preparing fresh pheasant
Discussion
My sons friends shot a pheasant (on their own land). and they brought it me as a gift.
currently its hanging in the garden from a hanging basket hook whilst i find out what to do with it.
I understand that game is hung for a few days.
how long and then it needs plucking, and gutting.
any tips on how safe it is to hang or should i just pluck and gut it now.
got over the squeamish bit now.
not sure i want to eat it after i have fiddled with it though.
suspect the neighbours will think i am a tad barking. swapping my daffodils en basket for an upside down dead bird.
:lol:
currently its hanging in the garden from a hanging basket hook whilst i find out what to do with it.
I understand that game is hung for a few days.
how long and then it needs plucking, and gutting.
any tips on how safe it is to hang or should i just pluck and gut it now.
got over the squeamish bit now.
not sure i want to eat it after i have fiddled with it though.
suspect the neighbours will think i am a tad barking. swapping my daffodils en basket for an upside down dead bird.
:lol:
jessica said:
My sons friends shot a pheasant (on their own land). and they brought it me as a gift.
currently its hanging in the garden from a hanging basket hook whilst i find out what to do with it.
I understand that game is hung for a few days.
how long and then it needs plucking, and gutting.
any tips on how safe it is to hang or should i just pluck and gut it now.
got over the squeamish bit now.
not sure i want to eat it after i have fiddled with it though.
suspect the neighbours will think i am a tad barking. swapping my daffodils en basket for an upside down dead bird.
:lol:
If it's been hanging from 31st January (last day of the season) it may not be too good to eat.currently its hanging in the garden from a hanging basket hook whilst i find out what to do with it.
I understand that game is hung for a few days.
how long and then it needs plucking, and gutting.
any tips on how safe it is to hang or should i just pluck and gut it now.
got over the squeamish bit now.
not sure i want to eat it after i have fiddled with it though.
suspect the neighbours will think i am a tad barking. swapping my daffodils en basket for an upside down dead bird.
:lol:
Hi Jess.
Hanging is a matter of taste - personally I don't hand pheasants for long. Some people like 'em really high - several days - but I prefer mine "fresher".
The easiest way to prepare the thing for cooking is first to pluck it neatly, then chop off its head and neck with a chopper/big knife and discard it.
Then you snip the skin around its arse opening up the body cavity and pull the guts out. Discard the lot IMO. This is the only "icky" bit and it's over reasonably quickly if you are determined. A hot tip is to use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the insides - the serrated edge around the tip is great for scraping out the nooks and crannies.
The key thing is to get the guts out all in one go and quickly so it doesn't taint the meat.
Wash it thoroughly with cold water - actually run a tap through the hole in it's neck through the body until it stops running red.
After that? Wrap in bacon and roast!
Good luck. Don't waste it. The "icky" bit really isn't too bad and the meat is delicious with some game chips (wedges to you and me) and perhaps some asparagus and fine beans...
Hanging is a matter of taste - personally I don't hand pheasants for long. Some people like 'em really high - several days - but I prefer mine "fresher".
The easiest way to prepare the thing for cooking is first to pluck it neatly, then chop off its head and neck with a chopper/big knife and discard it.
Then you snip the skin around its arse opening up the body cavity and pull the guts out. Discard the lot IMO. This is the only "icky" bit and it's over reasonably quickly if you are determined. A hot tip is to use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the insides - the serrated edge around the tip is great for scraping out the nooks and crannies.
The key thing is to get the guts out all in one go and quickly so it doesn't taint the meat.
Wash it thoroughly with cold water - actually run a tap through the hole in it's neck through the body until it stops running red.
After that? Wrap in bacon and roast!
Good luck. Don't waste it. The "icky" bit really isn't too bad and the meat is delicious with some game chips (wedges to you and me) and perhaps some asparagus and fine beans...
Edited by Don on Sunday 9th March 18:57
Whenever we had it gewing up, my mother used to hang it until the tail feathers came out with a gentle tug. This is about right for my tastes. The next two stages in judging maturity - waiting until the tail feathers fall out of their own accord and then waiting until the first maggot are a bit too much imo!!! 
Don said:
Hi Jess.
Hanging is a matter of taste - personally I don't hand pheasants for long. Some people like 'em really high - several days - but I prefer mine "fresher".
The easiest way to prepare the thing for cooking is first to pluck it neatly, then chop off its head and neck with a chopper/big knife and discard it.
Then you snip the skin around its arse opening up the body cavity and pull the guts out. Discard the lot IMO. This is the only "icky" bit and it's over reasonably quickly if you are determined. A hot tip is to use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the insides - the serrated edge around the tip is great for scraping out the nooks and crannies.
The key thing is to get the guts out all in one go and quickly so it doesn't taint the meat.
Wash it thoroughly with cold water - actually run a tap through the hole in it's neck through the body until it stops running red.
