No skin, it dried out

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elkmaster101

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Alright i just keep on confessing to you guys.

 I'm new at smoking, i just ruined 38 lbs of summer sausage, Bologna and deer sticks as noted in another post.

now I have to tell I also over smoked or dried out (4) pheasants at the same smoking.

they were naked - no skin.

how do i rekindle the birds, you know make them juicy again.

 Here's what i did.

 shot the birds but didn't clean them,

the outfitter took them to a person who cleaned  all the birds.

yes i was on a sponcered hunt, there was 20 of us, we shot 120 birds in 2 days  

It wasn't my fault they were skinned, but that another story.

I rubbed them down with Morton and placed them in bags, flipping them around for  a couple days.

rinsed them down real well and rubbed them down with a shot or two of tarriaukie sauce (Japanese something), black pepper, dash of garlic salt

and sprinkle of Lowery's.

set them on the racks in the smoker.

smoked them and smoke them, yep they dehydrated 

they look beautiful but the dried out.

how do i rejuvenate the moisture,

 I know tere wasn't any skin to hold in the moisture.

WoW do i feel bad.

Two of the birds belong to a friend.

     what to do?
 
I don't hink you can save the birds now, I have never smoked my pheasant but I do know that you want that skin on them to prevent this from happening.  If you do them again I might recommend wrapping in bacon, but like I said I have not smoked my birds before.  I would also brine them instead of just straight Morton.  Hope this helps
 
First thing is, I wouldn't put cure on a pheasnt. If you dont have skin on birds then i woud brush w/ olive oil season inside and out then bacon wrap b4 smoking

 Not trying to be rude ,But you need to slow down ,step back and take a breath.

 You are getting way ahead of your knowledge and that is what we are here to help you with.

 Instead of asking how to fix a  mistake ,Decide what you want to smoke and come ask questions first. Every member here is more than happy to try and help.

 We have all had to start at the begining and work our way forward.

I know that these folks here taught me how to smoke some really fine meats.

 Like i said slow down,Ask questions beforehand and we will have you turning out some good smokes too.
 
I don't hink you can save the birds now, I have never smoked my pheasant but I do know that you want that skin on them to prevent this from happening.  If you do them again I might recommend wrapping in bacon, but like I said I have not smoked my birds before.  I would also brine them instead of just straight Morton.  Hope this helps


Forget trying to pluck phez, it is miserable....especially if you shoot 12 a day like we typically do. I normally skin and spatchcock the birds so I can get to the bar after a long day of hunting....I clean all the birds and my buds buy my beer for the night. If you haven't cleaned your birds this way you are wasting precious time. In Montana you have to leave one leg naturally attached for proof of sex. So here is how I do it. Cut off head, and one leg, skin the bird. cut up the back on both sides of the spine to the neck, pull on the neck and the guts will follow.Rinse and done.

Now on to the smoking of the bird. You pretty much have a bunch of dried smoked birds, there is no saving them, but you could consider making some sort of patay...mix with cream cheese and chives and serve cold for crackers. Or you could make smoked fettechini alfreado, or better yet enchiladas. Or taco soup. Pull all of the meat and freeze until you find some sort of recipe that will add liquid such as what I have just suggested.

Next time you smoke those birds just remember they are very delicate, they are not chickens. So use a good water/sugar brine, I like to use trivcomans slaugterhouse chicken brine...but about half the salt. brine for 12 hours. Rinse WELL, dry, then let set on the counter for about an hour, the bird will get tacky. Smoke with some mild wood such as apple, alder, or pecan. Run your smoker at 180* to 200* Until your birds reach 150-155-160 internal...not more than that. Pull from the smoker, wrap in foil with a 1/4 cup of chicken broth, wrap the tinfoiled bird in towels and place in a dry cooler for about an hour. Your bird should be good, it still may be dryer than a chicken but will sure be more moist than what you have described. Good luck! I know you can salvage the ones you over brined/smoked. Just need to make something. Oh and whatever you make if your recipe calls for salt, just taste it before you add any additional salt. I personally would make taco soup. You could make a huge batch and can or freeze.
 
Yea Coffee has some good info there. Like most wild game you don't want to over cook it or it will dry out really bad. Also brining, injecting or wrapping in bacon can also help with moisture. 
 
Well I have to tell you the pheasant turned out supper.

Grabed one out of the freezer, thawed it overnight in refrigerator, then pulled it..

added the meat finely shaved then chopped to a cup of mayonnaise, cream cheese ,dill, finely chopped onions and left out the accent.

already had enough salt from smoking. whipped her up and stuck it in the refrig. to chill.

brought it out during a cribbage tournament Saturday night what a hit.

 I'm feeling a little better.
 
Last edited:
Well I have to tell you the pheasant turned out supper.

Grabed one out of the freezer, thawed it overnight in refrigerator, then pulled it..

added the meat finely shaved then chopped to a cup of mayonnaise, cream cheese ,dill, finely chopped onions and left out the accent.

already had enough salt from smoking. whipped her up and stuck it in the refrig. to chill.

brought it out during a cribbage tournament Saturday night what a hit.

 I'm feeling a little better.
Always remember, don't try to cover your mistakes, but feature them. Way to go on saving the birds.
 
Glad to hear that you worked out your problem. It's all good my friend.
 
icon_cool.gif


Believe me we have all been there done that and I have the shirt too. Now we have all messed up some hunks of meat but not 38lbs thou. Atleast you have learned your lesson and thats aways a good thing. 
 
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