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Mesquite barbecued pheasant on a cutting board

Kansas Mesquite Barbecued Pheasant

Jack Hennessy
Think low and slow for the best BBQ pheasant you and your friends have ever had.
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 550 kcal

Equipment

  • Smoker or pellet grill

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pheasant rooster, broken down
  • ½ gal. warm water to boil the brine ingredients
  • ½ gal. very cold water to cool the brine
  • ½ cup kosher salt
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup black peppercorns
  • ½ bulb fresh garlic, smashed
  • ¼ cup whole mustard seeds
  • ¼ cup whole coriander seeds
  • Your favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or saucepan, add brine ingredients (everything but the pheasant and the BBQ sauce) to ½ gallon warm water and bring to a low simmer. Stir until salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
  • Remove pot from burner and add ½ gallon ice-cold water to cool the brine water. Adding extra ice cubes is fine, too. Set pot in fridge.
  • Add pheasant to brine pot once water is cold and allow to brine for 12-18 hours.
  • When done brining, thoroughly rinse off the brine from the rooster under cold water. Pat dry and place in fridge with plenty of ventilation on all sides to allow skin to dry.
  • Break down the pheasant according to these steps.
  • To smoke, set smoker or pellet grill to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and add legs and thighs. I don’t cut these apart until after smoking.
  • Smoke legs for 30 minutes, then add wings and smoke for another 2 hours.
  • Turn heat up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, add breasts, and smoke for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove breasts and wings and tent with aluminum foil. Turn heat up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to finish legs, or finish legs in an oven pre-heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. It should take another 15-20 minutes (perhaps even 30) for legs to hit 180 degrees Fahrenheit when roasting at 325 degrees Fahrenheit after smoking for a few hours. You can also cook the tenderloins at 325 degrees Fahrenheit while finishing up legs, but will likely only need 10-15 minutes to cook tenderloins at this temperature.
  • When finished cooking, cut thighs from legs and cut wings to separate the drumette from the wing. In a large mixing bowl, add all pheasant parts including breasts and cover with BBQ sauce. Whisk around with tongs to coat pheasant adequately then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcal
Keyword BBQ, Pheasant
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