Buffalo Wild Ringneck
Ingredients
- 1 whole pheasant
Brine
- ½ gallon warm water to boil brine ingredients
- ½ gallon cold water to cool brine
- ½ cup Kosher salt
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup black peppercorns
- ½ bulb fresh garlic smashed
- ¼ cup mustard seeds
- ¼ cup coriander seeds
Parboil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3-4 ribs celery diced
- ½ cup black peppercorns
Buffalo Sauce
- 2 cups Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 2 tsp garlic freshly minced
- 8 tbsp salted butter (one stick)
Sides and Garnish
- Chunky bleu cheese or other dressing
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a large pot or saucepan, add brine ingredients 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 (adding ice cubes if desired) to cool the brine water. Set pot in fridge.
- Add pheasant to brine pot once water is cold. 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 the skin to dry.
- Break down pheasant according to steps here
- In a medium saucepan, add parboil ingredients along with wings, thighs, and legs. Bring to a low simmer and parboil for 1 hour.
- To make buffalo sauce, add 2 cups Frank’s Red Hot to medium saucepan and heat on medium-low. Once warm (just below simmering), add 2 teaspoons of freshly minced garlic and 8 tablespoons of salted butter--1 tablespoon at a time--and whisk in. Turn heat to very low once the butter is completely melted and whisked in.
- To smoke or roast, set smoker, pellet grill, or oven to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and add legs and thighs
- Smoke or roast legs and thighs for 30 minutes, then add wings and smoke/roast for another 2 hours. Turn heat up to 200 F and smoke/roast for another 30 minutes. Add the breasts and smoke/roast for another 30 minutes.
- Turn heat up to 325 F to finish the legs, thighs, wings, and breasts, plus add the tenderloins. It should take another 20, perhaps even 30 minutes for the legs to hit 180 F and for the breasts to crisp up nicely.
- When the meat is finished cooking, add all pheasant parts (including breasts) in a large mixing bowl and cover with buffalo sauce. Whisk around with tongs to cover pheasant adequately, then serve with side of bleu cheese or other favorite dressing and perhaps some celery and carrot sticks.
Nutrition
Calories: 898kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 44gFat: 63gSaturated Fat: 27gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 241mgSodium: 5767mgPotassium: 1578mgFiber: 16gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1505IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 323mgIron: 8mg
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