How to cook pheasant you hunted, plus a recipe for pheasant pie | Food

Pheasant hunting culture has been strong for generations in Pennsylvania — but especially in Lancaster County. Whether from a family member or an old timer at the game lands parking lot, you’ve likely heard about the glory days of the mid-20th century hunting pheasants along the hedgerows and farm fences. There’s even a rumor of Bing Crosby filming an episode of “The American Sportsman” while hunting pheasants here, although the episode eludes present-day searches.

As with most aspects of life though, the only constant is change. As new buildings replace old farms and farmers have to get more out of their land to pay the bills, habitat for wildlife is carved, molded and sadly sometimes lost. Most attribute this loss of nesting habitat to the loss of a standing population of pheasants to chase.

Despite that, the Pennsylvania Game Commission continued to breathe air into the coals of tradition by releasing pheasants for fair chase on state game lands and other public access areas. In 2017, the commission began requiring hunters to purchase a controversial $25 pheasant hunting stamp to help cover the cost of the birds. Participation was expected to drop as a result; instead, it’s increased.

“For the overall 2022-23 season we are projecting a release of approximately 229,000 pheasants, up from around 221,000 in each of the previous two years,” says Bryan Burhans, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Not only has the game commission put more birds out during the regular season, but in 2021, they also began putting birds out later in the season.

Pheasant hunting is considered less daunting than other pursuits for game. Hunters usually use shotguns, casually walking through tall grass or vegetation. If working with dogs, hunters can follow the dogs as they work through a hedgerow or field. Both methods are with the intent of getting a hidden pheasant to fly quickly or “flush” out of their cover. Once the bird is airborne, hunters can attempt to take it safely and swiftly, with hopes of a fresh bird for their dinner table.

A taste for the hunt

In recent years, more adults are showing an interest in hunting despite not participating in it as a youth. Pursuing pheasants can be a great way to introduce someone to hunting safely without the difficult elements and skills required for big game hunting.

On Oct. 22, the Pennsylvania chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers helped to mentor several adults from eastern Pennsylvania on one of their first hunts with a pheasant hunt at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. The hunt was part of the chapter’s “Take 2” program, which challenges the Pennsylvania chapter’s members to take two adults interested in the outdoors on a hike, hunt or fishing trip throughout the year.

Adam Eckley, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Pennsylvania chapter board member, organized the event.

“Small game hunts, especially with the excitement of a flushing pheasant, are a great way to get just about anyone addicted to the outdoors,” Eckley said. “They’re fun, relatively easy to hunt, and are an absolute delicacy on the table.”

The mentees enjoyed success — both in the field, and in the kitchen.

“One hunter prepared a delightful rendition of General Tso’s Chicken,” Eckley said. “For myself, I typically opt for a more basic dish — sometimes roasted whole or in tacos, a big hit with my school-age sons.”

Pheasant preparation can be a bit of a debate among pheasant hunters. Many will remove the breast meat and discard the remainder. Breast meat is easy to access, and some believe pheasant thighs and legs don’t offer meat to warrant the effort of removing it.

Most experienced bird hunters will agree, though, that if you shoot and take a bird, you should make every effort to cook and eat all of its edible meat. Seared and slow-cooked, pheasant thighs and legs can add a variety of dishes for you and your family to enjoy. Pulled pheasant barbecue, pheasant pie, and pheasant rillette are some great dishes to start with.

Where to start

If you’re unsure how to remove the leg and thigh meat, remember this: A pheasant’s anatomy isn’t different from that of a $6 rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. You can use this easy, affordable way to practice removing cuts from your game bird.

Pheasant meat will dry out more quickly than a chicken’s leg and thigh meat, so slow-roasted recipes are a better place to start your journey. From there, you can move on to grilling or roasting your pheasants.

Start your preparation by removing the wings, entrails, feet and head. Plucking an entire pheasant can be tricky, so feel free to pluck just enough feathers from the breast area to make an incision at the sternum and peel away the skin. From there, you can peel away the skin with the feathers attached from the rest of the bird.

This should leave you with a whole pheasant ready for you to separate the breasts, legs, and thighs for cooking. A sharp 5-inch boning knife or a good set of kitchen shears will go far in helping you with all aspects of the cleaning and butchering process.

If you decide to take up pheasant hunting for an additional outdoor experience to procure different ingredients for your kitchen, as with all hunting pursuits, do it safely. Things can get confusing when birds surprise you, and with dogs running around public land, you never want to shoot at a pheasant on the ground. If you’re not absolutely certain you can take a safe shot, the best option is not to shoot.

Farm-raised pheasants can also be purchased year-round from some retailers if you would like to try pheasant meat for the first time and consider the pursuit for next season.

Many hunters will agree: The memories made in the field, and around the dinner table, are the rewards of an experience that can bring you back season after season.

PHEASANT PIE

By Brandon Rapp. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped onion
• Breast, thigh, and leg meat of one pheasant, brined in salt water (2 tablespoons of Kosher salt in 1 quart of water)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 stick of butter
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon dried Summer Savory spice
• Black Pepper to taste
• Puff pastry for the crust on top, or your favorite pie crust

Directions:

1. Rinse your brined pheasant under cold running water removing any feathers, coagulated blood or shot BBs, then pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Sear the thigh and leg meat in oil with a high smoke point or ghee. Deglaze the pan with wine or chicken stock, then add 1 cup of chicken stock and boil for 2 hours in a Dutch oven or 3 to 4 hours in a slow cooker on low. Let the meat cool and remove it from the bones, paying attention to smaller bones. Set the meat aside for later.

3. In a frying pan, melt butter and sear both pheasant breasts on high heat, cooking almost completely, but still soft to the touch. Cut into bite-size chunks and set aside. If a bird dog helped you get the pheasant, cook a few pieces through and give it to them as their share.

4. In a large pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add celery, onions, and carrots, and cook until soft.

5. Add your flour one tablespoon at a time until the mixture thickens to a consistency like raw dough. You may not need all of the flour.

6. Add the cooking liquid from the pheasant thighs and legs and the remainder of the chicken stock, a little at a time, on high heat until it begins to resemble gravy. You might not need the entire 2 cups of chicken stock, depending on how thick you prefer your gravy.

7. Add your pheasant breast meat to the gravy mixture with your pulled pheasant leg and thigh meat. Stir it all together with pepper and dried Summer Savory. Be cautious about adding more salt to the mixture, as your pheasant meat should already be salty from the brine.

8. Add your mixture to a greased baking dish, then top with puff pastry. You can also use a traditional pie shell and top it with a pie crust. In either case, don’t forget to poke a few holes in the top with a fork for ventilation.

9. Paint an egg wash (mixed egg and water) onto the top of the pie’s crust. You probably won’t use all of the egg wash, refrigerate the remainder to cook for tomorrow’s breakfast.

10. Bake the pie at 400 F for 10-15 minutes until your puff pastry has “puffed” and is golden brown. Keep a watchful eye; extra time may be required.

11. Enjoy the pie with mashed potatoes, your favorite seasonal vegetables and cranberry sauce. Be careful when chewing in case any missed bones or shot BBs made their way into the pie.