pheasant

This Italian blockbuster Sunday roast is a real celebration of a dish – five birds and one sausage wheel, all piled on to deliciously cheesy polenta. It’s certainly epic, but if you’re after a super-special showstopper, it’s guaranteed to please.

Arrosto misto

garlic

½ a bunch of fresh thyme (15 grams)

olive oil

x 1.8 kg whole free-range chicken

lemon

x 2 kg duck

cinnamon

½ a bunch of fresh sage (15 grams)

fennel

red onions

sturdy rosemary

pigeons

partridges

quails

sausages

bay leaves

plain flour

150 ml Chianti or other red wine

x plum tomatoes

chicken stock

½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15 grams)

250 g coarse polenta

unsalted butter

Parmesan cheese

Colin Fassnidge reinvents the classic beef Wellington.

Colin Fassnidge's beef Wellington (or Dublin)

unsalted butter, chopped

onion, finely chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

thyme, leaves picked

portobello mushrooms,

nutmeg

(125 milliliters) verjuice

beef chateaubriand (order from butchers)

Dijon mustard

(24cm) flour tortillas

pâté (we used Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Pâté)

puff pastry

egg, lightly beaten

fennel seeds

Salsa verde & cooked baby (Dutch) carrots, to serve

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If you&#39;ve never pounded your own cutlets before, read the directions below before you start. It really helps to have a rubber mallet or a meat mallet around, but you can use an empty wine bottle or a small pot. Lemons are a must here, and remember that real wiener schnitzel does not have a sauce.

Wiener Schnitzel

veal

Salt

flour

eggs, (lightly beaten)

milk

breadcrumbs

(clarified butter or duck fat to come 1/2 inch up the sides of your frying pan)

Set out a work surface and place a slice of veal loin, pork loin, chicken breast or a slice of turkey breast in a freezer bag. Pound the meat out into a very thin cutlet, about 1/8 inch thick. Take your time, hitting the meat with about the same force as knocking on a door. Work from the center of the meat outward. If you are using pheasant or chicken, you will need to pound the thick end of the breast more than the thin end; pork or veal medallions should be evenly cut. Do one breast at a time.

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet in the oven; this is for the schnitzels as they come out of the frying pan. Salt the cutlets well on both sides. Set up a breading station. Put the flour in a large tray, plate or shallow bowl. Do the same for the beaten eggs and milk, and then the breadcrumbs. Put the lard or clarified butter in the frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high. You want to fry at a temperature of about 325°F to 350°F.

When the fat is ready, dredge a cutlet in flour, press it in well, then shake off the excess. Dredge it in egg-milk mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Immediately put the breaded cutlet into the hot fat. Shake the pan a little to make sure the schnitzel does not stick to the bottom. The cutlet should float in the hot fat. Repeat quickly with as many cutlets as will fit in your pan, but don&#39;t crowd the pan.

Fry the schnitzels until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. As the first side is cooking, spoon hot fat over the other side. This will speed up the cooking process. Flip only once. When the schnitzels are done, put them in the oven on the baking sheet and repeat until you&#39;re done.

This is a hot-smoking method, essentially a really slow, smoky barbecue. You must use plucked pheasants for this recipe. It will not work with skinned birds, as they will get too dry. If you are not a hunter but want to make this, you can use a high-quality domestic chicken (regular supermarket ones are too soft and flabby) or you can buy a whole pheasant online or in some supermarkets.

Smoked Pheasant

pheasants

kosher salt, (about 2 1/4 ounces)

brown sugar

water

maple syrup, (boiled down to 1 cup)

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Find a lidded container just about large enough to hold both pheasants. Cover them with the brine and let this sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours.

OPTIONAL: Weigh the pheasant and the water you intend to brine it in; you'll have to guess, so err on more water. Now dissolve 2 percent of that total weight -- pheasant + water -- in kosher salt in the water, then brine. This method allows you to brine the bird for days without it getting too salty.

Take the pheasants out of the brine. Set on a cooling rack under a ceiling fan or in a breezy place and let them dry for an hour or so. You can also put the birds in a container uncovered in the fridge overnight. This drying process is an important step. You want the bird damp and tacky on the outside, not soaking wet.&nbsp;

Smoke the pheasants over the wood of your choice – I prefer apple, hickory or pecan – for at least 3 hours, and up to 5 hours. You want a relatively warm smoke, between 200°F and 250°F. Let the pheasants smoke for 1 hour before painting on the maple syrup, then baste with the syrup every 30 minutes afterward.

