Smoked Pheasant

Sliced pheasant breast on round wooden plate with sides.

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This Smoked Pheasant has a mildly smoky flavor and it stays so juicy and tender! Lots of serving suggestions included.

Course entree, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3

Brining time 12

Total Time 15 15

Servings servings

Calories 140kcal

Author Beth Neels

Cost $3

Equipment

Ingredients

For brine

water
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt
1 clove garlic
½ orange

For rub

2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 whole pheasant breasts or one whole pheasant

Instructions

For brining

Smash garlic with side of your knife. Place the garlic on a board. Lay your knife with the wide part down on top of the clove. Hold the knife with one hand. Then punch down the side of the knife with the palm of you other hand.
1 clove garlic
Place the salt, sugar and garlic cloves in a small saucepan.
2 tablespoons Sugar, 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt
Add 2 cups of water. Heat the water until sugar and salt have dissolved.
water
Squeeze the juice from the orange.
½ orange
Cool off brine. Adding ice will speed up this process.
Place pheasant in a large enough container to hold it. Pour brine and orange juice over the top. Add the rind of the orange too. If meat isn't covered, add enough cold water to cover.
2 whole pheasant breasts or one whole pheasant
Place lid on the container. Let pheasant sit in the brine overnight in the refrigerator.

For Smoking

Grate orange zest.
Measure rub ingredients. Add to a bowl or covered container. Shake or mix well. Break up the orange zest if it clumps up with your fingers.
2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 1 tablespoons orange zest, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Remove meat from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels.
Rub the dry rub ingredients all over the meat. Inside and outside.
Optional - Wrap with 2 slices of bacon.
Add wood chips. Adjust vents. Preheat smoker to 200°F / 95°C.
Place pheasant directly on smoker rack. Insert instant read thermometer into thickest part of meat. If you're smoking the bird whole, place it in the thickest part of the thigh.
Smoke for about 3 hours until meat measures 160°F / 70°C.
Remove from smoker. Tent with a piece of aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. In the first 5 minutes, the temperature will rise to 165°F / 75°C.

Notes

Be sure to let the meat rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

How to serve it

Slice and serve for dinner with potatoes or rice and side salad with blackberry vinaigrette.
Serve with smoked potatoes wedges and cole slaw or citrus salsa.
Cut into chunks and add it to our smoked mac and cheese.
Slice and serve on charcuterie boards or grazing platters.
Slice it and serve leftovers in sandwiches or chef salads.
Make pheasant tacos with leftovers.

What wood to smoke with

We prefer a mild wood for smoking birds and fish. The fruit woods work great. Apple, cherry, pecan wood. We find more heavy woods like oak, hickory and mesquite overpower the subtle flavor of the meat.

Nutrition