey taste is), cut out breasts/thighs, wrap all pieces in plastic then butcher paper or vac- seal and then freeze. They will keep for up to a year if vac-sealed.

Oh man, I think I'd nearly kill for some good ole ringneck. To tell you true, the only way I've ever had it and prepared it is to fry it up like chicken. No fowl is any better, unless maybe grouse. But then, I've never had any wild turkey either. Not good when ya chomp down on a piece of buckshot. Hard on the teeth. Geez, haven't had pheasant since I left Utah and Montana. Over 20 yrs ago. Where does the time go. Oh the good ole days.

I totally agree with Tod's post AZ, and with your's. I love pheasant...the only game bird that I like better is chukkar. That's because it's mostly white meat and perfect individual size. I've never tried deep frying game birds, only baking like a turkey, but it sounds great! Hang on to those memories my friend because now it costs an arm and a leg to hunt on any property that has pheasant habitat in Utah. I guess all good things must come to an end, I just don't want to see it
Bill

How about reviving the smoked pheasant recipe or renewing the proper link?

I brined them and marinaded them in balsamic dressing, barded with bacon, and then my wife smoked them at 225 F for about 3 hrs with 2 chunks of pecan (her 1st smoking). Turned out pretty good but boy that bacon was ugly and did not tasted good at all -- but then you're not supposed to eating bacon anyway.