Pheasant

[Susan in FL]

I appreciate the advice.

On another subject... I made "your brussels sprouts" (with the sesame seeds) last night to take to one of our office parties and they were a hit. Thanks for that, as well.

[AzRaeL]

Slightly off topic, but now i am curious.

How edible are the numerous pigeons that infest each big city?

[olivina]

Does anyone please know how to clean a pheasant or know of a good book/website that will instruct us?

[Smithy]

Does anyone please know how to clean a pheasant or know of a good book/website that will instruct us?

←

It's been a long, long time since I helped Dad with this, but as I recall he pulled the entire skin off (as with a grouse) instead of plucking feathers (as with a chicken). Is that what you're asking? Or are you asking for more detail, like how to gut it? I'll go check my game cookbooks to see if I have any more detail than that.

Nancy

[johnder]

Depends on the state, are you trying to clean a hung/aged feathered grouse, or a plucked grouse w/ its innards? I think I have a book that shows you how to do the former. I myself have done the later.

Let me know what you are looking for.

john

[olivina]

Depends on the state, are you trying to clean a hung/aged feathered grouse, or a plucked grouse w/ its innards?   I think I have a book that shows you how to do the former.   I myself have done the later.

Let me know what you are looking for.

john

←

Hey John,

We need to know how to pluck and gut a pheasant that has not yet been hung. freshly killed pheasant...is that enough info? Thank you for your time.

Nancy, yes, how to pluck and gut it as well. Thanks so much!

Edited November 24, 2004 by olivina (log)

[johnder]

I haven't had the need to de-feather a bird myself, so I need to look in my game books to see how it is done. As far as gutting its a relatively straight forward process. Remove anything you don't want to eat. :-)

I wouldn't be surprised if the de-feathering process is similar to other poultry, ie: drip the whole bird in boiling water and pull all the feathers off and then removing any of the pin feathers with an open flame.

I will let you know if I find any other information on it once I find my game book.

[jackal10]

Nothing to it, just a bit tedious if you have to do lots.

I pluck dry, stating from one end. Do it inside a garbage bag, otherwise you'll get feathers everywhere.

Then cut the head and neck off, make an incision around the arse and empty the body cavity. Wash

While plucking, sing out loud The Pheasant Plucking Song

"I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's son

I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker comes."

[slacker]

Nothing to it, just a bit tedious if you have to do lots.

I pluck dry, stating from one end. Do it inside a garbage bag, otherwise you'll get feathers everywhere.

Then cut the head and neck off, make an incision around the arse and empty the body cavity. Wash

While plucking, sing out loud The Pheasant Plucking Song

"I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's son

I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker comes."

←

I had two to deal with last week, not made any more pleasant by the fact tht one seemed to be housing a swarm of bluebottles. Mmmm. They enrich the sauce, I suppose.

I would add a couple of points:

1. If you're not presentation needy - eg. casseroling/braising/filleting then it's worth skinning them.

2. Breathe through your mouth AT ALL TIMES. (not your nose)

[jsolomon]

For plucking the pheasant, you'll want to treat it like a chicken. Get a lot of boiling water, 15 liters or so, and put it in a CLEAN 5-gallon bucket. Then, grasp the bird by the feet and plunge it up and down in the water for about 30 seconds. Any feathers that you want off will need to be scalded by this water.

Then, pull the pheasant out of the water and pull the feathers the opposite direction of normal movement, i.e. ass-to-head. Some of the primary feathers along the tail will be very difficult. The down usually comes off pretty easy.

You'll always be left with a few pinfeathers, so have a blowtorch handy to lightly burn those off. This step will stink, so try to pluck as many feathers as possible.

My recommendation is skin the bird. Cut off the feet below the drumstick and the last joint of the wings. Then, cut the skin alone all the way around the rib cage so you've got a "shirt" and "pants", then just de-shirt, and de-pants the bird using care and a sharp knife. Remove the entrails, but keep the gizzard and heart for good eating. I generally offer up the liver to a hunting dog in payment for wet sloppy kisses.

Edited November 24, 2004 by jsolomon (log)

[Mabelline]

I second jsolomon. The feathers are a desirable addition to NA regalia-work, so we always skin. But if you're serving whole, do the chicken-pluckin' routine. And don't forget good sweet butter in the cooking.

[RETREVR]

I usually don't bother plucking. Basically skin the bird. I make two cuts with shears on either side of the backbone from the arse to the neck and pull the whole peice out. Pull the inards out. An yes the retriever usually gets a treat. Remember to leave one foot atatched to confirm sex if you will be transporting the bird. The bird is really nothing but a wild chinese chicken. You can section it out as you see fit.

If you plan on plucking them on a regular basis you can get a tool to atach to your drill. This is a drum with rubber fingers. Pretty sure kitchenaid doesn't make this attatchment.

[Mayhaw Man]

We have a machine much like this one(although built here by local "craftsmen", but pretty much the same thing). It is your best friend when picking lots of birds, particularly ducks and geese.

Once done singing the "Pheasant Pluckers Song", follow instructions as per Jackal.

[NewYorkTexan]

I am bringing this topic back to the top looking for some new ideas. There were some excellent ideas listed already.

Results from recent hunting trip

Birds are a little hard to differentiate from the leaves on the ground. About 20 pheasants and 12 chuckers.

Edited January 27, 2005 by NewYorkTexan (log)

[jackal10]

Depends on the age of the bird.

They will be getting a bit tough by now, so long slow wet cooking.

I'd reccomend (though I've not tried it) sous-vide, at 55C or even 60C for many hours.

"The Sporting Wife" (Hargreaves) reccomends Casserole with onion, or cabbage (or sauerkraut),

Game pie is also good and could be made with any left-overs.

Very old pheasants are only good for the stockpot.