After that? Wrap in bacon and roast!
Good luck. Don't waste it. The "icky" bit really isn't too bad and the meat is delicious with some game chips (wedges to you and me) and perhaps some asparagus and fine beans...
Thanks Don, Hanging is a matter of taste - personally I don't hand pheasants for long. Some people like 'em really high - several days - but I prefer mine "fresher".
The easiest way to prepare the thing for cooking is first to pluck it neatly, then chop off its head and neck with a chopper/big knife and discard it.
Then you snip the skin around its arse opening up the body cavity and pull the guts out. Discard the lot IMO. This is the only "icky" bit and it's over reasonably quickly if you are determined. A hot tip is to use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the insides - the serrated edge around the tip is great for scraping out the nooks and crannies.
The key thing is to get the guts out all in one go and quickly so it doesn't taint the meat.
Wash it thoroughly with cold water - actually run a tap through the hole in it's neck through the body until it stops running red.
After that? Wrap in bacon and roast!
Good luck. Don't waste it. The "icky" bit really isn't too bad and the meat is delicious with some game chips (wedges to you and me) and perhaps some asparagus and fine beans...
Edited by Don on Sunday 9th March 18:57
it look macabre at the mo on my hanging basket hook. I have just re hund from the neck and i will de gut it tomorrow. after de feathering.
wont be wasted really looking forward to eating it. love pheasant.
deffo fresh it was still warm when it arrived.
just going into mortis now.
I used to work in an anatomy department so gore and icky bits are my speciality.
ahhh, brings back memories of me and my brother plucking pheasants in the garage when we were kids!
Chopping the feet off with a pair of garden secateurs always made my toes curl!
We were sort of "made" to do it, not really a barrel of laughs but thinking about it now a pretty good education on "where food comes from"!
eta
watch your teeth for any bits of shot that might still be in the bird! crowns are expensive these days!
Chopping the feet off with a pair of garden secateurs always made my toes curl!
We were sort of "made" to do it, not really a barrel of laughs but thinking about it now a pretty good education on "where food comes from"!
eta
watch your teeth for any bits of shot that might still be in the bird! crowns are expensive these days!
Edited by davido140 on Sunday 9th March 23:09
Hey Guys!.
I did it took ages to pluck. once it was naked it was a tad easier to fiddle with innards.
my bloke helped me and we did it together.
jointed and in the freezer. I promised the boys that caught it I would make them a lunch with it. So I am going to make pheasant cassorole, then i can heat it up from frozen and repay the favour.
I did it took ages to pluck. once it was naked it was a tad easier to fiddle with innards.
my bloke helped me and we did it together.
jointed and in the freezer. I promised the boys that caught it I would make them a lunch with it. So I am going to make pheasant cassorole, then i can heat it up from frozen and repay the favour.
jessica said:
Hey Guys!.
I did it took ages to pluck. once it was naked it was a tad easier to fiddle with innards.
my bloke helped me and we did it together.
jointed and in the freezer. I promised the boys that caught it I would make them a lunch with it. So I am going to make pheasant cassorole, then i can heat it up from frozen and repay the favour.
Nice one. I did it took ages to pluck. once it was naked it was a tad easier to fiddle with innards.
my bloke helped me and we did it together.
jointed and in the freezer. I promised the boys that caught it I would make them a lunch with it. So I am going to make pheasant cassorole, then i can heat it up from frozen and repay the favour.
Enjoy...although if it's only the one pheasant you'll be stretching it out to make lunch for more than two...Our local farm shop had a game "sale" a week or two back and I have five pheasants and five partridges in the freezer. Yum. Wonderful in the summer when no-one else has 'em. Partridge on the BBQ ohhhh yeahhh.
Easiest way to prepare a pheasant is -
Bird on floor. Straddle with one foot on each wing. Grab the legs. Firmly but smoothly pull the legs upwards.
This will sort of turn the bird inside out removing the skin. Leaves you with a carcass which you simply cut off the breasts and throw the rest away.
This is not a joke I've seen it done in my local. Lot of waste though, but we get loads given to us in my local.
Bird on floor. Straddle with one foot on each wing. Grab the legs. Firmly but smoothly pull the legs upwards.
This will sort of turn the bird inside out removing the skin. Leaves you with a carcass which you simply cut off the breasts and throw the rest away.
This is not a joke I've seen it done in my local. Lot of waste though, but we get loads given to us in my local.
dickymint said:
jessica said:
Furyous said:
Shot out of season surely ?
Dont mean to be a kill joy, but game has seasons for its own good.
I agree, but as they are teenagers(obviously had no idea) and they did the deed. better than just leaving it to rot. Dont mean to be a kill joy, but game has seasons for its own good.
who'd have them.feel like a cross between a taxi and bank these days.
4 teenagers.............
on working on it.
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