Smoked Pheasant Breast Bacon
Tender pheasant breast is dry-cured and hot-smoked like bacon, creating a fine, aromatic game product. The spice blend with bay leaf and allspice highlights the characteristic game flavor. Sliced thin, it makes an excellent elegant appetizer or bread topping.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Curing
48 hoursMassage the spice mix evenly onto all sides of the pheasant breasts. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate at 2–4 °C for 48 hours.
Drying
4 hoursRinse breasts under cold water, pat dry thoroughly, and place on a rack at room temperature for 4 hours until the surface becomes slightly tacky.
Smoking
3-4 hoursHeat smoker to 100–110 °C and add cherry and apple wood. Place pheasant breasts in smoker and cook until an internal temperature of 74–76 °C is reached.
Cooling and Slicing
60 minutesAllow breasts to cool, then slice thinly with a sharp knife or slicing machine. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Pro Tip
Since pheasant breast is very lean, the internal temperature should not exceed 76 °C to keep the meat juicy. A meat thermometer is essential here.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.