[ludja]

...

Birds are a little hard to differentiate from the leaves on the ground.  About 20 pheasants and 12 chuckers.

←

Sounds like a successful outing.

and.... chuckers?

(no luck on quick google check...all related to the game of cricket)

[petite tête de chou]

I think its these little guys. click

[carswell]

A favourite prep this time of year: Cook ten or so chestnuts until just done. Peel and set them aside. In a casserole with a cover, sauté a handful of chopped pancetta in olive oil until it has rendered some of its fat and begun to colour at the edges. Remove and reserve. Salt and pepper your pheasant and brown it on all sides in the hot fat. Remove and reserve. Add a sprig or two of rosemary to the pan then pour in 1/2 cup each of brandy and white wine. Bring to a boil as you scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the bird and the pancetta to the pan. Add the chestnuts and, if necessary, 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Cover and simmer until done. Remove the bird, rosemary and all but one or two chestnuts from the pan. Degrease the sauce, then smash the chestnuts remaining in the pan to thicken it. Carve the bird and serve with the chestnuts and sauce. (Based on a recipe in Tempo di Castagne.)

For a deluxe prep, look up Robuchon's recipe in Simply French (or PM me for the gory details). The bird is stuffed with a bit of foie gras, trussed and seared in a very hot oven, then set on a bed of braised endives in a casserole (JR seals it with puff pastry or luting dough; I normally just place a sheet of parchment paper between the casserole and the cover) and braised in the oven. The meat is juicy, tender and fragrant and the endives are out of this world.

As you might guess, I prefer braising to roasting. If you do roast, be sure to bard the bird and baste it often, and don't overcook.

Edited January 27, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Daniel]

A great family friend, a fellow p-dutchmen with a rifle, went to N.D. and came back with dinner..

Who would have thought a bird in N.D would have made it so far..

From defeathering, to taking the buck shots out, whats the best way to eat this guy... And will using the feathers as a garnish get someone very sick..

Edited November 7, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[jackal10]

How to cook depends on the age of the pheasant, and how "high" or gamey you like it.

If you like it gamey let it hang up to a week or 10 days before gutting it.

For a young pheasant I prefer the traditional plain roast (to 140F/60C). served with bread sauce, redcurrent jelly, game chips, jus, brussel sprouts, roast potatoes, crouton with liver pate.

You can garnish with the tail feathers, but i think it looks silly. Wear them in your hat instead. Looks like you have a female, which are mostly drab, while the males are gaudy, bigger but not as good eating.

You wont feed more than two, unless you stretch it with lots of stuffing, sausages, etc.

If the pheasant is older (say shot after the new year) then long slow wet cooking is called for, or it will be tough. Casserole, or game pie for example.

[bleudauvergne]

You might consider putting the feathers in a flower arrangement on the table?

[azureus]

A great family friend, a fellow p-dutchmen with a rifle, went to N.D. and came back with dinner..

  Who would have thought a bird in N.D would have made it so far..

From defeathering, to taking the buck shots out, whats the best way to eat this guy...  And will using the feathers as a garnish get someone very sick.. 

The red-brown feathers in the photo are the back feathers of a male bird. The more colorful feathers have been skinned off. To pluck the body feathers out, gently grasp a few at a time and pull against the grain, (opposite the way the feathers lie). Tougher feathers on the wings and tail are better pulled individually, with the lie of the feather, in order to prevent tearing of the skin and flesh. Needle-nosed pliers are useful for removing really tough feathers and pin feathers. However, your bird is already partially skinned, so it might be best just to skin the rest of the carcass. For the shot, probe the path of the wound with your fingers and feel around for anything hard. Use pliers or tweezers to remove the shot. Watch out for bone splinters as well.

I don't have any experience with hanging game or poultry. The roosters here in South Dakota always seem tough, so I usually make a pheasant version of Coq au Vin. Alternately, I toss the meat in my crock pot and simmer it with some some stock and barbeque sauce until the meat is tender enough to make pulled meat for sandwiches.

April

[budrichard]

The reason you bird looks as it does is because to transport game birds you have to leave a feathered wing on for indentification. Just thaw the bird and cut off the wing. The bird should be already cleaned and plucked.

Wild pheasant typically do not have much fat, so larding or liberally coating with butter will help. Roast at high temp 450F for about 20 minutes and check the joints and breast. You want the meat still pink and certainly not the way one would cook a domestic chicken.

An alternative is one that we use a lot and is to braise the bird in sour cream with herbs of your choosing until tender.

In terms of aging or hanging, do not attempt this as it could cause sickmess or death. The flavor from hanging resulted from a lack of refrigeration years ago. It is not what people would tell you. I don't know of a single hunter that knows what he or she is doing that 'Hangs' game anymore. It is simply to dangerous.

Oh yes, get rid of the wings and any feathers before cooking, they are contaminated from the cleaning process. -Dick

Edited November 7, 2005 by budrichard (log)

[dockhl]

My Mom used to make pheasant paprikash when I was growing up. I remember it being very yummy............

[carswell]

Lucky you.

Two favourite recipes, one somewhat long and complicated (French, of course), the other quick and easy (Italian, of course).

The first comes from Robuchon/Wells' Simply French and involves stuffing the bird with a slice of foie gras, searing it in a skillet, then roasting uncovered in a very hot oven, then roasting at lower heat on a bed of braised endive in a covered casserole hermetically sealed with luting pastry (puff pastry for fancy dinners). The meat emerges moist and subtly perfumed by the foie, and the endives are out of this world.

The second involves pan-roasting the pheasant with pancetta, brandy, white wine, rosemary and fresh chestnuts. After the bird is cooked, you reduce the cooking juices and crush a couple of chestnuts the sauce to thicken it (the rest are served alongside the bird).

PM me if you'd like details.