Pheasant

bouicca21

Calling country folk!  I’ve been given a pheasant.  I think it was killed yesterday.  I need to pluck it and prepare for cooking.

Do I pluck, then hang it or hang first? And how long should it hang?   I’m a city person, never dealt with one that didn’t come from a supermarket…

On-the-coast

Hanging… 
traditionally for a couple of weeks somewhere cool.  Supposed to improve texture and flavour as the meat decomposes.  

My family thought this was madness and always plucked and removed entrails as soon as practical. Always tastes good to me that way.

jackieblack

Another here who's never bothered hanging...
just pluck and draw
Some people then soak the bird in brine or milk, but I've never bothered with that either

Brie

I heard of one person who claimed it was best to hang the whole bird up by it's tail feathers and wait until it fell to the ground, so more than a couple of weeks at the very least!!  I'm all for plucking and gutting immediately. 

The alternative is to freeze the bird whole and when you are ready to use it take it out of the freezer and once it's started to thaw you peel the skin off which means you don't have the fuss of plucking.  Obviously this is fine if you are planning on using it in a pie rather than for roasting.  You let it thaw some more and then you can strip the meat from the bones fairly easily. 

flaneurs_lobster

Hang for 5-7 days says Clarissa Dickson Wright who knew about these things. Keep the feathers on, guts in, helps keep it moist. Hang from the neck.

It's game, you want it to taste (at least a little) gamey, otherwise you might as well be eating supermarket chicken.

Problem you might have (as a townie) is having somewhere to hang it, modern urban dwellings are often built without a game larder. Needs cool but not draughty, shed or garage might do it.

bouicca21

A game larder? My bit of suburban London is not quite that upmarket.  I have a garage but it’s damp and has visiting rats.  The kitchen is quite warm.  Maybe pluck and gut and put in the fridge for a week? 

And actually I have a brace - a !!!!!! pheasant and his missus.  I’m assuming that shooting sessions (or what ever they are called) are designed to kill youngish birds, though the !!!!!! is in full adult plumage.  Can he be roasted or is he best casseroled? 

alicef

one of my favourite recipes for pheasant is this Delia one....

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/seasons/what-should-you-be-cooking-in-january/pot-roast-of-pheasant-with-shallots-and-caramelised-apples

Brie

lots of youtube videos on how to do the plucking!

Whitefiver

Our neighbour, who used to occasionally shoot, used to cut the breasts off and remove the skin and feathers from those. He reckoned that was all that was really worth eating. You don't need to worry about plucking then either.

On-the-coast

bouicca21 said:

A game larder? My bit of suburban London is not quite that upmarket.  I have a garage but it’s damp and has visiting rats.  The kitchen is quite warm.  Maybe pluck and gut and put in the fridge for a week? 

And actually I have a brace - a !!!!!! pheasant and his missus.  I’m assuming that shooting sessions (or what ever they are called) are designed to kill youngish birds, though the !!!!!! is in full adult plumage.  Can he be roasted or is he best casseroled? 

They will both most likely be this season’s adults. Hatched in the spring and “harvested” between October & February. 

Very occasionally a wily old bird will make it through to season 2. 

Just roast like a chicken. No need to casserole. There’s a good amount of meat on a pheasant so breast only is a bit wasteful. Pigeons OTOH aren’t worth the trouble of whole bird. 

Be prepared to spit out the odd bit of shot. 

Floss

I would hang for 3 or 4 days somewhere cool like a garage. It will allow the fibres to relax and make for easier plucking.

For plucking, sit on the second stair from the bottom with a black bin bag open over your knees. Lie the bird across your knees  with the bag below to catch the feathers. Pluck in the same direction the feathers lie but being careful not to rip the skin. Once you've got the hang of it they will come out easily in clumps.

Once plucked, it can be drawn (I can't help on that as the ex did that bit!) then roasted, casseroled or made into a pie or curry.