Smoked Pheasant with Honey BBQ Glaze

Jump to Recipe

There's something special about cooking and serving a whole bird. This whole smoked pheasant is a showstopper when it comes to beautiful table fare. It's juicy and sweet from the honey glaze with just the right amount of smoky flavor. Give it a try today!

Jump to:

Why This Recipe Works:
Ingredient Notes:
Equipment Notes:
Step-by-Step Instructions:
How to Brine Pheasant:
How To Smoke Pheasant:
Putting it All Together:
Recipe FAQ's:
Other Pheasant Recipes to Try:
Did you try this recipe?
Recipe:
Smoked Pheasant with BBQ Glaze
Comments

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Featured Comment:

"This glaze /sauce was absolutely delicious and the pheasants were so tender and juicy. Barbecuing again today, and going to make extra sauce to heat up at the end to serve with jacket potatoes and steamed veggies. Drooling at the thought of it already 🤤"

- Nikki

Why This Recipe Works:

Pheasants are like the chickens of the game bird world so they're great for smoking. The smoky flavor pairs beautifully with the earthy flavor of the pheasant. The honey BBQ glaze adds a delicious sweet and tangy flavor to the meat. It's a beautiful centerpiece for any meal! Looking for another stunning whole bird recipe? Try this grilled chukar with plum sauce!

If you're looking for other tasty ways to prepare pheasant try this Spicy Indian Butter Pheasant or Classic Pheasant Noodle Soup!

Ingredient Notes:

smoked pheasant ingredients with labels.

Pheasant: This recipe uses a plucked whole wild pheasant. You can use other upland game birds or cornish hens as well.
Fresh Thyme: Fresh rosemary can be used in place of fresh thyme. You can also omit the herbs altogether, but they add a nice subtle flavor to the brine.
Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is often used for brining because it doesn't have any additives and its flaky texture dissolves easily in water. But, you can use regular salt instead.
Cherry Smoking Chips: This recipe uses cherry wood for smoking but you can use other hardwoods like apple, hickory, etc.

Equipment Notes:

Kitchen Shears: A good set of kitchen shears is essential for spatchcocking birds. You could do it with a knife, but it would be very difficult.
Wooden Skewers: Wooden skewers are helpful for keeping spatchcocked birds flat during the cooking process, but they aren't essential.
Smoker: This recipe uses an electric smoker, but you can use a charcoal smoker or pellet grill instead.
Meat Thermometer: A good meat thermometer is an essential tool for any meat recipe. If your smoker doesn't have a built-in probe, you'll need an external thermometer. I like to use the Thermapen ONE digital thermometer but there are a lot of great options out there.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

How To Spatchcock Pheasant:

Spatchcocking is a classic poultry preparation technique that is used to cook a bird more evenly. Essentially, the backbone is removed and the bird is flattened to create a more even cooking surface. This can be done on any size bird, from doves to turkeys.

cutting along backbone of pheasant with kitchen shears. — **Step 1:** Turn the bird over to expose the backbone and start cutting along one side of the backbone.

whole raw pheasant with backbone removed. — **Step 2:** Cut along the other side of the backbone until it is completely separated from the body.

breaking pheasant breastbone with hand. — **Step 3:** Turn the bird over and press down firmly on the breastbone with your palm until you hear it crack.

pulling leg down on spatchcocked pheasant. — **Step 4:** Grab ahold of the legs and pull them down until they are fully extended.

back of spatchcocked pheasant with wood skewers. — **Step 5:** Insert skewers into the back of the pheasant to keep the body cavity opened up.

spatchcocked pheasant with wood skewers. — **Step 6:** The skewers help keep the spatchcocked bird flat while it cooks.

Pro Tip: Cracking the breastbone is an essential step in spatchcocking because it helps the whole bird lay flat.

How To Keep Smoked Pheasant Moist:

There are 2 simple rules for keeping game birds moist: brine and baste. Brining birds helps to prevent the natural moisture in the meat from leaving during the cooking process. It's also a great opportunity to impart another layer of flavor to the meat.

A wet brine is used in this recipe but you can also use a dry brine like in this smoked trout recipe. This recipe calls for a good amount of thyme and garlic that add a subtle undertone once the bird is smoked and glazed.

Pheasant meat is a lean wild game meat and can dry out quickly. Basting the bird while it's cooking creates a barrier between the meat and the heat source that helps keep the moisture in the meat. It's also a great way to add some flavor.

The honey BBQ glaze is reminiscent of a barbecue sauce, has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, and is full of unique flavor from a simple spice mix. It caramelizes during the smoking process and is such a treat to eat!

How to Brine Pheasant:

The brining process is an important step for smoking pheasant to help keep the meat moist. It does add extra time to the smoking process but it is worth the wait!

smoked pheasant brine in pot. — **Step 1:** Combine water, salt, brown sugar, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic cloves in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil.

whole pheasant in brine. — **Step 3:** Add in the whole pheasant. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. The picture above is after the bird has been brined. As you can see, the brine pulled out the blood from the meat.Rinse the pheasant with cool water and place it on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan. Pat dry with paper towels and return to fridge, uncovered, for 2-3 hours.

Pro Tip: Allowing the pheasant skin to fully dry before smoking is essential to helping the smoke flavor penetrate the meat.

How To Smoke Pheasant:

Once you do the hard part of spatchcocking the pheasant and brining it, the smoking process is fairly simple. Start with some good quality smoking chips like these wild cherry smoking chips. They add a delicious fruity flavor to the meat and they burn nicely.

cherry wood chips on wood board. — **Step 1:** Soak smoking chips for 20 minutes before using. Place soaked smoking chips into the wood chip compartment of the smoker and preheat the smoker to 200°F.

brushing glaze onto smoked pheasant. — **Step 3:** Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. After the pheasant has been smoking for 1 hour, brush the sauce all over the pheasant liberally.

glazed pheasant in smoker. — **Step 4:** Continue brushing with sauce every 30 minutes - 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 3-4 hours total. Turn the temperature of the smoker up to 250°F for the final hour of smoking to help caramelize the glaze.
Let the pheasant rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Pro Tip: Poultry is just like any other meat when it comes to resting. It's important to let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it to help the meat retain its natural juices.

Putting it All Together:

Once you have your beautiful smoked pheasant, all that's left to do is eat! Smoked pheasant goes great with classic BBQ sides like baked beans or potato salad.

Or you can have a more elegant meal with a simple green salad with homemade honey mustard dressing or smoky roasted cauliflower to complement the smoky flavor of the pheasant. However you choose to serve it, you're going to love this delicious recipe!

spatchcocked smoked pheasant on wood slice.

Recipe FAQ's:

What type of wood do I use for smoked pheasant?

You can use a smoking wood of your choice but fruit woods like cherry wood chips, apple wood chips, etc. add great flavor to the meat.

Why do you soak pheasant in salt water?

The purpose of soaking pheasant in a wet brine is twofold. First, it helps keep the meat moist when you cook it. Second, it can help remove residual blood and off-flavors from the meat.

What does smoked pheasant taste like?

The flavor of smoked pheasant will depend on a few different factors: the type of wood used, the type of glaze used (if any), and if the bird is wild or domestic. Overall, it tastes a lot like smoked chicken but with a meatier flavor.