smoking pheasant

[easyrider25]

I got a smoker last weekend and I am going to try out some pheasants on it. Its a brinkman electric, any tips about:

The brine or spices that I should use

How long and how hot to cook them

and what wood works best.

thanks

[fishorgolf]

I think brining would be a good idea with pheasant as they tend to be a dryer meat.

basic brine, 1 cup salt to 1 gal water ( you can add some sugar etc. if you want) and soak for aprox. 4 hours.

For smoking foul I like apple would. as for time get a a thermometer with a cord you can put in the bird and read from the outside. I would smoke to 165 degrees max.

After smoking wrap in tinfoil until cool. unless you eat it all when it comes out

MMMMMMM

[busdriver]

Posted as per a request over on the Pheasant Forum

SMOKED PHEASANT

Ingredients:

1 whole pheasant (with or w/o skin)

wood chips (Cherry, Alder, or Mesquite recommended)

1/2 cup pickling salt

6 cups cold water

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp pickling spice

2 tbsp honey

3 tsp soy sauce

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

In glass bowl or ziplock bag, combine pickling salt, water, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, and pickling spice. Add pheasant and put in fridge for at least 4 hours, turning occaisionally. Drain, discard brine, let pheasant dry on paper towl for 30 minutes. In small bowl combine honey and soy sauce. start gas or charcoal grill on one side only and soak wood chips in water. Put wood chips on hot coals and put pan with chicken broth over coals. Brush pheasant with honey soy sauce mixture and place on grill on side opposite hot coals. Cover and maintain temp between 150-250 degrees, opening grill as little as possible. Smoke pheasant for 2-3 hours, adding more chips during the last hour. Pheasant will be ready to eat off the grill.

Notes:

1 beer can be added to the chicken broth if desired. Gas grill works best for this recipe as temp can be regulated accurately.

This smoked pheasant is to die for.

Enjoy

NDT

[easyrider25]

good thing I have enough pheasants to do a couple of both those, they sound great, thanks for the help