Brined Roast Pheasant " Outdoor Wisconsin" Style

Name: Brined Roast Pheasant " Outdoor Wisconsin" Style
Prep time: 24 h
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 25 h 30 min
Yield: 2 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1892.72 ml water; 118.29 ml kosher salt; 236.59 ml brown sugar; 59.14 ml real maple syrup; 1 onion, chopped; 3 clove garlic, smashed (the recipe says "several" garlic cloves; I tend to use about 3); 0.25 ml ground cloves; 1 lemon, juice of (I do use it) (optional); 0.25 ml cayenne pepper (optional); 907.18 g whole pheasants; 29.58 ml butter

Submitted by EdsGirlAngie

"Brining really is the way to go with pheasant, to keep it moist and also to "cut" some of that rich gaminess. This brine recipe is from the television show "Outdoor Wisconsin"; I like to keep the bird in it overnight then roast with plenty of butter under the breast skin and plenty of basting. You can also arrange bacon slices over the breast to keep it moist. Prep time includes overnight brining."

Download

photo by Super Sara

Ready In:: 25hrs 30mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 2

ingredients

The brine
1892.72 ml water
118.29 ml kosher salt
236.59 ml brown sugar
59.14 ml real maple syrup
1 onion, chopped
3 clove garlic, smashed (the recipe says "several" garlic cloves; I tend to use about 3)
0.25 ml ground cloves
1 lemon, juice of (I do use it) (optional)
0.25 ml cayenne pepper (optional)
907.18 g whole pheasants
29.58 ml butter

directions

Heat together the water and salt until salt is dissolved, then allow to cool to room temperature for about a half hour.
Add the sugar, syrup, onions, garlic, cloves, and lemon and cayenne pepper (if using).
Add pheasant, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place brined pheasant in a roasting pan breast up and insert a tablespoon of the butter under the breast skin.
Rub the rest of the butter all over the pheasant, then roast uncovered for about 1-1/2 hours; check after an hour, though.
Baste frequently!
And if you like, to keep the breast meat moist, you can cover it with bacon strips as well.

Questions & Replies

Will this recipe for Pheasant work for some that is already skinned and cut up?

Anonymous

Reviews

This was so SO SO SO Tasty! I was a little "chicken" about roasting pheasant for the first time, but it was oh-so-good. I added more garlic cloves to mine and placed my birds on a roasting rack then put chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. I tented the tin foil for the first hour and basted every 15 minutes. Just awesome. Absolutely no gamey taste whatsoever. Thank you so much for posting such a fabulous brine!!!!

Super Sara
We enjoyed this recipe very much and it is now our favorite way to prepare pheasant. I split the breast in half and spread bacon over it. It cut down on cooking time. I had no idea they were this tasty and moist.

kcs7323
WOW! This was wonderful!! We had a pheasant feast last night and this was a huge hit. We smoked it instead of roasting it in the oven and we think this is the BEST brine we've ever tried and we've tried a few on turkey's. Of course we'll be brining our turkey in this for Thanksgiving on Thursday! Thanks so much. UPDATE - We used this brine on our turkey for Thanksgiving and then smoked it...it was the best smoked turkey we ever made and the flavor was so wonderful...thanks again for this great recipe.

HeidiSue
I never liked pheasant until I found this recipe! This was a GREAT recipe, I loved the flavor of the pheasant and it was so moist. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.

Hot Cook
Hubby wanted to smoke pheasants and we decided on this recipe and IT ROCKS!!!! He had 2 birds and used all ingredients with changes only to the amount - 1 tsp lemon juice. Water smoked with apple wood chunks for 8 hours adding 2 tbsp whiskey and 1/2 tsp tabasco to the water.

karen in tbay