Roasted Pheasant with IPA Pear Sauce

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Prep Time: 12 hours - Cook Time: 2 hours

I was walking through Kroger the other day and saw these beautiful orange Persimmons. I had never eaten a Persimmon before so I thought they'd be interesting to try. I told my wife weeks before that I wanted to try to cook something with fall harvest-type produce. Things like Cranberries, Apples, Pomegranate, Pears came to mind. Persimmons weren't even on my radar but when I saw them, I knew I had to try to incorporate them into something. Unfortunately, I did not buy the Persimmons at Kroger that day, but I was inspired so I did go home and start the process of planning my next meal.

What I decided on was a Roasted Pheasant with a Persimmon glaze and an Arugula salad. Armed with my new grocery list, I returned to the store to purchase the items needed to make this dish, however, all the Persimmons were gone!! With the Persimmons MIA, I needed to pivot to another fall produce item. I searched the aisle looking for something I could turn into a glaze. What I found were these wonderful Bartlett Pears. I purchased a half dozen of these pears not sure what I would be able to do with them.

Now it was time to come up with a brine. I've been brewing my own beer in the garage for 7 or 8 years now and I love to find ways to work it into recipes. In fact, I have several Chinook hop vines that I grow in my back yard. I'll collect the hops once a year, in the fall, then try to use them in the brewing process. I'm obsessed with the smell of hops! And I love a good IPA. The Chinook hops have a pine-like aroma that I love. I think they work well together with Juniper berries, which also have a pine-like taste. Juniper berries are often used in wild game brines to help mask or hide some of that wild game flavor. Because poultry can become dry during the cooking process, it's always a good idea to brine your birds, it helps protect the meat from being overcooked while also flavoring the meat. Knowing that I was going to brine this bird, I combined the beer and berries, to make this IPA Beer and Juniper Berry brine. For good measure, I sliced up one of my Bartlett Pears and threw in a few peppercorns, some salt and sugar, then heated it on the stove just to dissolve the sugar.

The aroma from the brine was divine, you could really smell the flora notes from the pears and the IPA! It gave me the idea of trying to make a sauce out of it. Admittedly, the first few attempts at making my IPA Pear sauce failed miserably. The only IPA that I currently had kegged in the garage turned out a little on the malty side (either that or I grabbed the wrong beer). When I added it to my pear sauce the taste was off-putting and overly bitter. About ready to give up and only a few pears left, I decided to give it another try, only this time with a store-bought Sweet Water IPA. It turned out perfect! Even my daughter, one of the most finicky eaters I know, proclaimed "That taste really good!".

I found that Apple Butter Roasted Chicken is a popular dish, so I decided to play off that and use my new IPA Pear sauce as an Apple Butter substitute on the Roasted Pheasant. Needing some additional supplies, I headed back to the store ... and wouldn't you know it, they now had Persimmons back in stock. I knew it was too late to change my dish, but I purchased a few Persimmons anyway and with the wife's help we made this Persimmon & Pomegranate Arugula salad as side dish.

While the Persimmons didn't turn out to be the focus of this dish, the Pear Roasted Pheasant turned out really good and all plates were cleaned!


 

Ingredients



Roasted Pheasant


  1 3 to 4 lb Pheasant
  2 slices of bacon
  1 Large White Onion
  2 stick(s) Celery
  2 Carrots
  1 Bartlett Pear ( for Stuffing )
  1 bunch of Sage
  1 sprig(s) Rosemary
   Salt
   Pepper

IPA Beer Brine


  12 oz IPA Beer ( I liked the Sweet Water IPA )
  2 each Bartlett Pears
  1/4 cup(s) Kosher Salt
  1/2 tbsp Juniper Berries
  1/2 tbsp Whole Black Peppercorn
  2 tbsp Honey
  1-2 Bay Leaves
  1 bunch of Sage
  2.5 cup(s) Water

IPA Pear Sauce


  2 Bartlett Pears
  12 oz IPA Beer
  1/4 cup(s) Sugar
  1 tsp Juniper Berries
  1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
  1.2 tbsp Salt
   Persimmon & Pomegranate Arugula Salad
  1/2 lbs Arugula
  2 Persimmons
  1 Pomegranate
  1/2 cup(s) Chopped Pecans


Instructions

Step #1 Lets start this recipe by making our brine.



Step #2 First lets start by crushing the Juniper Berries and Peppercorn in mortar. You can leave them whole if you like, but my preference would be to crush them.




Step #3 Pour 12 oz IPA beer in saucepan and turn burner to medium heat. Add crushed juniper berries and peppercorn. Add Salt and honey. Add one chopped up pear, bay leaves and sage. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes then remove form stove eye and sit aside to cool.



Step #4 You can add a cup of ice to the saucepan to help cool it down.



Step #5 Next we will place our pheasant in a one gallon size zip lock bag. Pour your brine mixture over top of the bird, then fill the bag with enough water to cover the bird completely. Try to push as much air out of the bag as your can, then seal and place in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.



Step #6 After 8 hours remove the bird from the refrigerator and pat dry. Then place the bird back in there fridge for another hour.




Step #7 After the additional hour in the fridge, its time to start cooking our bird. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.



Step #8 While the oven is preheating. Open the cavity of the bird and sprinkle, generously, with Salt and Pepper. Stuff the cavity a cut up pear, rosemary and sage.



Step #9 Tie the legs together with butchers twine.



Step #10 In a roasting pan, dice up onions, carrots and celery and place in the bottom of pan. Tuck the pheasants arms underneath. I like to spray the out side of my birds with cooking oil.




Step #11 Then season the outside of the bird liberally with Salt and Pepper.