When the pheasants reach an internal temperature of 160°F in the thigh meat, take them out of the smoker. Put them on a cooling rack and baste them with maple syrup one more time. Wait at least 20 minutes before eating. They are excellent cold, too.

Follow these general instructions and you will get a lovely, moist bird. This technique also works with ruffed grouse, chickens and guinea hens. Serve with a nice white wine, some mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your choice. A good option is to cut up some carrots, potatoes, parsnips, celery root and turnips and roast them with the birds. I have a similar recipe for roast partridge, if you are looking for something a little different.

Roast Pheasant

salt

sugar

bay leaves, (optional)

crushed juniper berries, (optional)

olive oil or softened butter

Black pepper

Brine the bird. Make a brine by bringing the water, salt, bay leaves, juniper and sugar to a boil. Cover and let cool to room temperature. When it cools, submerge your pheasant in the brine and keep it in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours. The longer you brine, the saltier the pheasant will become. I brine pen-raised birds for 4 hours, old roosters for 8 hours.

Optional step: If you really want a crispy skin, take the birds out of the brine and set them uncovered in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. This dries out the skin (but not the meat} and helps you get crispier skin.

When you are ready to cook, take the pheasant out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Heat your oven. Get it to 500°F if possible, but at least 400°F. Give yourself at least 15 minutes of preheating, and up to a half hour. Oil the bird. You can do this with olive oil or you can smear butter all over it. Crack some black pepper over the bird.

Stuff with a piece of onion or apple and a few fresh herbs. A cut lemon is a good choice, too. Do not pack the cavity. Truss the bird if you want. I do this often because it helps the pheasant cook more evenly. (Here's a video on how to truss a chicken, which is basically the same thing as a pheasant.)

Roast the pheasant uncovered for 15 minutes at your high temperature. Take the pheasant out and lower the temperature to 350°F. Leave your oven door open to speed this process.

Optional step: Baste the bird with either butter or a glaze. When I do this, I like to use a boiled-down combination of butter and maple syrup.

Return the pheasant to the oven and roast uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the thigh meat to be about 155°F to 160°F and for the bird’s juices to run pretty clear. A little pink in the juice — and in the bird — is what you want. The higher end of this cooking time will give you a well-done bird, which I try to avoid but many people prefer.

Remove the pheasant and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This resting time is vital, as it lets the juices redistribute within the pheasant. It will also finish off the cooking process through carry-over heating.

Hank, can you dry brine instead of the wet brine? We have some pheasants to butcher that we didn't use to train dogs. I've started dry brining instead of wet brining most meats.

thank you so much for the recipe and the method!

this is the first time I ever tried to roast a pheasant on my own and it came out lovely! carry on! well done!

Got a “you have to do this again” from the bitter half! Unfortunately have not plucked many birds. It is a pain but need patience to keep from tearing the skin. My oven is convection so fortunately checked at 20 minutes in 350 mode and was well over 165 but it was still moist and with positive response I will be plucking more birds from now on. Aged 4 day with feathers and 3 days before brining for 8 hrs and dry 8 hrs. This was a young wild SD bird.

This was excellent!   I used apple for the stuffing.    It came out delicious.

I have used this recepie multiple times, one and 2 birds. Consistently excellent results. I use a little less salt for brine but otherwise everything the same. I also use apple and sometimes orange slices for stuffing with some lemon juice.  Love your recipe. Best out there! Truly best!

Tried this recipe twice, both times DELICIOUS!

This is one of the best Sunday stews you can make because the leftovers reheat beautifully all week, for either a quick supper or for lunches at work. Don't worry if you don't have squirrel, venison and pheasant. The only true rule in burgoo seems to be that you need at least three different meats, so let your imagination wander: Chicken is obvious, as is pork. But lamb, rabbit, hare, other game birds, duck, muskrat, whatever. It'll all get hammered into submission in this stew regardless.

Kentucky Burgoo

vegetable oil

squirrels

venison, (3

pheasant legs/thighs, (bone-in)

green pepper, (chopped)

onion, (chopped)

carrots, (chopped)

celery ribs, (chopped)

garlic cloves, (chopped)

pheasant or chicken stock

beef stock

tomatoes

potatoes

lima beans

Salt and pepper

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco or other hot sauce

Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven or soup pot and set the heat to medium-high. Working in batches, brown all the meats. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will not brown well. Salt the meat as it cooks. As they brown, move the various meats to a bowl.

Add the onions, carrots, celery and green pepper to the pot and turn the heat to high. Cook the vegetables until they are well browned; you might need to add a little more oil to the pot. When the vegetables have browned, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add back the meats, along with the chicken and beef broths and the tomatoes. Stir to combine and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours.

