BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Recipe Discussions => Meat => Topic started by: LilSmoker on January 11, 2007, 12:39:03 PM

Title: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on January 11, 2007, 12:39:03 PM
Hi all, i popped in to see a mate on the way home from work this evening, and he'd been pheasant shooting today, they had a good day, so there was a brace for me (what are friends for?) ;D

Anyway i'm gonna hang them till sunday morning, then i'll do the cleaning etc, well i've always roasted them in the past, but i'd like to do these BS style.
So i just wondered has anybody got any tips with BS pheasant?, i did the usual search which turned up a few posts, but if anybody can offer anything, i'd be gratefull, if not i'll let you know how it goes.

Btw, my pal also bagged himself a woodc0ck but i couldn't talk him into parting with it ::) ;D

Bye for now...........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: Wildcat on January 11, 2007, 04:54:45 PM
Wow - I love those birds but unavailable to me here.  I have eaten them with someone else roasting them, but absolutely no experience personally.  I would guess that MW would probably know.
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: manxman on January 12, 2007, 01:44:06 AM
Quotebagged himself a woodc0ck but i couldn't talk him into parting with it

I was given a couple of these by someone who went out shooting on New Year's Day, they are now plucked, cleaned and gutted and sitting in my freezer waiting for some inspiration on my part on how to cook them.... any ideas LilSmoker?  :)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: winemakers on January 12, 2007, 05:06:35 AM
I have done breasted birds many times by gently flattening one breast, layer with stuffing of choice, feta, spinach, sage, thyme, s&p, then cover with breast #2.  Bacon wrap and smoke at will.  Never had the patience to pluck/prepare a whole bird.  I anxiously await your results.

mld
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on January 12, 2007, 12:01:32 PM
Quote from: manxman on January 12, 2007, 01:44:06 AM
Quotebagged himself a woodc0ck but i couldn't talk him into parting with it

I was given a couple of these by someone who went out shooting on New Year's Day, they are now plucked, cleaned and gutted and sitting in my freezer waiting for some inspiration on my part on how to cook them.... any ideas LilSmoker?  :)

Hi manxman, well the last couple of times i've had them i used this recipe, it was given to me by one of the shooters, i like it, as it's very simple and tasty:

Roast Woodc0ck


Ingredients:
4 Woodc0ck
Salt; to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper; to taste
4 tablespoons Butter
4 pinches Dried marjoram or thyme;
4 slices Bacon

Directions:
Sprinkle birds inside and out with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon butter with 1 pinch of herb in each cavity. Wrap each breast with bacon and tie it on. Put on a rack in a roaster and roast at 400 degrees, basting frequently with melted butter, until tender. If they are plump birds, it should take 20 to 25 minutes.


I've also pan fried them in a little red wine with herbs, which turned out nice, wonder how they'd be smoked?, i doubt they would take very long in the BS?  ;)




Quote from: winemakers on January 12, 2007, 05:06:35 AM
I have done breasted birds many times by gently flattening one breast, layer with stuffing of choice, feta, spinach, sage, thyme, s&p, then cover with breast #2.  Bacon wrap and smoke at will.  Never had the patience to pluck/prepare a whole bird.  I anxiously await your results.

mld

Hi winemakers, that sounds delicious!, i think i may give that a go, thanks  ;)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: manxman on January 12, 2007, 12:52:47 PM
Hi and thanks LilSmoker, think I will try the roast woodc0ck first time around, looks excellent.  Perhaps try smoking them another time, never had woodc0ck before so don't fancy experimenting by smokin em just yet!  :)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on January 16, 2007, 03:18:53 AM
@ winemakers, i did one of the pheasants to your recipe, i used feta and bacon, and also added some roasted peppers, it was delicious, i've never had pheasant done this way before, and i thought it worked very well, thanks ;)

The other bird is in the freezer, i think it's gonna get the same treatment  ;D
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: winemakers on January 16, 2007, 05:58:43 AM
I am truly jealous :(.  Haven't had the time to chase the fabled chinese chickens this year.  Worst of all I have a new lab who is fantastic in the backyard, but untested where the rubber meets (meats in this forum) the road.  The dog retrieves the dickens out of a pheasent wing, bumper, my small children.... but I digress... ;D

I can't claim an original recipe.  I adapted the famed chicken rolls to the smaller breast size of the ringneck and got lucky.

Now I need to plan my escape..................to the land of milk and pheasent

mld
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on January 16, 2007, 08:18:23 AM
QuoteI can't claim an original recipe.  I adapted the famed chicken rolls to the smaller breast size of the ringneck and got lucky.

Well it was a good idea of yours to adapt them, i certainly enjoyed them and i think i'll experiment some more with chicken roll theme, maybe add some chili peppers  :o

Anyway i'll let you know how the next lot goes, thanks again LilSmoker ;)



Quote from: manxman on January 12, 2007, 12:52:47 PM
Hi and thanks LilSmoker, think I will try the roast woodc0ck first time around, looks excellent.  Perhaps try smoking them another time, never had woodc0ck before so don't fancy experimenting by smokin em just yet!  :)

Hi manxman, yeah would be a shame to use that woodc0ck as an experiment, but my pal told me that on the last shoot, they bagged quite a few between them, so i asked him if there's enough next time, to send a couple my way  ;D, i even offered to pay for them  :o ;D
Anyway, if he should get some next time, i'll have a go at doing them in the BS  ;)

That's what i love about the BS, all the experiments!  ;D ;)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: speltman on April 19, 2007, 10:29:50 AM
   Hi LilSmoker I saw your post on smoking Pheasant and wondered how it turned out. I have about 20, pheasant breasts I want to smoke. Any advice from anyone? Thanks Scott
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: Wildcat on April 19, 2007, 01:31:28 PM
Wish I had some pheasant.(http://www.smileypad.com/v224/Feelings/Cunning-Plan.gif)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on April 19, 2007, 02:37:37 PM
Hi speltman, well i did the last pheasant (breasts) as winemakers suggested, i just varied some ingredients.
I used feta cheese, bacon, some roasted peppers, salt and pepper, a little rosemary and thyme, smoked with cherry until internal reached 165f

They were very nice indeed!

Hope this helps...........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: speltman on April 20, 2007, 08:54:08 AM
  Ok Thanks I will give it a try.
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: speltman on April 24, 2007, 12:43:39 PM
  Hi, LilSmoker, Winemakers, I tried the Pheasant breasts as suggested, feta cheese, bacon, spices etc. I smoked with cherry for about 3 hours (165) I pulled them just in time for dinner, still a little warm. They had a nice, soft, brown color, and the  juices were gently rolling onto my plate, I was way hungry.   What a supprise,   they tasted real gamey, almost like duck.  They were so gamey we ate something else  and I covered the breasts and stuck them in the back of the refer.  This morning I went to throw them out, they still looked so good that I could not resist a nibble, and WOW, the flavor had totally changed. You could really taste the smokey flavor and the herbs. They were what I hoped they would taste like last night. So I guess I learned a lesson about smoking Pheasant. Thanks Scott       
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: LilSmoker on April 24, 2007, 01:06:48 PM
Hi speltman, well i'm glad you got the desired result in the end, albeit a little later than planned.

Maybe the pheasant tasted a bit too gamey for you because the birds had been hung for a long time?, you're probably aware of this but the longer the birds are hung, the more intense the gamey flavour will be.
Also as you've discovered the smoke flavour seems to work it's magic on food that's spent some time in the fridge, especially if wrapped. ;)

LilSmoker (http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: manxman on April 24, 2007, 02:34:59 PM
QuoteWOW, the flavor had totally changed.

QuoteAlso as you've discovered the smoke flavour seems to work it's magic on food that's spent some time in the fridge, especially if wrapped.

So true.  :)

Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: dewy on April 27, 2007, 01:42:47 PM
I do a few pheasants every year, I take the breast and cut it in half lengthways about 3/4 of the way through so it kinda butterflys it .Take some swiss cheese slices and lay inside the cut, then some jalapeno slices get laid in on top of the cheese.Fold the top part of the breast back over the cheese and jalapenos and wrap with bacon holding the whole works together with a few toothpicks.Ive also substituted mushrooms for the jalapenos.I usually cook them on the grill but will be be trying some in the smoker this year as well.Cook untill the bacons done, you can eat em as is or brush a little BBQ sauce on them.When thier almost done another variation is to dump some soy sauce on and let em cook a few more minutes.
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: Wildcat on April 27, 2007, 02:24:57 PM
(http://www.smileypad.com/v224/Happy/Big-Thumbs-Up.gif)
Title: Re: Brace of pheasant
Post by: speltman on April 27, 2007, 04:48:03 PM
hey dewy sounds good , just got my reveo in the mail from cabelas gonna try it out on some more pheasant breasts this weekend. I'll let ya know how that works.