Pheasant Legs

[LuciandTim]

Do you keep them or just breast the bird out? What do you do with them?

[Shorelunch]

We generally fillet the breasts out. Then we snap back the legs and then use a game shear to snip them off from the body. They're usually pretty tasty.

[riverrat56]

I keep them, but they get packaged seperate from the breasts, then I make them like hotwings and they are suprisingly good, the thing is that legs need longer to cook than breasts and by the time legs are done breasts are cooked dry and tough even in gravy.

[Fish_Off]

I usually just clip the wings, head, and non meat part of the legs. Then I'll just take thier pj's off. For cooking I'll usually roast them and it always turns out good.

[CPL]

I just tried this with some legs this past weekend and it was extremely good. Take a bunch of legs and put them in a pressure cooker with about a cup of water. Set the pressure cooker to 10 pounds and let 'em cook for about an hour. After they've cooled, separate the meat from the bones, sinew, and residual shot. Mix the meat pieces (it was in pretty small chunks) with a tablespoon or so of mayonaise, toss in a little pickle relish and you've got a great pheasant salad. Spread some on some whole wheat bread with a little Romaine lettuce and you've got great sandwhich to eat after the hunt!

I'm going to start doing this with shot-up breast meat as well.

Good eatin'!

Scott

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

I can't imagine not keeping the legs.

[OUTDOORNUT]

I'll second the hotwings!!! I grill them a tad and let them soak in some boiling Franks Hot Sauce.

[LABS4ME]

I think it is sad to waste any part of the game animals we shoot. So many guys I know never would consider keeping the legs and only took the breasts. I showed them many ways to utilize the legs and thighs and they all keep them now. "Forbidden thighs" on the grill, pheasant and dumpling stew using the thighs and legs, thighs and legs to make shredded barbeque sandwiches, thighs mixed into Jumbalaya, "Hot Legs" cooked low and slow with Anchor Bar's Original hot wing sauce, etc. etc. I fillet off the thigh in one nice boneless piece and freeze them in one bag and the legs in another.

This "waste" permeates throughout all of the game we shoot. Guys are told "it's not worth the effort to keep the legs" so they don't, then they pass on the same misinformation to their kids or friends. I've seen guys only use the backstraps and hind legs off of deer, (used to get a lot of trimmings from a couple of guys I know, now they are to lazy to even butcher their deer and take them in, so I assume the whole deer is now being utilized), taking only the breasts off of geese and ducks, only breasting turkeys (wild turkey vegetable soup using the thighs and legs... MMM MMM) etc. etc. If we're gonna shoot em' we owe it to them to use as much as we can.

Good Luck!

Ken

[kentuck_ike]

Amen, Labs.

I agree totally

Ike

[FOOT]

Don't forget to take the legs waterfowl and/or pheasants and put them in a crock pot. Cover them with BBQ sauce or sourcraut, either not both.

We do this in ND after the first couple of days hunting and by the time you get back in that night you've got a whole bunch of tasty snacks.

[gerty]

Take the legs and thigh into the meat market and have them smoked. Costs only about a $1 a pound and they taste great. Excellent for sitting around watching the game and having a few "sodas"!

[Ray Esboldt]

I actually think the legs off a rooster is some of the best eating meat around, period. It's challenging to eat around the sinew, but that doesn't bother me. I eat everything for taste (and nourishment of course), not for sheer convenience. If you want convenience, eat at McDonalds.

I like the idea of smoking the legs. I only have an electric smoker, which is not going to get hot enough to call the product cooked. Could I smoke the legs first and then finish them in the oven?

[BLACKJACK]

I'm with you Labs, I'm appalled when guys say that they only breast out the birds. What a waste! Some of the best eating on a pheasant is that thigh meet. I've gotten to the point to where I package the leg/thigh seperately so I can cook them differently in a slow cooker or the oven and they're great. Even in a slow cooker I throw in several breasts becasue thats what my wife likes. Just last weekend I tried a new recipe, a Wild Rice Pheasant casserole, I cooked mostly legs and a few breasts and my wife said I could make it again, so I know it passed the test. In fact it was very good.

[rabbit lake dude]

I pluck it and cook it just like a whole chicken. The legs are good tasting!!!!