Pheasant recipes?

[WEEZER]

If my hunt goes well tommorow I'll have a few Pheasants in the freezer, Can anyone give me a good recipe that isn't really complicated?
Thanks ~ Rick

[Salmonsmoker]

Weezer,

Phesant meat quality depends a lot on how the bird is handled in the field. The body temp of birds is higher than for mammals, thus they tend to spoil faster. Also, when a bird is downed with a shotgun, shot pellets can penetrate the alimentary canal (starts with the mouth and ends with the anal vent) and can release digestive juices and by-products into the muscle tissue. This "stuff" adds a bad flavor and accelerates the spoilage.

For the best meat, field dress immediately after downing the bird. (I know that this is an ideal that can not always be met. However, waiting to field dress is a trade-off of convenence over meat quality.)

With that, here is a siple roast phesant recipe that we like.

OVEN-ROAST PHESANT

Start with a well-chilled phesant (put it in the frige as soon as you can.)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Melt 2 Tbl sp of butter in a skillet, then add 1/2 Cup Olive oil (or other quality cooking oil).

Remove bird from frig and paint inside and outside with the butter/oil mix (I have a small brush that I keep for this purpose).

Place bird in a roasting pan (breast up.)

Quarter 2 apples and place inside body cavity.

Add 3 cups of smoked soup stock and 1/4 cup soy sauce.

Cook for 1 hour.

Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees.

Take roasting pan out of oven, and turn bird over - adding smoked soup stock as needed to keep liquid in bottom of roaster.

Continue cooking for 2 hours or until bird is tender.

My experience is that one bird is enough for 2 people when served with a baked potato, vegie, and a green salad.

Let me know how it turns out.

ss

[WEEZER]

Sounds really good! question though, are those cook times and measurements for one bird or several at a time?

[Salmonsmoker]

Weezer,

The recipe is for one bird. The cooking time will not change much with multiple birds - it will take more time between putting them in the oven and the oven getting up to temperature. However, the other ingrediants will have to be multiplied by the numbr of birds.

ss

[Salmonsmoker]

Making current for this hunting season

Salmonsmoker