Serious Efforts: Shredded Pheasant?
My mission: to create pheasant enchilidas (or similar pheasant-based dishes) that are not horribly dry or full of lead shot.
Because I'm not a big wild game fan, I've been putting off use of several pheasants in our freezer. This hurts DH's feelings, so I've been mulling over a couple of new ideas.
I'm thinking about throwing a couple breasts in the crock-pot, keeping them covered with liquid (broth? water?) and cooking them through. After they've cooled, my plan is to shred them, thus eliminating my fear of consuming (or biting down on) any tiny pieces of lead shot.
Has anyone cooked pheasant (or other game birds) this way? Any other suggestions/tips/recipes are greatly appreciated!
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4 Comments:
Yup, your idea will work perfectly! I would use chicken broth and spice it up a bit with garlic, peppers, cumin etc.
Shelby947 at 1:17PM on 01/22/09
Is the shot actually lead? If so, I'd remove it before cooking...I don't know if lead would leach into the food when heated, but I wouldn't want to take the chance.
akk328 at 1:29PM on 01/22/09
Yes, the shot is at least partially lead. Though every effort is taken to remove the shot when the birds were cleaned and breasted, there's still the occassional one or two tiny pieces that might get missed.
thehostess at 3:08PM on 01/22/09
This recipe is from a friend of mine in Texas who is a big hunter and his wife an excellent game cook. She has to be. I've eaten this and it's quite good. When I ate it, it was shredded and we stood at the counter dipping it into the sauce and wrapping it in corn tortillas.
Sherry Duck
1. 1 quart of dry sherry
2. ½ cup vegetable oil
3. 2 cups water
4. ¼ cup butter
5. 1 teaspoon cayene pepper
6. 2 teaspoons white pepper
7. 2 table spoons parsley flakes
8. 8 ounces onion juice
9. 8 wild ducks (preferrably on carcass and skinned)(DO NOT use diving ducks as they will be greasy and smell fishy)(Use “puddle ducks” – mallards, gadwalls, widgeons, teal) Can also use geese or venison.
10. 8 bay leaves
11. 2 large or 4 medium onions
12. Season salt to taste
Combine first eight ingredients in large sauce pan and heat. Insert one bay leaf and ¼ of onion into body cavity of each duck. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place ducks breast down in roast pan and pour ½ of sauce pan ingredients over ducks. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until tender (about 2 hours.) Reheat remaining sherry sauce and pour over ducks and let stand in fridge overnight. Reheat 30 minutes and serve with wild rice.
I also, just last week made the mulled wine syrup from the serious eats home page for a friend who just got back from Canada after a goose hunting trip. I used 2 bottles of cabernet, sugar, cinnamon stick, a piece of vanilla bean, 1 star anise and some chili flakes.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:42PM on 01/22/09