Foil-Packet Pheasant with Onion and Raisins
A shot bird, a sheet of foil, and the coals from last night's fire.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 12 oz
- cal / oz
- 52
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pheasant breast, boned | 1 whole breast, about 8 oz | cut into two flat pieces so it cooks evenly |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 2 slices | the bird has almost no fat of its own |
| Onion | 1/2 medium, sliced thin | |
| Raisins or dried grapes | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and cracked pepper | to taste | |
| Heavy-duty foil | two arm-length sheets |
Method
- Burn the fire down to coals. Flames scorch foil packets before the inside is done.
- Lay two sheets of foil crosswise. Pile the onion in the middle as a bed so the meat never touches metal.
- Salt and pepper the pheasant, set it on the onion, scatter the raisins and thyme, pour the oil over, and drape the bacon across the top.
- Fold the foil into a sealed packet with a little air inside. Crimp every edge twice.
- Set it in the coals, not on them. Twenty minutes, then flip the packet and give it five more.
- Open a corner and check the thickest piece. It should be firm and just past pink. Wild birds go dry fast, so pull it early rather than late.
Pheasant is lean to the point of being a problem. There is almost no fat in the breast, so the whole method here is about adding some and then trapping it. The bacon renders down over the top, the oil pools in the foil, and the onion underneath steams instead of searing. Everything the bird loses, it sits in.
Raisins stand in for the wild grapes these birds eat on their own. They swell in the packet and turn sweet against the thyme and the salt. Foil is the whole cooking vessel, so there is nothing to scrub afterward, which matters when you are cleaning game and dishes on the same water.
Packing
Slice the onion and bag the raisins, thyme, salt, and pepper at home. The bird and the bacon ride in the cooler; everything else lives in the food box. Bring more foil than you think you need.
Variations
- No bacon: a second tablespoon of oil and a spoonful of butter will do the same job.
- Add halved baby potatoes to the packet and give it ten extra minutes.
- A splash of cider vinegar over the raisins cuts the sweetness.
https://www.huntingpa.com/threads/pheasant-food-sources.2004