The Best Southwestern Smoked Pheasant Tacos

Southwestern Smoked Pheasant Tacos combine a super juicy and delicious smoked pheasant recipe with all your favorite taco ingredients, making it perfect for your next Taco Tuesday!

PHEASANT HUNTING IN NORTH DAKOTA

Another pheasant season will soon be upon us. Hopefully, you can find some birds and make some good shots to bag a few roosters for the freezer. But then what?

After 20 years of hunting pheasants here in North Dakota, I have learned from experience there are lots of ways to end up with a dried out, tough game bird that disappoints at the family dinner table. But brining and smoking pheasant has been the saving grace these last few years. It is the only way my wife will ever allow me to cook them anymore. And I wholeheartedly agree with her!

Because my family loves sweet with our smoke, we love to use North Dakota honey for the brine. We enjoy the finished product in salads, sandwiches, soups, and tacos.

SMOKED PHEASANT RECIPE

Here is the smoked pheasant recipe from one of our favorite Taco Tuesday nights. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

1. Cut the legs and thighs away from the pheasants. Leave the breast meat attached to the ribcage but cut away the backbone using game shears.

2. In a large pot, dissolve the salt and sugar in the water with a whisk. Add honey and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover.

3. Allow to cool completely, then place pheasant pieces in the chilled brine. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.

4. Take pheasant out of brine and place on a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet, uncovered, in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.

5. Smoke pheasants at 200 degrees F over the wood of your choice – we prefer hickory. Baste the pieces with a little honey about every 45 minutes. I usually do this the same time I am adding new wood chips to an electric smoker.

6. Take breasts out when internal temperature hits 150 degrees F using an instant-read meat thermometer. Take legs and thighs out when their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Baste them with honey one last time and let them cool for about 30 minutes before eating.

HOW TO MAKE PHEASANT TACOS

1. In a large bowl, combine all Pheasant Taco ingredients listed below and mix well.

2. Serve right away on warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings such as shredded cheese, Pico de Gallo, or guacamole. The mixture will also keep well if covered and refrigerated for a day ahead of time if you want to bring it along to your next potluck.

MORE PHEASANT RECIPES

If you are looking for more pheasant recipes, check out all the great Upland Birds and Small Game Recipes here on the blog.

CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITY

If you make these Southwestern Smoked Pheasant Tacos, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfish

Did you enjoy this Southwestern Smoked Pheasant Tacos Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!

5 from 15 votes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: how to smoke pheasant, pheasant hunting in north dakota, pheasant taco recipe, pheasant tacos, smoked pheasant breast, smoked pheasant recipe, smoked pheasant recipes, smoked whole pheasant

Prep Time: 12

Cook Time: 2

Total Time: 14

Servings: servings

Author: Jeff Benda

Ingredients

Smoked Pheasant Ingredients

1 to 2 Whole pheasants
6 cups water
⅓ cup kosher salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 cup honey

Pheasant Taco Ingredients

1 smoked pheasant, deboned and chopped
1 cup cooked white rice
1 15-ounce can of black beans
2 green onions
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Taco Bell Creamy Chipotle Sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cumin

Instructions

Smoked Pheasant Instructions

Cut the legs and thighs away from the pheasants. Leave the breast meat attached to the ribcage but cut away the backbone using game shears.
In a large pot, dissolve the salt and sugar in the water with a whisk. Add honey and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover.
Allow to cool completely, then place pheasant pieces in the chilled brine. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
Take pheasant out of brine and place on a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet, uncovered, in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.
Smoke pheasants at 200 degrees F over the wood of your choice – we prefer hickory. Baste the pieces with a little honey about every 45 minutes. I usually do this the same time I am adding new wood chips to my electric smoker.
Take breasts out when internal temperature hits 150 degrees F using an instant-read meat thermometer. Take legs and thighs out when their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Baste them with honey one last time and let them cool for about 30 minutes before eating.

Taco Instructions

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Serve right away on warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings such as shredded cheese, Pico de Gallo, or guacamole. The mixture will also keep well if covered and refrigerated for a day ahead of time if you want to bring it along to your next potluck.

The Best Southwestern Smoked Pheasant Tacos