Smoked pheasant breasts

smokinstoegie · July 11, 2009, 07:21:46 PM

Hey everybody, I'm new to this forum, having just got a 4 rack DBS. I love it so far. Did up chicken and ribs, both very good.
Just wondering, I have several skin-less pheasant breasts in the freezer that I want to smoke. I would assume that I could just follow some chicken recipes, but wondering if anyone has anything specific. Any worries about drying them out with out the skin?

PS: awesome forum ;D ;D

pensrock · July 11, 2009, 08:04:58 PM

I have not done pheasent before but as you stated you do not want to dry them out. I have seen others talk about it here so you may find some recipies by searching here and the recipe site. I think I would wrap them in bacon and do them like a chicken. The bacon should help hold in the moisture.

Tenpoint5 · July 11, 2009, 08:27:47 PM

Pens nailed it wrap or drape bacon over the breasts you will be fine

Smokin Soon · July 11, 2009, 08:29:34 PM

I have not done them myself, but a fellow smoker did some bacon wrapped ABT'S with marinaded pheasant and they were off the hook!

dilly · July 13, 2009, 07:52:15 AM

Hoot, I thought I told you that I did these with the birds we got at Gold Creek. I wrapped them in a strip of bacon and smoked them for 1 hr at 220 then finished them on the grill real quick to crisp the bacon a bit. They were delicious! Watch them close, they dry out fast. Next time I will put them in a basic brine just to get them a bit juicy before cooking.

OU812 · July 13, 2009, 08:15:36 AM

Smoked Pheasant is the bomb.

When we do it I take the skin from a chicken and wrap the pheasant breast with it.

Smoke at 225 F for 1 hr with Alder then finish on the grill.

NePaSmoKer · July 13, 2009, 10:41:16 AM

Time to break out the Benelli and head to Harrisburg for some ringnecks ;D

nepas

dilly · July 14, 2009, 06:06:39 AM

Quote from: OU812 on July 13, 2009, 08:15:36 AM
Smoked Pheasant is the bomb.

I agree...first I smoke them with my 20ga side X side...then my 4 rack DBS

Tenpoint5 · July 14, 2009, 06:20:05 AM

Dilly it looks like you be shooten HEN's. Please tell me that is one of them game farms that stocks birds and you can shoot both and them aint wild birds.

OU812 · July 14, 2009, 06:23:38 AM

dilly, nice hall you guys have there. Looks like some hens in there can you harvest hens in your state or are they caged birds? Meat is meat. In Nebraska you cant harvest hens unless they are caged, banded and a controlled hunt.

Nice looking Wirehair's you have, I have 2 German Shorthair's and don't leave home without them.

smokinstoegie · July 14, 2009, 06:34:25 PM

Thanks for the responses guys, I was on that hunt, and yes it was a stocked farm, pen-reared birds.
It was still fun.
Dilly I forgot you did those pheasants up.
I'm gonna try the bacon thing.

OU812 · July 15, 2009, 05:27:50 AM

Those pen reared birds are a lot of fun and great practice for the dogs. It really gives the dogs time to lock up on a point and a lot of fun watching them hold it. I like to take my time when we go on a controlled hunt. It really helps the dogs.

dilly · July 15, 2009, 05:56:56 AM

Yeah, it was a blast. Sadly, all the phesant up here is "put and take". I long for the experience of hunting true wild birds. That hunt was actually this past March and the birds were left over from the previous fall. For the time of year, the cover was not too bad actually and the birds were big. Any day with the dogs and good friends is a good day.
The all brown dog is my buddy's pudelpointer and the ugly one is my wirehair.

OU812 · July 15, 2009, 06:19:13 AM

"Any day with dogs and good friends is a good day"

You got that rite.

Smoked pheasant breasts

NePaSmoKer