Jump to Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy weeknight meal with pheasant, look no further. Aside from brine time, this pheasant and lemon-herb sauce recipe can be on the table in just 30 minutes.

How to Brine Game Birds

Let’s talk about brining. You might’ve brined your Thanksgiving turkey, but did you know that brining also can be beneficial to game birds? Brining is the method of soaking meat in a solution of salt and water to improve its texture, flavor, and to prevent it from drying out. Thanksgiving turkey can be notoriously dry if overcooked. Similarly, hunters run into the same problem with light meat game birds, such as pheasant, quail, or wild turkey.

I love a mallard or sharpie breast cooked medium to medium-rare. But I don’t have the same tolerance with lighter game birds, because, well, it looks and feels too much like raw chicken—and that’s just gross. For many upland hunters, pheasant is challenging to cook because there’s little room for error. You don’t want to undercook it—for obvious reasons— but you also don’t want to overcook it, because it’ll resemble the worst holiday turkey you’ve ever eaten. Brining will give you the buffer you need.

In research done on beef, food scientist, and author of The Food Lab, Kenji Lopez-Alt found that the amount of moisture lost in meat increased dramatically when its internal temperature reached 150° Fahrenheit. At 120° F, moisture loss is two percent; at 130° F, moisture loss is four percent; at 140° F, moisture loss is six percent; and from 150° F to 160° F, moisture loss jumps from 12 percent to 18 percent. Pheasant should be cooked to 155° F internal temperature, and that’s a problem.

The longer a piece of meat is exposed to the heat, the more the muscle contracts and squeezes out moisture. Brining safeguards against dryness by infusing meat with a saltwater solution which not only moisturizes, but also denatures and unravels proteins. The result is a more tender piece of meat.

Small pheasant breasts require only 30 minutes of brining, however, you could brine longer if you suspect your rooster is older. Note that the longer you brine meat, the saltier it will taste. Give brining a try, not only with pheasant but also with other game birds. I use the same recipe: 4 cups water, 1⁄4 cup Kosher salt, and 1⁄4 cup brown sugar. Multiply it as needed.

Pheasant with Lemon-Herb Sauce Racipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

• 4 to 6 pheasant breasts, plus wings if available

• 4 cups water

• 1⁄4 cup Kosher salt

• 1⁄4 cup brown sugar

• Freshly cracked pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoon butter

• 1 shallot, minced

• 1 sprig of thyme

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 heaping tablespoon of all-purpose flour

• 1 cup chicken broth, heated

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Zest from 1 lemon

Directions: