How to Cook Smoked Pheasant
- 1). Pour 1 qt. cold water into a large bucket and add the 3 tbsp. of salt. Add the pheasant breasts and leave to soak overnight but no longer than eight hours. Brining adds much needed moisture into the pheasants.
- 2). Remove the pheasant breasts from the brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- 3). Create a seasoning mix of your choice to season the pheasants.
- 4). Stretch the skin from the chicken quarters around the pheasant breasts and secure with toothpicks. The fat from the chicken skin will help keep the pheasants moist.
- 5). Dust the covered pheasants with more seasoning.
- 6). Prepare your smoker by adding the charcoal and flavored wood of your choice heating to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The type of wood you choose will add flavor to the meat, such as oak, mesquite, cherry or apple.
- 7). Add the pheasants to the smoker, cover and allow the pheasants to cook for four to six hours, stoking the fire periodically to maintain the heat level. The pheasant must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 8). Remove the pheasants from the heat and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the birds to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with or without the chicken skin.
