Smoked Pigeon with Pepper Crust
Wild pigeons are coated with an intense pepper crust and cold-warm smoked to refine the dark, robust meat. The multi-stage processing with a short curing brine ensures optimal juiciness and extends shelf life. Beech wood and juniper berries in the smoking flour give the meat a typically hearty aroma.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Curing
3 hoursSubmerge pigeons completely in a brine of 60 g sea salt per liter of cold water. Refrigerate. After 3 hours, remove, rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
Applying Pepper Crust
15 minutes + 1 hour dryingMix all pepper crust ingredients. Rub pigeons evenly on all sides. Air dry on a wire rack at room temperature for 1 hour until the surface appears slightly sticky-dry.
Smoking
2.5-3.5 hoursRegulate smoker with beech and juniper wood to 110-125 °C. Place pigeons on the rack and smoke. Monitor core temperature in the leg. Target is a core temperature of 74-76 °C.
Resting
10 minutesRemove pigeons from rack and let rest uncovered for 10 minutes so the crust stays slightly crispy and the meat juices settle.
Serving
5 minutesHalve or serve pigeons whole. The dark meat pairs excellently with wild lingonberries, roasted root vegetables and a robust red wine.
Pro Tip
Pigeons have intense, dark meat similar to game. A core temperature of 74 °C is sufficient – higher temperatures make the meat tough. The breast meat cooks faster than the legs, so always measure core temperature in the leg.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.