Cooking South Dakota Pheasant . . .

Page 1 | 2 | 3

Field Care

It's good practice to field dress birds as soon as feasible after they're shot. Normally, birds may be kept for a few hours before removing entrails, but if a bird is quite shot up, flavor of the meat is affected. Also, it's desirable to separate the birds to allow them to lose their body temperature as quickly as possible. Field dressing birds hastens the cooling process. Some hunters skin birds rather than pluck them. However, others feel flavor is lost when birds are skinned.

Cooking Tips

When cooking older birds, add small amounts of moisture at a time, and use a covered container during part of the cooking period. This is not necessary for young birds. In general, the age of the bird may be determined by the spurs. Spurs on a young bird are neither long nor sharp; on an older bird, they are both long and sharp. Allow one pheasant for two people. A larger bird may serve at least three people.

Creamy South Dakota Pheasant
Ingredients	Directions
» 6 pheasant breast fillets » 1/2 cup flour » 1/2 cup milk or cream » salt & pepper to taste » 1/4 cup crisco or vegetable oil (less if you like) » 1 sm. can cream of chicken or mushroom soup (gravy lovers double this)	Combine flour, salt, & pepper. Coat breasts with flour mixture. Brown floured fillets in heated crisco until golden on both sides. Place fillets in greased baking dish in single layer. Combine soup & milk to pour over browned fillets. Bake covered 2 hours at 325ºF. Serve with mashed potatoes, and you'll have enough gravy to use on potatoes.
Note: Don't throw pheasant legs and thighs away. Boil them in water for an hour or so (until tender). Let cool, then remove meat from bone and use in soups or hot dishes. May be substituted for chicken in chicken soups or hot dishes.

Stir-Fried Pheasant with Ginger & Orange
Ingredients	Directions
» 1 pound boneless, skinless pheasant breast » 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided » 1/2 cup chicken stock, divided » 4 tablespoons dry sherry, divided » 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce » 2 tablespoons soy sauce » 2 teaspoons cornstarch » 1/4 teaspoon salt » 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided » 3/4 pound snow peas, trimmed » 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced » 4 green onions, thinly sliced » 2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot » 4 cups cooked rice	Cut pheasant into 3/4-inch pieces. Mix with 3 tablespoons orange juice and 2 TBS sherry and set aside. Combine remaining 3 TBS orange juice and 2 TBS sherry with 1/4 cup chicken stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch & salt in small bowl. Set aside. Heat 1 TBS oil in wok or 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot (but not smoking) add snow peas, mushrooms, green onions & ginger. Stir & toss everything together for 1 minute. Add 2 TBS chicken stock and continue cooking until liquid evaporates (about 1 minute). Add remaining 2 TBS stock and cook again until it evaporates. Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside.
Add remaining 1 TBS oil to pan and place over medium-high heat. Add pheasant mixture and stir-fry about 3 minutes, until pheasant is done. Stir cornstarch mixture well and add to pheasant along with reserved vegetables. Stir and cook about 1 minute, until sauce bubbles and thickens. Immediately transfer to serving bowl and serve with hot rice.
Note: Estimated prep time: 15 min.; Estimated cooking time: 7 min.; Serves 4

Tawny Roasted Pheasants
Ingredients	Directions
» 2 pheasants » 1/4 cup orange juice » 1/4 cup olive oil » 1/2 teaspoon salt » 1/4 teaspoon pepper » 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped » 2 garlic cloves » 12 strips of bacon	Rinse pheasants, trim, & pat dry. Sprinkle with orange juice then brush with olive oil (inside and out). Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Divide chopped parsley and garlic cloves, placing inside each cavity. Place pheasants on rack in roasting pan. Arrange bacon strips on top; bake at 350ºF for 1 hour, basting often. Remove bacon and continue baking for 30 minutes, or until breasts are browned & cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Note: Estimated prep time: 15 min.; Estimated cooking time: 1 Hr. 30 min.; Serves 4

Potted Pheasant
Ingredients	Directions
» 2 pheasants » 2 onions » 2 garlic cloves » 4 pieces celery » 1 c. water, wine, beer, or chicken stock » Butter or 2 slices bacon » Salt & Pepper » Choice of vegetables	Stuff cavity of each bird with an onion, garlic clove, & 2 pieces celery. Place in terra-cotta pot (heavy metal covered roaster, pan with tight cover or doubled aluminum foil, plastic bags made for pot roasts also work). Butter breasts liberally or use slice bacon on each. Surround birds with vegetables.
I use more onions, 1 or 2 tomatoes, peeled carrots, halved white & sweet potatoes, yellow turnips, parsnips, celery sticks. Lightly salt & pepper veggies. Use enough to feed the gang, and 1/2 pheasant per person (unless birds are really small). Add cup of water, wine, beer, or chicken stock. Cover or seal bag according to directions. Roast about 1 hour at 350ºF, or until juices run clear. Check there is enough liquid half way through. Cook tough older birds a little longer.

Scalloped Pheasant
Ingredients	Directions
» 1 pheasant (cut up) » 1 teaspoon salt » 1 cup bread crumbs » 2 tablespoons melted butter » 2 cups whole milk	Cook pheasant until tender. Pour off & save broth. Remove bones & dice pheasant. Make gravy of broth, using 1/2 broth and 1/2 whole milk. Thicken slightly. Season to taste. Moisten bread crumbs in melted butter. In greased casserole, place alternate layers of diced pheasant, gravy and crumbs. Bake at 350ºF until thoroughly heated and top crumbs are brown.

Pheasant and Wild Rice
Ingredients	Directions
» 2 pheasants (cut up) » 1 cup raw wild rice » 1 can cream of chicken soup » 1 can cream of mushroom soup » 1 can mushroom stems and pieces » 2 1/2 cups water chestnuts (optional) » 1 package dry onion soup mix	Flour & lightly brown pheasant pieces. Mix rice, canned soups, mushrooms & water chestnuts in casserole dish. Add pheasant. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over top. Cover lightly with foil and bake 3 hours at 300ºF.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Pheasant Breast
Ingredients	Directions
» 4 boneless pheasant breasts, skinned » 1/2 cup butter » 1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes » 1 8 oz. package cream cheese » 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder » 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese » 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions	Soak breasts in butter. Coat each breast with corn flake crumbs. Mix cream cheese, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese & green onions together, divide into 4 parts. Place each coated breast flat in ungreased baking dish. Place one part cream cheese mixture on each breast and fold breast in half to sandwich mixture between two sides. Use toothpick to hold breast in place. Bake 35-40 minutes at 375ºF.
More pheasant recipes!     1 | 2 | 3