Hot-Smoked Pheasant Breast with Bacon and Sage
Tender pheasant breast is rubbed with an aromatic bacon-sage spice blend and then hot-smoked. Beechwood gives the lean meat a deep, golden-brown crust with a savory finish. A classic game recipe with Mediterranean influence.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation
4-5 hoursWash pheasant breast, remove tendons, and place in the brine (30 g salt per liter water) for 4 hours. Remove, pat dry, and rub all sides with the bacon-sage rub. Rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat Smoker
30 minutesPreheat the smoker to 110-120 °C. Add beechwood chips and a few fresh sage sprigs to the smoke chamber. Ensure sufficient smoke is developing before placing the meat inside.
Smoking
2-3 hoursPlace pheasant breast in the smoker and smoke until a core temperature of 74-76 °C is reached. After the first hour, optionally baste with a little melted bacon fat. Check core temperature regularly.
Resting & Serving
10-15 minutesRemove the finished smoked pheasant breast from the smoker and loosely cover with foil, resting for 10-15 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve.
Pro Tip
Pheasant breast is very lean and dries out quickly – never cook above 76 °C core temperature and optionally baste with a little melted bacon fat during smoking.
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