Pheasant Confit

This luxuriously tender pheasant recipe delivers silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Using classic French confit, you'll create a dish that showcases the unique qualities of wild game while remaining approachable for home cooks.

French preservation technique

Traditional Preservation Confit represents one of France's great preservation techniques, slowly cooking meat in fat to create incredibly tender results with long storage life.

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

• 8 pheasant leg quarters
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns, cracked
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4-6 cups duck fat or olive oil

Traditional Method

1. Curing Process: Cure the legs with salt, garlic, and herbs. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours - no longer or they'll be too salty.

2. Preparation: Rinse the cured legs under cold water and pat them completely dry with paper towels.

3. Confit Cooking: Submerge the legs in fat heated to 180°F. Cook for 3 to 4 hours until the pheasant is fall-off-the-bone tender.