Smoked Pheasant with BBQ Glaze
This smoked pheasant recipe is so full of flavor and makes such a beautiful presentation. Spatchcocking the pheasant makes for a stunning dish but also helps the bird cook evenly.
Servings: 2
Calories: 1354kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Pheasant:
- 2 cups cherry smoking chips
- 1 whole pheasant, skin-on
- 2 qt water
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 7-8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
BBQ Glaze:
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Brining Pheasant:
- Combine water, salt, brown sugar, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil.
- Let the brine cool slightly and transfer it to a non-reactive container. Let the brine cool to room temperature. Add in the whole pheasant.
- Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Rinse the pheasant with cool, running 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.
Spatchcocking Pheasant:
- Flip the pheasant over to expose the backbone. Using a sharp pair of kitchen shears, cut alongside one side of the backbone.
- Once you've cut from the neck all the way to the tail on one side, repeat on the other side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and discard.
- Flip the pheasant over. Press firmly with your palm on the breastbone until you hear the bone crack.
- Pull the legs from the ends so that they are fully extended.
- Flip the bird back over and insert 2 skewers across the back of the body. Start by inserting the skewer into the thigh, then insert it again just below the wing on the opposite side of the body. Repeat with the other skewer. Skewers should be in an "x" position when finished.
Smoking Pheasant:
- Soak smoking chips for 20 minutes before using.
- Place soaked smoking chips into the wood chip compartment of the smoker and preheat smoker to 200°F.
- Once the smoker is heated, place the spatchcocked pheasant onto the smoking rack. Smoke for 1 hour before adding the sauce.
- 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.
- 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 pheasant rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 1354kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 156g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 500mg | Sodium: 1290mg | Potassium: 1781mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1644IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 9mg
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