It all started with a simple text message to friend:
Me: Hey man, can you get me any game?
Friend: Sure, what do you want?
Me: Pheasant or Venison…
Friend: I’ll bring some pheasants for you
………………
Flashforward to 36 hours later and my friend is at my house with 15 to 20 pheasants, complete with feathers, beaks and very much intact. This was my introduction to pheasants and following a 5 minute hands on tutorial from friend (and YouTube) I was breasting the pheasants in my kitchen, much to the dismay of my wife and kids.
You know what though, I was amazed at how easy it was to not only de-breast the pheasants but the skin comes off like a glove. It also wasn’t as gory or bloody as one would imagine, which was a massive relief.
Two hours later, all birds were prepped and I had a freezer full of pheasant breasts as well as some thighs…which are great in a curry.
Given this was my first time handling fresh game meat, I felt a massive sense of accomplishment. I had not only learned a new skill but I knew exactly where my food has come from, I knew that it was super fresh and I appreciated the work that went into the preparation of the bird.
This is exactly what I was wanting to achieve…a better understand and appreciation of the food that my family and I are consuming. I understand that not everyone agrees with hunting, shooting etc and that’s cool, everyone is entitled to their opinions but if I am going to cook and consume meat then at least I know it’s lived and roamed freely in the wild.
And that’s it really, my introduction to game meat and it was a breeze. Pheasants are such beautiful animals to look, you cannot deny that and when cooked right, they are truly delicious.
In the coming weeks and months I will be sharing my recipes and I hope you enjoy them too.
Cheers,
Keith
Field To Fork Food 