Pheasant Poppers & A Trio of Flavored Coatings
 | Author:
Eileen Clarke - Rifles and Recipes
Author: Rifles and Recipes |
Pheasant Poppers & A Trio of Flavored Coatings
While these poppers are juicy, tender and delicious with no dip (or with a low-cal chili sauce or ketchup) my preference is to dip them in creamy ranch dressing. Heat lovers may want to add a few drops of Tabasco sauce to the beaten egg with the Mexican version; perhaps a bit of red pepper flakes in the Italian.
Don’t think pheasant is tender? We age all our birds until the feathers pluck easily, about 7 days, which is about the same time they’re as tender as they’re going to get, but some birds just aren’t cooperative. A 24-48-hour brine will fix that. Mix 1 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a re-sealable baggie, add the cut-up meat and refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook. Then pour off the brine and lightly dry the meat before dredging. It won’t be salty. And if you are making a bigger batch than here, add more cold water.
Have a problem with gluten? The best fried calamari I ever had was at Mario Batali’s Las Vegas restaurant, and they were dredged in almond flour, not wheat flour. It made a light, crisp, amazing coating on the calamari.
Ingredients
For the pheasant:
8 ounces (1/3 cups) pheasant breast in bite-sized pieces (about 1” cubes)
Peanut or canola oil
1 cup flour
1 egg beaten
Ranch dressing
For Italian-flavored coating:
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons dry leaf basil
2 teaspoons dry leaf thyme
3 tablespoons dry onion flakes
4 teaspoons salt
For Curry flavored coating:
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
For Mexican flavored coating:
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons dry leaf oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Preparation & Cooking
Let the pheasant meat come to room temperature. Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 350-375°F. In a small bowl, mix one of the seasoned breadcrumb mixes. Set it aside. Put the egg in a second bowl and the flour in a third.
Starting with the flour, followed by the egg and the bread crumbs, dredge, dip and dredge the pheasant bites. Fry in small batches until deep golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from the fryer and drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately as an appetizer or snack with creamy ranch dressing, chili sauce, salsa mixed with sour cream, or plain.
This is a recipe from Eileen’s Upland Game Bird Cookery book, originally published by Ducks Unlimited with 100 upland game bird recipes from tiny quail and ruffed grouse to big noisy gobblers. It’s available at Eileen’s website, along with her other wild game cookbooks: https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/406-521-0273.
Eileen Clarke https://www.riflesandrecipes.com 406-521-0273
