Cooking time for roast Pheasant...

[OCEllen]

Suggestions? Experiences? Also having quail which I have cooked many times.

[Puffin3]

'Farm raised' or wild pheasants? The difference in cooking time is about half. They can dry out in minutes b/c they have so little fat. 180-200 F oven is essential. VERY low and slow. Wrap the legs in tin foil or before the bird reaches an internal temp of 150 max (remember 'carry over' when the bird is being rested) or you'll be able to smash concrete with them.
IMO any bird, especially small birds with little fat on them are going to be inedible if they are put in a 450 F oven. By the time the internal temp is say 150 the surface temp of the bird will be more like 250 F after 25-30 minutes. (Touch the surface of any bird or roast after they have been in a 450 F oven for 25-30 minutes with a thermometer and you'll see for yourself.) You'll have 'shoe leather'.' We have all had roasted chicken and turkey that has the outside quarter inch of the breast meat dry and hard as a rock. I give you the result of a 450 F oven. Just saying.

[KiltedCook]

Never cook by time. Always cook by temperature! Poultry 155F to 160F with 5-10 degree carryover to 160-165.

[OCEllen]

All turned out well! And a bit of leftovers! Thanks for the suggestions!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Wonderful!

[horseshoe]

OH NO NYCKaren, the right temp for poultry wont work.

Veggo says its too overcooked. ???

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yo, Jerry, get a grip. Assuming a game bird, any pheasant young and tender enough to roast is not as big and meaty as the scrawniest layer. There aint that much meat, and overdoing one is a risk. If you have a big cock (yeah, yeah!), you usually have to braise it.

[Veggo]

Join me up with Joe Tex: I don't want no poultry with skinny legs. They don't need much cookin' time. And a 30 minute braise on the quail breasts before stuffin' in the pheasant, and you got a winna. Trust me just this once. If you have room left for an oyster or chestnut, don't leave it empty. Naturally, stuff the feet and wings of the quail in first, with the oyster. Roasted chestnut or 2 in the other end.
You know, of course, that stuffed dove breast in stuffed quail in stuffed partridge or pheasant, in stuffed turkey, is as good as poultry gets. Especially with a few poached quail eggs, and sage.

[OCEllen]

Sala - vation!!

[mombaker247]

On sunday a friend gave me 5 pheasants that had been hung for 4 days, I defeathered them, cleaned them filled the cavity with salt pepper and thyme laid aromatic herbs, wild fennel, mint, rosemary shallots in the bottom of the cassarole wrapped the pheasants with bacon since they can be very dry threw in some homemade sausage more aromatic herbs on top a little stock covered and cooked in the oven when it was finished I took all the meat off the bones sautted onions, garlic, porcini mushrooms tomatoes made a ragu and served it all over homemade pasta

[horseshoe]

I would cook it with an internal meat thermometer to 160* and let it rest for 10 to 15 min.
Insert probe into thickest part of the thigh. The temp. should come up to 165* by the end of the resting period.

[Veggo]

Just my opinion, that's an overcooked pheasant.

[OCEllen]

Their thighs are even skinnier than mine!

[Leibowitz]

Very late, but I agree with Veggo. At 160 degrees, it is overcooked a bit. The time to kill the cooking would be about 150, I think, with a quick broil and 10 to 15 rest.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Young trussed and barded pheasant: 425 oven 25 - 30 minutes.

[OCEllen]

Thanks Sam! A few minutes longer than the quail. And a bard needed for both, I know, I usually use really good butter.

[NYCkaren]

It's so similar to chicken. Shouldn't you just roast it to whatever you consider the right temperature for poulty?

[Veggo]

I suggest lightly braising one quail, then stuffing it into the pheasant cavity at 350 for about 35 minutes. Do a heavy roux smother for the other quail.