Should i hang pheasant

Some people have even propagated the rural myth that a pheasant should be hung until maggots start to drop from it — something that is massively misleading.

On a warm October day, in a fly-ridden area, even a fine example of pheasant may well have fly eggs on it within the hour. In the depths of winter, in a place with few flies, you might be able to hang the birds for weeks on end without them acquiring maggots.

It is nonsense and should be treated as such. Most people prefer the taste of pheasant while it is fresh. Of course, you need to allow the birds to go into and out of rigor mortis. It is a good idea to leave them for 24 hours if you can, as this helps the meat to relax, but anything more than that is not needed, unless you prefer a deeper flavour to your meat.

If the shot birds are on the game cart for some time and it is a warm day, decay will have already started. I could not agree more but, when we are talking about wildfowl , a little longer hanging will be beneficial. Even short hanging times will need considering, though. To keep things simple, we will limit ourselves to the following variables and we will add a constant. Those variables are the condition of bird; the lag time to hanging starting and the conditions during this time; the hanging environment; and personal preference.

When you choose your birds , I would obviously advise you to pick the cleanest-looking, plump, dry specimens available. However, as all game must be eaten, do not be afraid of the odd harder-shot bird, even if it landed in a puddle and was retrieved by a rather vigorous dog. Sniff the meat when you process it.

This is especially the case with pheasants that have been hard hit up the backside. Preparation Putting a good meal on the table begins the moment you shoot the duck pheasant, goose, etc. Come late autumn and winter, I would hang birds for four to five days, sometimes a week if the weather is particularly cold.

The only bird I eat fresh, with no hanging, is pigeon, as to me they taste and cook far better. Once shot and hung, the bird needs to be plucked. I favour dry plucking to either wet plucking when it is dipped first in a tank of water or the method by which it is first dipped into hot wax, then cooled and the feathers removed in big chunks. The reason being is that it keeps the bird dry and firm, and avoids it becoming flabby and bloated. As most game is sold in polystyrene trays and wrapped in plastic film the moisture has nowhere to go.

Plucking of all wild game can be a bit tricky, though. You have to take care not to tear the delicate flesh away from the skin. Then pull the foot away firmly until it comes off, taking the smaller tendons with it. To remove the wings, feel where the wing meets the body and cut them off as close to the joint as you can. First, cut off the head at the base of the neck with a pair of scissors. Strip out the gullet, crop and windpipe by inserting a finger, rotating it gently to loosen and break all attachments.

With a sharp knife nick a slice in the skin above the vent of the bird until it comes loose. Reach in to the body cavity with two to three fingers and draw out the intestines, gizzard, heart, coagulated blood, etc — discard these although you may want to keep the liver.

With practice you will be able to pull the guts of the bird out in one go. Check that nothing has been left behind.

Wash and dry the bird all over including the body cavity. Does that all sound too much like hard work? Cut the head, wings and feet off the pheasant as described above.

Place the bird down breast side up and make a cut in the skin just under the breastbone. Work your fingers under the skin and pull it apart from the breast and ease it off all the way round. To do this, lay the bird on its back on a flat surface a chopping or draining board and spread the wings. Pinch the loose skin on the body cavity between your fingers, lift it up and away from the flesh and slide a sharp knife in.