Tenderizing pheasant

[a-cut-above]

A friend who hunts gave me about 3-4 pounds of pheasant. The last time I cooked pheasant in a stew it was too tough. (I know it's game; I don't expect it to be soft like commercially bought chicken). Does anyone have any tenderizing tricks? Either specific tenderizing tips or recipes with the same result are fine.

[ShadowsDad]

If it was tough I would braise it. Think old time fricassee; specifically that. Not todays fricassee for a bird that's already tender on the day it died ( at 6 weeks [or whatever age] ). The braise would proceed the same as a "modern" fricassee, except it would braise for much longer. An alternative method would be the same fricassee, but instead of a lengthy braise, instead pressure cook it. I can't tell you how long to pressure cook it but maybe google can.

To test for doneness you could put bite marks in a piece, or just use a fork.

OK, what I do when I have a tough old bird I piece it out, then brown it in good shape. The browning will set the final flavor, so don't merely turn the flesh white. You want the skin and any flesh touching the pan to actually turn golden. Then I remove the browned pieces from the pan, and put them into a dutch oven or large saucepan. Add water to the sauet pan to loosebn and remove the browned bits from the pan; add that liquid to the chicken pieces. Add enough to cover the densely packed pieces. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a time. Check with a fork to see if it easily penetrates. When it does the meat is tender. Use the simmer liquid and the browned bits to make a gravy. That's old time fricasse. Unless you use a pressure cooker it could take hours. It's not something you decide to do at 4:30 to eat at 5:00. It won't hurt to get it started early in the day, and hold over on top of the stove until 5:00. You'll have plenty of gravy, so plan on serving it over noodles, rice, or have fresh bread, yeast rolls, or even bisquits to sop it up. It's not fancy, but it sure is delicious. Oh, almost forgot, I use a white roux to thicken the gravy. It the roux browns slightly (golden) that's OK, it just adds flavor and a rich color.

Good luck.

[a-cut-above]

Brian,
Thanks for the advice. I don't mind the long time required. I'll give it a try. We have the perfect large old cast iron skillet.
Regards.
Dave

[ShadowsDad]

Let me know how it works out for you. FWIW, my mom was a great cook and I think she could turn a boot into something edible. She'd get, quite literally, tough old birds, old layers, and fricassee them and they were truly delicious and tender done that way. That's how I learned it. Don't forget to season it before serving.

[drmoss_ca]

The traditional approach in the UK is to hang the pheasant for three days. You have to find somewhere with good ventilation, and no flies. Gut the bird first, but don't pluck. Stand by for the nasty part—after three days the pheasant's skin should have a greenish sheen in places, and the skin may tear easily as you pluck the bird. Remove all the maggots as nowhere is really free from flies. Sniff the "high" scent of the flesh, sling it over the hedge and look in the freezer for something to eat. That's how I used to do it in Wales.

What I would do now is to parboil it for an hour before roasting/baking. Were I to have a pheasant. We had a family of seven in the garden last winter, but shooting anything that the boss might find out about is verboten.

Chris

[Squire]

Place the cleaned bird in a stockpot with enough water to cover. Add whatever seasonings you wish then simmer until tender, discard the bones and birdshot, chop meat finely and use in other dishes.

[drmoss_ca]

Here's an interesting way of tenderising an, umm, unconventional meat.

Chris

[ShadowsDad]

Yummmm! Makes me want to sit down for a meal.

[brothers]

Gammon I guess would be the largest muscles, shoulder or butt maybe?

[Squire]

Sauerbraten badger, well, why not.

[mrscruff]

I've never had a tough pheasant. mmm However, soak the bird in cider vinegar for an hour , pat dry. Then cook how ever you please. Prbably in a pot, brown it, add veg, cup of wine, pepper, thyme, garlic buds, fennel tops, kosher salt, and some love ! stir, Put the lid on and wait for goodness. Serve with egg noodles , a little butter.