After a moderately successful recent ringneck hunt in South Dakota, we found ourselves in need of a quick and easy recipe to prepare these wild birds while in a hunting camp with limited cooking options. What arose was a modified version of an old classic that can be easily prepared in an InstaPot, Crock-Pot, or a Dutch Oven for old-time’s sake. With only a few basic ingredients, a hearty meal showcasing the delicate birds becomes an instant favorite. 

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-120 minutes
Serves: 4 hungry hunters
 

INGREDIENTS
 

• 2 whole pheasants, cleaned and quartered
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (homemade preferred)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• Fresh mushrooms (or wild, dehydrated)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• Flour for dusting
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Seasoning of choice (We used salt, pepper, and paprika)
   

PREP INSTRUCTIONS

Begin by rinsing and checking the quarters of pheasant for any remaining shot or feathers. While they dry, mix up enough flour and seasonings for a light coating on the quarters. Heat the butter, preferably in a cast-iron skillet. Toss the pheasant pieces lightly in the seasoned flour. Brown the pheasant quarters lightly and remove from the skillet. Sauté the onions and garlic. When the onions are translucent and picking up flavor from the pan, add the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and mushrooms, stirring until blended over medium heat. If you’re also a forager, using wild-harvested, dehydrated morels and oysters add excellent flavor, though fresh-bought mushrooms work well too. 
 

GET COOKIN’

Add the pheasant and prepared sauce into your chosen cooking vessel. We used a cast-iron Dutch oven but have also tested the recipe in an InstaPot, which considerably shortens final cooking time. The goal is to allow the pheasant and sauce flavors to meld, with the Ringneck coming out fall-off-the-bone tender. In the Dutch oven, that means a low and slow cook over the course of 2-3 hours. In the InstaPot, the same recipe was complete in only 35-40 minutes. 
 

SO TENDER!

No matter your choice of cooking style, that tender pheasant melts in the mouth and is complimented perfectly by the earthy, rich, mushroom cream sauce. For a real comfort food dinner, whip up a kettle of skin-on mashed potatoes. This makes the ideal base for nestling a pheasant breast and leg before topping with a generous dose of the cream gravy. You can serve a salad as well, but all eyes – and forks – will be on the main dish.