Daybreak Pheasant Sliders
Recipe by Chef Rachel Hogan. Recipe featured in the Dec/Jan 19 issue.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 9)
- 12 to 14 pheasant thighs
- 20 cloves of garlic
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- Oil, to brown in (or bacon fat)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
- Coarse Kosher salt
- Beef broth
- Barbecue sauce (purchased or homemade)
- 12 Hawaiian slider buns
- Orange juice
- Honey-lime slaw, recipe following
For the Honey-Lime Slaw
- 1 part shredded cabbage
- 1 part broccoli slaw mix
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- Salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
TO PREPARE:
-
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a Dutch oven, heat oil until hot. Sear pheasant thighs in batches, gaining color on both sides but not attempting to cook through.
- When the last batch is removed, add onion slices and cook until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, and cumin and cook one more minute to slightly toast the spices.
- Deglaze hot pan by pouring in 1 cup of beef broth and scraping up all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the pheasant thighs back to the pan and add enough broth to cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and cover. Place in a 300-degree oven and braise for three hours.
- After three hours, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Remove pheasant thighs from the broth and shred. Set aside.
- Strain the remaining liquid from the pan, setting aside the onions and garlic. Cook down the broth until reduced by half. In a blender, blend the onion and garlic mixture until smooth and this add back to the reduced broth.
- Take one part of the reduction and one part prepared barbecue sauce and simmer together with a splash of orange juice. Season to taste.
FOR THE SLAW:
-
- Combine ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
TO SERVE:
Pour warm sauce over the shredded meat to lightly coat. Serve on toasted Hawaiian buns topped with honey-lime slaw and a dill pickle.