Cooking pheasant

[surlymonkey]

Managed to find a decent cock pheasant road-kill (yeah, I know). After sticking the legs into a slow cooker for about several hours, the meat came out quite dry! Yet prior to cooking it, the meat seemed very tender. Is this normal?

[surlymonkey]

Nice tips, espcially when it comes to sausages. Suppose I better start mincing!

Thanks.

[Green Aura]

Couple of things spring to mind. Did you hang it - or was it already a bit niffy. That helps to tenderise the meat. And second - pheasant is usually better for a quick roast. Long cooking can result in it either completely falling apart or drying out. I always thought I didn't like pheasant - my mother always casseroled it. Then my brother cooed it and what a difference

When you get your next one, hang it for a good few days and then roast it on a high heat for about 20mins (depending on size) with some streaky bacon over it.

[surlymonkey]

Couple of things spring to mind. Did you hang it - or was it already a bit niffy.

Hi Green Aura,

No, I never hung the bird. As this was my first road-kill find, I was too keen to get it cooked & was slightly worried about whether it would keep fresh. But the bird was quite fresh to begin with.

[MKG]

Well, there has to be a first ... I'm about to disagree with GA (well, I think it's a first )

No matter what you do to it, an oldish pheasant is going to be dry and will tend to toughness. You don't ever know how old roadkill pheasant (come to that, all wild pheasant) is. If you don't know how old the bird is, the sausage approach will give you, at least, safe results. If you have a guaranteed young bird, quick roasting (with loads of larding) will give you tender and succulent meat. But with pheasant, that's about all you can guarantee. My personal opinion is that hanging pheasant is a waste of time - if it needs hanging, it's too old.

And having said all of that, I'd better tell you that I don't like pheasant at all - that may, just perhaps, be colouring my attitude.

Mike

[Green Aura]

I'm cut to the core Mike - you've disagreed with me All my illusions are shattered.

You're right - if it's old it needs hanging, but that's what helps tenderise it. And makes it taste yummy in a stinky kinda way.

Bring one up and I'll cook it for you, honey. You might just change your mind! Can't seem to buy 'em for love nor money round here - they send them all down south! Or maybe I should cultivate some carnivore friends (with a shotgun for preference), all mine seem to be veggies

[Carltonian Man]

You could microwave the whole bird for 15 minutes in a lidded pyrex which keeps all the juices from drying out. If it was plucked to begin with (as opposed to skinned) after nuking it rub butter onto the skin and bung it in a hot oven just until it starts to crisp.
Re the age of a cock pheasant, on older birds the spurs are bigger and sharper.