This Smoked Pheasant has a mildly smoky flavor and it stays so juicy and tender! Lots of serving suggestions included.
What are Ring Necked Pheasants?
Ring necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are an introduced game bird that was imported from Asia. They are released by Federal or State funded conservation departments specifically for game hunting.
Males are brightly colored with a red face and iridescent blue/ green neck with a distinct white ring. Hence the common name.
We used to have a tons of pheasants around us. The sad thing is that the farmers who own the orchards were allowed to throw treated corn in their orchards to control rodent populations. Unfortunately, the birds also ate the corn and populations have really been depleted.
So when we bag a pheasant, the recipes we make have to be incredibly delicious! Smoking the pheasant is a great way to retain the moisture and end up with a juicy, succulent product every time.
Pheasants have very little fat so brining them helps them to retain moisture and adds incredible flavor.
What you need
For the brine
- water
- sugar
- kosher salt
- clove of garlic
For the spice rub
- onion powder
- celery seed
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- orange zest
- brown sugar
- pheasant breast
- bacon – optional but tasty
How to make it
For the brining
We use a wet brine for this recipe. You could use a dry brine as well. Just rub the meat well with the rub ingredients and place on a cooling rack in the fridge overnight.
Step One
Smash garlic cloves with the side of your knife.
See recipe below for safety tips.
Step Two
Add salt and sugar to a small pot with garlic.
Step Three
Add water. Heat until salt and sugar are dissolved.
Step Four
Squeeze juice from orange.
Step Five
Cool down the brine. Add ice to speed up the process.
Step Six
Place pheasants in a glass bowl or plastic container. Pour brine over. Add orange rinds. Add enough cold water to cover.
Place the lid on the container. Let the pheasant sit in the brine overnight in the refrigerator.
For smoking
Step Seven
Grate orange zest.
Step Eight
Measure all ingredients. Place in plastic container with lid.
Step Nine
Shake container to combine. Break up zest, if it clumps with your fingers.
Step Ten
Take the pheasant out of the fridge. Remove breasts from brine. Pat dry with paper towels.
Step Eleven
Optional step. After rubbing the breasts, wrap in bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
Preheat smoker to 200°F / 95°C. Add wood chips or pellets. Adjust vents.
Step Twelve
Place pheasant on smoker racks. Insert an instant read meat thermometer into thickest part.
If doing a whole bird, place thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh.
Smoke pheasant for about 3 hours, until internal temperature reads 160°F / 70°C. Remove from smoker. Tent with a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. During that time the internal temperature should raise to 165°F / 75°C.
How to serve smoked pheasant
- 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.
- Add to chilis, soups or stews for an additional smoky flavor.
- Make pheasant tacos with leftovers.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers will last 3-5 days refrigerated. For longer storage, vacuum seal and freeze up to 6 months.
What wood chips or pellets to use
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.
What if I don’t own a smoker?
If you don’t own a smoker, you can still enjoy smoked meats. You can use your grill to smoke. Set up your grill so that the fire is only on one side. You will place the meat or vegetable on the side of the grill that does not have the direct flame (indirect heat). This is called indirect cooking.
Add soaked wood to a metal tray (we use a disposable foil pie plate or bread pan). Add another metal tray with water. Place water and wood chips on the side of the grill with the fire. Remember to fill the water if it runs out.
You can also create a similar setup for your oven in a pinch or in the winter.
More recipes for your smoker
- Smoked NY Strip Loin
- Venison Brisket
- Beef Brisket
- Smoked Oysters
- Smoked Catfish or Bullhead
- Venison Summer Sausage
- Smoked Chicken Wings
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Smoked Pheasant
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.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Originally published June 16, 2022.
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MJ
We don’t own a smoker so I really appreciate your tips for smoking pheasant using our grill. Turned out wonderful! Thank you!
Beth Neels
I’m so glad that you liked it MJ! We smoked on the grill for years before we got a smoker.
Jim Peters
Smoking time of 3 hours seems very excessive. Should be more like 45 minutes to 1 hour at 225*. We are talking about pheasant breasts not whole bird? Thoughts?
Beth Neels
It depends on the size of your breasts. We smoke at 200° F. It usually takes about 3 hours. These were wild cocks. They were pretty large. Just take them to 160°F and then let them rest to come up to temperature. Always go by internal temperature, not time.
Biana
Smoked pheasant looks delicious. All the spices that you are using will add tons of flavor.
Beth Neels
Yes. It’s very flavorful. Thanks for checking out the recipe Biana!
Colleen
I’ve only had pheasant at a restaurant. Now I hope I can find some because this recipe looks delicious!
Beth Neels
If you can’t source any locally there are online sources to obtain farmed birds.
Claudia Lamascolo
This is a great recipe, I finally order this online and found this recipe everyone raved about it smoke so glad we did it was our first time eating pheasant and loved it
Beth Neels
I’m so glad you all liked it Claudia. Thanks for letting me know.
Jamie
This was so juicy and tender and I loved the flavor of the orange zest in the rub. My family loved it!
Beth Neels
Oh. Great! I’m so glad you liked it Jamie! We love the citrus in the rub.