Step #12 Next well make our pear sauce.



Step #13 Cut up your pears into 1 inch size pieces.



Step #14 In a saucepan, combine beer, pears, juniper berries, peppercorns, sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until pears are soft.




Step #15 Once the pears are soft. Strain out the peppercorns and juniper berries. Then pour the rest into a blender and blend until you get something the consistency of apple sauce.



Step #16 Cover the top of the pheasant with a couple strips of bacon. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.



Step #17 After 15 minutes. Remove the bird from the oven. Turn the ovens heat down to 350 degrees. While the oven cools down, remove the bacon strips and rub the bird down with some of the pear sauce that we made. Place the bird back in the over for 30 minutes.



Step #18 Time to make our salad. Slice a couple of persimmons up and remove the seeds from half of a pomegranate. Toss together with Arugula, Feta Cheese and toasted Pecans or Walnuts.




Step #19 Remove the bird from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Place the bird on a serving platter on top of a bed of your Arugula Salad.



Recipe Card

Roasted Pheasant with IPA Pear Sauce

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Prep Time: 12 hours - Cook Time: 2 hours



Ingredients



Roasted Pheasant


1 3 to 4 lb Pheasant
2 slices of bacon
1 Large White Onion
2 stick(s) Celery
2 Carrots
1 Bartlett Pear ( for Stuffing )
1 bunch of Sage
1 sprig(s) Rosemary
Salt
Pepper

IPA Beer Brine


12 oz IPA Beer ( I liked the Sweet Water IPA )
2 each Bartlett Pears
1/4 cup(s) Kosher Salt
1/2 tbsp Juniper Berries
1/2 tbsp Whole Black Peppercorn
2 tbsp Honey
1-2 Bay Leaves
1 bunch of Sage
2.5 cup(s) Water

IPA Pear Sauce


2 Bartlett Pears
12 oz IPA Beer
1/4 cup(s) Sugar
1 tsp Juniper Berries
1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
1.2 tbsp Salt
Persimmon & Pomegranate Arugula Salad
1/2 lbs Arugula
2 Persimmons
1 Pomegranate
1/2 cup(s) Chopped Pecans


Instructions


Step #1 - Lets start this recipe by making our brine.
Step #2 - First lets start by crushing the Juniper Berries and Peppercorn in mortar. You can leave them whole if you like, but my preference would be to crush them.
Step #3 - Pour 12 oz IPA beer in saucepan and turn burner to medium heat. Add crushed juniper berries and peppercorn. Add Salt and honey. Add one chopped up pear, bay leaves and sage. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes then remove form stove eye and sit aside to cool.
Step #4 - You can add a cup of ice to the saucepan to help cool it down.
Step #5 - Next we will place our pheasant in a one gallon size zip lock bag. Pour your brine mixture over top of the bird, then fill the bag with enough water to cover the bird completely. Try to push as much air out of the bag as your can, then seal and place in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.
Step #6 - After 8 hours remove the bird from the refrigerator and pat dry. Then place the bird back in there fridge for another hour.
Step #7 - After the additional hour in the fridge, its time to start cooking our bird. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Step #8 - While the oven is preheating. Open the cavity of the bird and sprinkle, generously, with Salt and Pepper. Stuff the cavity a cut up pear, rosemary and sage.
Step #9 - Tie the legs together with butchers twine.
Step #10 - In a roasting pan, dice up onions, carrots and celery and place in the bottom of pan. Tuck the pheasants arms underneath. I like to spray the out side of my birds with cooking oil.
Step #11 - Then season the outside of the bird liberally with Salt and Pepper.
Step #12 - Next well make our pear sauce.
Step #13 - Cut up your pears into 1 inch size pieces.
Step #14 - In a saucepan, combine beer, pears, juniper berries, peppercorns, sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until pears are soft.
Step #15 - Once the pears are soft. Strain out the peppercorns and juniper berries. Then pour the rest into a blender and blend until you get something the consistency of apple sauce.
Step #16 - Cover the top of the pheasant with a couple strips of bacon. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Step #17 - After 15 minutes. Remove the bird from the oven. Turn the ovens heat down to 350 degrees. While the oven cools down, remove the bacon strips and rub the bird down with some of the pear sauce that we made. Place the bird back in the over for 30 minutes.
Step #18 - Time to make our salad. Slice a couple of persimmons up and remove the seeds from half of a pomegranate. Toss together with Arugula, Feta Cheese and toasted Pecans or Walnuts.
Step #19 - Remove the bird from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Place the bird on a serving platter on top of a bed of your Arugula Salad.


About the Author

Jeff Davis
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You may think cooking and recipes don’t have much to do with a website dedicated to hunting dogs ... but really, why do we hunt? Sure, we enjoy watching our dogs work in the field and being outdoors, but ultimately, hunting is about survival and feeding our families. We might as well try to do it well. I'm not a chef and definitely no food authority ... but I do like to eat and enjoy cooking. After searching for people willing to share their recipes on Gundog Central, without much success, I decided to try to do a few on my own, with my wife Tami's help. The recipes I share here are things I like to eat and have made here at home. I've tried to include step-by-step instructions with each meal describing exactly how I did it, but my method may not be best, if you decide to try a recipe posted here, please use whatever technique you think works best, I'm simply sharing how I did it. You'll see a lot of recipes where I've tried to make things from starch, when I could have just used store bought ingredients, simply because I wanted to learn how something was done. My goal is to continually update these recipes as I learn new things and techniques. These are my attempts at creating good, home cooked food, that I would like to eat! If I'm sharing it here, my family and I enjoyed it and I believe you will too.