Fish out the meat pieces. Strip the pheasant and squirrel off the bone. Tear the large pieces of venison into bite-sized pieces. The reason you did not do this right at the start is because venison will stay moister when it cooks in larger pieces. Return all the meat to the pot and return the stew to simmer.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks about the same size as the meat pieces. Add them to the stew and simmer until they are tender. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mix well and taste for salt. Add more Worcestershire sauce to taste if needed.

Finally, add the corn and lima beans. Mix well and cook for at least 10 minutes, or longer if you’d like. Serve with cornbread and a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

This is a very hearty and satisfying dish. I wouldn’t change the proportion of secondary ingredients at all. I used 1 1/2 lbs. of stew beef and 3 chicken pieces and I simmered those in the crushed tomatoes and broth for 2 hours before adding the sautéed vegetables, shredding the chicken, then cooking for another 2 hours.
Very, very good. Thanks!

The perfect recipe when you have a little of everything in the freezer. Except muskrat. Leave muskrat out.

Thanks Hank! I tried it just like recipe says and used Wild Rabbit, Fallow deer and chicken thighs. Was truly amazing ! Everyone loved it.

Made this today and it turned out great. I used chicken drumsticks instead of pheasant. Even my mother, who didn't like the idea of eating squirrel, seemed to enjoy it.

Been doing this one past couple hunting seasons this year duck buck and beaver. Omg amazing I’m so glad I stumbled upon this web site!!!!

I love this recipe. I like it best with deer shanks and squirrel. I also add okra as it usually appears in burgoo in my part of ky.

This is one of the most versatile recipes that I know of for random meats in it and it still being delicious. As Mr. Shaw says in his book "they'll all get hammered into submission". I have used ham hock, chuck eye steak from a milk cow, venison rump roast, venison shank, squirrel, chicken, squirrel, and cottage style bacon in various recipes and they were all good.

Thanks, Hank. Went looking for a woodchuck recipe after hubs collected a small and tender one chowing down in our garden (having dug their way under the fence).  Tonight's Kentucky burgoo was that fresh meat, plus a venison quad steak, and a substantial Canada goose breast from our neighbor. Limas, and previously blanched chopped collards rounded out a scrumptious feast. Tomorrow it will unquestionably be even more delish.

I of course use pheasant here, but chicken is the traditional meat for this recipe. If you do use chicken, use thigh meat instead of breast meat; it tastes better. There are a few unusual ingredients in an authentic General Tso's that you will want on hand, notably the black vinegar and the tien tsin chiles. Both are readily available in larger supermarkets or in Asian markets. That said, if you live in an area without large supermarkets or Asians, you can use malt vinegar and any dried chile.

General Tso's Pheasant

potato starch or corn starch

soy sauce

sugar, (or more if you want it sweet)

Chinese black vinegar vinegar

tomato paste

potato

pheasant breast meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces)

peanut oil, (lard or vegetable oil)

hot chiles, torn ((use less

garlic cloves, (sliced thin)

green onions, (chopped)

sesame oil

In a small bowl, mix egg yolks, soy and potato starch together with the pheasant pieces. Set aside at room temperature while you chop everything else. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Pour the peanut oil into a wok or large, heavy pot and heat it to about 350°F. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test by putting a little flour or the end of a wooden chopstick into the oil: If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot enough. Get a chopstick or something similar ready -- you will need this to quickly separate the pieces of pheasant when they hit the hot oil. Lay out a baking sheet with a paper towel on it for the finished pheasant pieces.

When the oil is ready, add about 1/3 of the pheasant pieces and immediately use the chopstick to separate them. Fry until they are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pheasant from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and set on the baking sheet. Repeat twice more with the remaining pheasant pieces, frying 1/3 at a time. Doing it this way keeps the oil nice and hot.

Turn off the heat and let the oil cool a bit. Pour it into a heatproof container (I use a large Pyrex measuring cup) and deal with it later. Wipe out the inside of the wok if using. If you are not using a wok, get out a large saute pan.

Heat the 3 tablespoons of peanut oil in the wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add the dried chiles and cook until they almost turn black, another minute or two. Add the ginger and stir fry 30 seconds, then add the garlic and stir fry another 30 seconds.

Add all the pheasant pieces and the green onions. Stir the sauce in the bowl and add that, making sure you get all the potato starch, which will have sunk to the bottom. Stir fry 1 minute. Turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil. Serve at once with steamed rice.

