November 2021
We had Major out in the field for pheasants twice so far this year. The first time, we put out birds on our farm and invited our friend Bob Spoerl to hunt. I was looking for something new and ran across a recipe on my recipes.com by Elisa Bosley for grilled pheasant. I modified that recipe.
Ingredients (serves 3)
6 pheasant breasts
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp balsamic glaze
1 TBSP chopped fresh tarragon
1 TBSP dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried chervil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 TBSP butter cut into small pieces
Marinate
The first order of business is to pound the pheasant until tender. Placing it between two pieces of plastic wrap makes the clean-up easier. Then combine the olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Marinate the pheasant in this mixture 4-6 hours in the fridge.
Grill and Baste
Combine the white wine vinegar, the balsamic glaze, the tarragon and chervil. Bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce the liquid to about 1/4 cup. Off heat, add the mustard and butter and whisk in.
Grill the pheasant over medium heat 2-3 minutes on a side. I like a thermapen to make sure the temp gets to about 145 degrees. Baste several times with the basting sauce. Let the pheasant rest for a few minutes before serving.
This was a juicy and flavorful recipe. Very easy to do. Major loved it.