This recipe was my first attempt at smoking and I was more than happy with the result. I own an electric Masterbuilt smoker and used hickory. The smoke took a little over three hours. I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy as much as I did!

Ingredients

2 whole pheasants

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 cups water (or enough to fill the bowl)

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups maple syrup (boiled down to 1 cup)

Instructions

1. Thaw two pheasants in the fridge for three days to start the process, flipping each morning and evening.

2. Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in water in a large bowl. Ensure the the bowl is large enough to fit both pheasants or you’ll end up dirtying an extra dish like I did. The original recipe called for 12-18 hours covered in the fridge, but there was a snowstorm on the way and I was excited to smoke so I brined for 8 hours. Brining helps retain moisture.

3. Remove pheasants from the brine and pat dry to remove some of the moisture. Let dry under a fan (fan above stove worked fine) so the pheasants are damp but not soaking wet.

4. Preheat smoker for about 45 minutes on high with hickory wood chips in the container. Note that you can use pellets instead even though the manual warns against it, just be careful to use much less pellets as they are more condensed than chips. I used pellets for this smoke and kept at between 1/4-1/3 full. Turn down to between 200 and 250 degrees F toward end of 45 minutes.

5. Give pheasants light dusting of pepper and spread across the skin to even out.

6. Add water to the pan and place pheasants on the top rack of the smoker. Begin boiling down the maple syrup. Be careful to use a large enough pot as it does not take much for the syrup to boil over and make a large mess. I found out the hard way!

7. Let the pheasants smoke for 1 hour and then brush on the maple syrup, repeating every 30 minutes after until pheasants are done. Check the water and chips every hour or so. I did not have to add many pellets from the starting point but quickly checked when the smoker was open anyways.

8. Remove pheasants from the smoker once the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. I used a simple meat thermometer for this smoke and accidentally got to almost 170 degrees F because I had to open the smoker to check. Wow does that thigh meat start to dry out quickly. I have since bought a wireless reader and it is well worth it. I found a great deal for about $26 but they run in the $30-$40 range generally. Let the pheasants cool down on a drying rack for 20 minutes before digging in. Smoked pheasant is delicious cold as well.

Credit for original recipe goes to https://honest-food.net/smoked-pheasant-recipe/! Tasted great and the recipe was easy to follow!