This recipe is my personal favorite and I am looking forward to sharing with everyone.
I recommend that you get your ingredients from a local farmer.
One of my favorite parts of hunting is Pheasant hunting. Being out in the wilderness with the fresh air and the thrill of the hunt.
So on the last day of pheasant hunting at Pennsylvania State Game Lands 205. I arrived early to check out a spot I thought would be active. As I grab my hunting vest, my trusty Hatfield 12 gauge Shotgun, and my Winchester Pheasant Shot I hear a few male roosters chatting at each other a couple hundred yards away. So off I went up the mountain. Of course, I can’t hear them or see them. I start a zigzag pattern trying to flush them out. Well to my surprise I kicked up two nice pheasant roosters. I got them in my sites when I noticed they were flying parallel to a service road and of course, there was a truck driving down the road so I couldn’t take the shot. I watch and try to follow where they landed so I walk back where I thought they were. Luckily they started chatting again so I slowed down my chase and stopped. I spotted them right next to each other about 25 yards away. I set my sight right between them both and fired, hitting both of them. One dropped instantly and the other one was trying to get away but it couldn’t fly. I reloaded and finished it off. Both birds gave us almost 12 pounds of amazing food.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3-4 hours
Serves
6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- Chopped green onions for garnish
Steps
1
Place prepared pheasant In a large bowl to glaze (save a 1/4 cup to reapply the glaze during the smoking process)
2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, black pepper and salt. Once mixed well, pour the honey garlic mixture over the pheasant
3
After covering the pheasant put in the smoker (your choice of wood to smoke with) Smoke the pheasant at a temperature of 180-200°F for about 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 155-160°F. Brining the pheasant beforehand can help keep it moist during the smoking process.
4
Pour the rest of the glaze into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with water to create a slurry, then add it to the simmering sauce while stirring until the sauce thickens about 2-3 minutes.
5
Drizzle the thickened sauce over the pheasant and garnish with chopped green onions before
serving
Introduction of pheasant in north America
The ring-necked pheasant was first introduced to North America in 1881 when Owen Denny and his wife shipped 60 pheasants from Shanghai to Oregon. The birds spread quickly to nearby counties and the first pheasant hunting season was held in 1892.
Establishment of pheasant populations in Pennsylvania
In the early 1890s, private citizens in Pennsylvania purchased pheasants from English game keepers and released them in the state. The Pennsylvania Game Commission began purchasing and propagating pheasants in the early 1900s. In 1923, laws were enacted to restrict season and bag limits, which helped pheasant populations increase