Anyone know how to hang pheasant?

Jonny69 said:
I'm not entirely sure I feel comfortable posting this...

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Awsome! But should be hanging!
 
Jonny69 said:
There's no heating in the spare room and I keep the windows slightly open, so it's quite cold in there.

I'm going to pluck this one because it's my first time, but the internet agrees with you that it's easier to take the whole lot off with the skin :p
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Be careful it may heat up in the day through the windows solar gain etc, won't be good for it, a yee old larder is what you need

Yes pluck your first one but don't expect it to feed more than 2 small dinners

Try a cream of whisky sauce goes well with some creamy mash as pheasant is quite dry
 
maccapacca said:
Be careful it may heat up in the day through the windows solar gain etc, won't be good for it, a yee old larder is what you need

Yes pluck your first one but don't expect it to feed more than 2 small dinners

Try a cream of whisky sauce goes well with some creamy mash as pheasant is quite dry
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It's north facing as well. It stays really cold in there, I genuinely feel sorry for my guests when they stay in winter :p

Cheers for all the tips though. I've cooked pheasant a couple of times but not done one from scratch like this. Whisky cream sounds good. I have some pheasant stock I made in the freezer so might reduce it down as the base :)
 
Ah enjoying my delivery already! :D

Since you're only going to hang it for 4 days just leave it as it is then pluck and gut it and cook it! Always leave the feathers on before you're ready to cook IMO. Everyone has different ideas though.

Since you don't like it TOO strong, 4 days will be perfect, it starts to get a strong game taste after about 7-10 days. The warmer the room the less time you should hang - but you know all this. :)

I forgot to tell you - plucking is a bitch, and also run a flame over the skin to singe/burn off any last feathers that you didn't get.

I've got mine hanging too but will have to deal with it when I come back from France.
 
Wasn't sure how much exposure you wanted FF :p

I have added credit to the first post.
 
Oh doesn't bother me :)

Here's one of mine - crappy lighting - but it's hanging in the cold.

Ready for hanging:


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Hung!

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Medium weight beasts - you've got the pick of the bunch, but my 2 other ones are going to my parents.



Great tips by macca there :cool: :)
 
It's a biggun for sure, I'm really going to enjoy it.

I didn't have any string anywhere, I ended up cutting up a t-shirt :p
 
A day or two in a cold room / meat locker and then plucking and cleaning is ideal. You can of course hang for longer, it all depends how "gamey" you like your meat. I've known people who swear on hanging them until they're almost rotten, but that's not my idea of enjoyable tbh.

Another good way to enjoy pheasant is to do it in a "coq au vin" style casserole, with a few shallots etc.

Nice to see more people enjoying wild food :).
 
Makhaira said:
Nice to see more people enjoying wild food :).
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Yeah, I'm so excited about it. I know plenty of you do this all the time but it's my first time with a whole animal like this, so I want to make a bit of an effort about it :cool:
 
My view is: pluck it now and gut it just before cooking. The reason for this is that the skin being exposed to the air will dry it out and make it crispier when it cooks, but leaving the guts in will stop the insides being exposed to the air and drying out.

And certainly cook it whole rather than removing breasts prior.
 
If you're really into this side of things then there are many options you can consider:

- Keep chickens - they need minimal space and can provide eggs and meat. You can also keep them in your back garden.
- Keep bees - ready supply of honey, fascinating creatures, again, possible to keep in your back garden
- Join a shoot and get a shotgun license. You don't need to join a thousand-pound-a-day shoot, there are plenty of "working" shoots where it's just a few hundred pounds for the whole season. Look around if you're interested.
- Rabbiting - can be done with nothing more than an air rifle.
- Join a shoot as a beater with a dog - Shoots nearly always welcome additional help, and it's a lovely day out when the weather is good!

You'll also find there is a bit of a hidden community when it comes to wild food. When you have a supply of (e.g.) pheasant, you'll find that Joe Bloggs keeps sheep, and will happily trade some lamb for some pheasant, or Mr Smith makes vats of chutneys and preserves and will gladly trade, etc.

Enjoy :).
 
Looks yummy! :D

My dad used toshoot and prepare Phesant for us when i was younger. I grew up being used to walking into our shed and there being 5-6 of the birds hanging. My friends thought it was 'gross'
 
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