Pheasant Stew Recipe - How to Make Pheasant Stew (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare pheasant? ›

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pheasant legs and thighs and season with salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika. Cook until golden brown and no longer pink inside (roughly 8 minutes per side).

A pheasant's firm, lean flesh means it can dry out easily, so a failsafe way of cooking it is in casseroles or stews – this is particularly true of larger, older birds. Remove the breasts and legs from the carcass and make a stock with the bones which you can then use to braise your pheasant in.

For younger birds, soak the meat for about four hours. While soaking will make the meat juicier, it will also add extra saltiness, so don't soak it for longer than necessary. Since younger birds are more tender, they don't need to soak for as long as older birds.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the meat and brown on all sides. Transfer to a casserole dish, add vegetables and stock of your choice, cover and cook for 50-60 minutes in the centre of the oven. Cook thoroughly until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and there is no pink meat.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, then cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 180 degrees F (82 degrees C), about 1 hour more. Baste pheasant with pan juices every 30 minutes during baking.

The Ideal Stew Ratio: Two Parts Meat, One Part Vegetable

Most meat-based stews call for tough, inexpensive cuts of meat, while vegetarian recipes include the same onions, carrots, and celery typical of a beef stew. Two parts meat to one part vegetables is the perfect ratio for a meaty stew.

If were talking while it's being made; garlic, onion, various herbs, “horse chester sauce” tomato paste, stone ground mustard, or even a small splash of A1 sauce will all “rich up” the broth. So will sauteing the veggies in butter before adding to the stew.

1) Start by slow boiling the pheasant legs in water for roughly 15 minutes / or slow cooking in a crock pot for an hour. 2) Remove the legs from the broth and let cool. 3) Reduce the remaining broth to simmer.

How do you not overcook pheasant? ›

“A lot of times people will overcook pheasant just because they are thinking the time and temp needs to be the same as chicken when it doesn't.” Many people use heat that's too high or cook pheasant too long, Hill said. A slow cooker is a great way to help avoid that trap. Another method: marination.

Roast the pheasant for about 20-30 minutes per 450g (1 pound) of bird weight. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 75°C . This ensures the pheasant is cooked through but still moist. Baste and Rest: Periodically baste the pheasant with the pan juices to keep it moist.

Opinions on this topic vary widely, but what I've learned is this: if you soak the meat in cold saltwater overnight, it will draw out any residual blood, which can give the meat an undesireable taste. If you soak it in milk (or buttermilk), it further draws out the “gamey” flavor.

Roberts said prior to cooking the bird, the gamey taste can be pulled out by soaking it in milk and the blood can also be extracted. "I normally soak them (pheasant) overnight in a salt water ... it pulls the blood out," Roberts said.

Brining -- the process of soaking meat in a saltwater solution -- provides a good deal of protection against the undesirable effects of overcooking. Also, like marinating, brining gives you an opportunity to impart extra flavor into the meat.

Light and Mild: Pheasant

Pheasant is known for its light-colored breast meat—much like chicken—and its mild flavor is ideal for introducing new and non-hunters to wild game. Still, pheasants are easy to overcook. One complaint I hear often is that pheasant meat can be dry and tough.