smoking Pheasants

[11-87]

Anybody got a recipe for smoking a game bird or two? I have an older Brinkman Electric and never have done a bird on it but want to try.

Brine??

Use just the heat, and wood chips? Or should I use the Steam pan as well???

Just curious??

[DaSwede]

If I get out and actually hit one, I'll be smoking the breasts. I'm going to brine it overnight, and smoke it with just chips and heat, no steam pan. I've never tried it, so I'm curious as to how it will turn out. My wife isn't a big fan of pheasant, so I'm hoping this will be a winner, winner, pheasant dinner.

[goblueM]

There's a lot of great recipes out there. Salt to water ratio is key, as is letting the pellicle form (let it dry for 12+ hours after taking it out of the brine)

1 whole pheasant (with or w/o skin)

wood chips (Cherry, Alder, or Mesquite recommended)

1/2 cup pickling salt

6 cups cold water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp pickling spice

1 cup chicken broth (or beer)

Directions:

In glass bowl or ziplock bag, combine pickling salt, water, brown sugar, vinegar, and pickling spice. Add pheasant and put in fridge for at least 4 hours, turning occasionally. Drain, discard brine, dry pheasant and let pellicle form. soak wood chips in water overnight. Put wood chips on hot coals (or electric elemennt) and put pan with chicken broth/beer over coals. . Cover and maintain temp between 150-250 degrees, opening as little as possible. Smoke pheasant for 2-3 hours, adding more chips during the last hour.

[DaSwede]

12+ hours for the pellicle to form? I'm not doubting you, but that's a long time. When I've done salmon it usually only takes 1/2 - an hour, so that just seems like a really long time.

[goblueM]

1/2 hour? wow!! i've never heard of that happening so fast

i know it depends on a lot of things, like moisture content, humidity of air, etc. different for salmon versus pheasants... and i usually put it in the fridge too, which slows it down. you can speed things up with a fan but 1/2 hour seems mighty fast to me! but who cares as long as it turns out great!

[DaSwede]

I agree!

I usually brine the salmon overnight, so maybe that's the difference in how fast the pellicle forms????

[pureinsanity]

DaSweede. May I ask why you are only smoking the breasts? I am just curious as I see tons of leg meat wasted because people just breast out the birds. When eating a smoked bird the legs are the best part in my opinion!

Tendons are not an issue as they fall right off the bone after being smoked.

[pureinsanity]

here is a link / library about smoking from another user on HSO

Smokers Library

[11-87]

Thanks for the info.. and I also did a little google search too. Lucked out here in Se Mn.. Got 2 birds today, and gonna try one on the smoker tomorrow.

Just gonna let the other one sit for now in the freezer. I did hit another Jackpot, and found a bird from last year, and some venison too.. since I have tomorrow off, I think I'll be cooking up some Game for Supper!!