Better Living Though Smoking

Yesterday after the morning chores I fired-up the smoker.

On Thursday the dogs and I put a pail of eight South Dakota pheasant breasts down in the basement to soak in the signature brine.

The Frau and I had to fiddle with the placement of the smoker so the persistent east wind wouldn't blow-out the flame.  Eventually we got it spot-on and by 2 PM those precious breasts were smoking low and slow over apple wood.

Took them off after three hours.

Here's the finished product.

Oooooo baby.  Very nice.

I'll leave them in the pan in the garage fridge overnight and then debone most of them and cut into cubes.  From there they'll be apportioned into 1 cup packages and shrink wrapped and frozen.

I'll probably freeze a couple of the better-looking ones intact for entertaining.  Nothing better than cold smoked pheasant and cheese on crackers.  Especially during the holidays.

I took one of the breasts that was 'significantly shot' and trimmed and cubed it.

Fix a simple cheese sauce and cook a pot of pasta.

Drain your pasta.

Add back to the pasta pot some olive oil and a chopped garden onion. Saute.

When your onions begin to glaze add the pheasant.

After the pheasant and onion are heated-through add a cup of frozen peas from this year's garden.

Add back the drained pasta and pour the sauce over all.

Heat thoroughly and serve with grated Romano cheese.

This is a meal guaranteed to advance the domestic relations...