Hot-Smoked Wood Pigeon with Rosemary
Wood pigeons are rubbed with a bold rosemary-garlic spice blend and hot-smoked over beechwood with rosemary sprigs. The intense, resinous rosemary aroma permeates the dark, robust pigeon meat in a harmonious way. Particularly suitable for autumn and winter dishes.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Red Wine Marinade
4-6 hoursMarinate the wood pigeons in a mixture of 300 ml red wine, 50 ml olive oil, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 3 rosemary sprigs, and 15 g salt for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator. Remove, pat dry, and allow to air-dry at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Apply Rub
15 minutesMix all dry spices with the olive oil to form a paste. Generously rub the wood pigeons all over with the rosemary paste, including inside the body cavity. Insert fresh rosemary sprigs into the body cavity.
Hot Smoking
2-3 hoursPreheat the smoker with beechwood chips and additional rosemary sprigs to 110-120 °C. Place the wood pigeons breast-side up and smoke to a core temperature of 72-75 °C. Maintain the smoker temperature consistently.
Resting & Serving
10 minutesRemove the wood pigeons from the smoker and rest under a loose foil tent for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve with polenta or red cabbage.
Pro Tip
Wood pigeons have very strong, dark meat with an intense gamey flavor. The red wine marinade is essential to soften this. Never cook the meat above 75 °C core temperature, as it will become dry and tough.
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