I’ve got this Pheasant.

[hyperD]

Any help most appreciated, but don’t let this trivial task get in the way of pissing and moaning about the government.

I believe the government are thinking about a pheasant tax as it's considered a middleclass food item....................

Best tip I can give is wear those rubber (washing) gloves for pulling out the feathers.

Just in case the pheasant's a little tough or the wife's not too keen on gamey food, try a sort of Pheasant "Coq au vin". If cooked for long enough, the meat will soften nicely and the enfusion of a GOOD QUALITY red wine will add to the taste. Quite simple as well.

Sauté some shallots and garlic for 1-2 minutes to soften.

Add the pheasant (you could hack it into 4 pieces: thighs, breast etc) to the pan and continue to sauté for a few minutes, until the outside of the pheasant is crispy (not fully cooked). Could add little bits of bacon or pancetta here for some additional flavour.

Add the wine and some stock to the pheasant to cover (in large saucepan or casserol dish) and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat or oven casserol until meat is soft - the longer the better (30mins - 60mins).

Reduce by heating the left over liquid and add as sauce. Could add a touch of redcurrant jelly here to sweeten sauce.

[planetit]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think some kind of casserole might be the best plan.

It's the "remove the innards" bit that I'm most concerned about. Pheonix's link is useful, but Milan's "stick your hand up it's bum" is a bit worrying.

Will report back on monday.

[milanbenes]

really,

I watched the old chap do it, hand up the bum and out it all came in one scoop, I too was surprised, in a few years time I'll be in the driving seat on this one, so it's useful to watch someone else

is yours a road kill or from a shoot ?

Milan.

[Jabberwocky]

A tip from the JabberKitchen - if you give the Bird a good rodgering while it is still fresh there is no need for seasoning on cooking.

[planetit]

is yours a road kill or from a shoot ?

Presumably from a shoot. We specifically checked it hadn’t been run over! Pheasant schnitzel doesn’t sound too appetising.

[swamp]

I 'poached' a pheasant the other day as I walked past a shoot in progress. It's been hanging for the last week, and I plan to roast it tonight and wash it down with a chateaux neuf du pape.

[mcquiggd]

Sounds delicious... enjoy your evening, sir

[G8_Summit]

really,

I watched the old chap do it, hand up the bum and out it all came in one scoop
Milan.

Sounds a bit different to
"With a sharp knife cut through the skin around the vent (anus) of the bird until it comes loose. Insert your fingers into the body cavity and draw out the innards. With practice you can pull them out in one, at first attempt you may need to scrape around a bit."

Perhaps its just Milan's dream to stick hand hand up some poor birds bum

[Phoenix]

Perhaps its just Milan's dream to stick hand hand up some poor birds bum

I thought it was his "Old Chap" up the bird?

[mcquiggd]

Well, I suppose if he was a socialist it would be a bloke, so at least he has the right gender, just wrong hole.