Simply fantastic.  Easy to follow and delicious.

Made this at 10:30pm when the Asian cuisine craving hit. Simple pantry ingredients, customizable, with big flavor. Will have this perfected by next pheasant season. ??????????

This was delicious. I made a few substitutions only because I wanted to use ingredients that I had on hand. I used rice vinegar for the sauce and olive oil and sesame oil to pan fry (not deep fry). Left out the peppers due to family not liking spicy food, did top mine with red pepper flakes. I will be making again, many times!

Winner!  Just got back from a successful hunt in SD, and after cleaning my birds, I immediately pulled up the site to see what I could find that is different than the usual offerings.  I love General Tso's, but as Hank points out, it is usually offered in some kind of gooey, sugar glop, and not like my favorite, savory, hot and spicy style.  Not only is this recipe, excellent, it's absolutely perfect with pheasant, where the meat has better flavor and is more tender than chicken.  My wife loved it.  The only alteration, I did, was to substitute honey for the sugar (I always do this), and I used a "no chicken, chicken stock", in order to make a vegetarian portion for my daughter, which was semi-successful.   I can't wait to try the Kung Pao next.

Used anything from pheasant, chukar to wild turkey with this recipe. Always a repeat request from the wife!

I love this website. All the recipes I’ve tried have been winners! My husband and I both loved the general’s pheasant. I didn’t have all the ingredients so I made some substitutions: instead of green onions I used thinly sliced white onion and green pepper, instead of dried chiles I used hot sesame oil.

This is an easy and very falvorful dish.  I’ve used pheasant and duck both and they were excellent!  This is a “go to” in my house.

Great recipe. We added more Thai chiles for heat. Delicious.

Made last night from a wild turkey breast shot over the weekend. I doubled the recipe because the turkey breast was just over 2 pounds. 

I did NOT double the number of dried chilis, as I've learned the hard way that heat is not linear in recipes, lol.

This recipe was delicious.  I aimed for 1/2"-3/4" cubes of turkey breast, and they came out of the oil after 2 minutes or so crispy and so tender.

This recipe is in Hank's small game cookbook which is a steal on Amazon for the quality of content in it. Have made the Kung Pao chicken as well and am working my way through it - turkey tamales coming from thighs sometime soon.

I used a young wild sow pig backstrap.  It was delicious.   I tasted the sauce before I mixed it and I was skeptical because I thought it would be too tomatoey. However, after it mixed with the garlic and chiles and the sesame oil it really balanced out.  Will certainly do this again. YUM

My wife made this a few nights ago and it was delicious! Definitely going to be a regular menu item to use up our delicious pheasants.

After the par-cooking pheasant wings, which will take between 1 hour and 30 minutes, you soak the cooked wings in the hot sauce for an hour or so, then roast them in the oven to crisp. If you want to take them even further, lay out the wings on your grill and roast them over charcoal or hardwood. But beware if you do this: You will find yourself eating way more than you expect.

Pheasant Wings Buffalo Style

hot sauce

mild paprika

unsalted butter, (melted)

In a Dutch oven or covered pot, submerge the pheasant wings in the stock; add water if need be to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes and up to 2 hours — you want the wings to be very tender. Remove the wings and save the stock for another use.

Pour the hot sauce, paprika, melted butter, and salt into a container and mix well. Add the wings, toss well to coat and marinate them for at least an hour, and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the wings on a baking sheet or two in a single layer and bake until they are crispy, 30 minutes.

While the wings are cooking, pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low. Keep warm, and when the wings are done, toss them with the sauce before serving. Serve with your favorite blue cheese sauce, celery and lots of beer.

This is a brilliant way to use pheasant breasts. They only need to be cooked very quickly before they are baked in the pie. Serve with freshly cooked green vegetables, such as shredded spring greens.

Top 9 pheasant recipes from across the web

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Arrosto misto

Colin Fassnidge's beef Wellington (...

Wiener Schnitzel

Smoked Pheasant

Roast Pheasant

Kentucky Burgoo

General Tso's Pheasant

Pheasant Wings Buffalo Style

Pheasant, wild mushroom and bacon '...

Top 9 pheasant recipes from across the web

The most viewed pheasant recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Arrosto misto

Colin Fassnidge's beef Wellington (...

Wiener Schnitzel

Smoked Pheasant

Roast Pheasant

Kentucky Burgoo

General Tso's Pheasant

Pheasant Wings Buffalo Style

Pheasant, wild mushroom and bacon '...

The most viewed pheasant recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine