Pheasant, Bacon, and Potato Camp Casserole
Bacon-lined cast iron, pounded pheasant breast, and sliced potatoes. A hunt camp dinner that cooks itself for two hours.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 120 min
- total time
- 150 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
- Grill grate
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Pheasant breasts | 4 to 6 | skinned and pounded to even thickness; save legs and thighs for another meal |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 1.5 lb | regular cut, not thick; thick slices will not render through |
| Russet potatoes | 3 lb | sliced about 1/4 inch thick |
| Monterey jack cheese | 12 oz | shredded or sliced |
| Ranch dressing | 1 cup | bottled, shelf-stable until opened |
| Buttery garlic seasoning blend | 3 tbsp | Kinder's or any garlic-forward all-purpose blend |
Method
- Get the grill, smoker, or fire coals holding a steady 350°F. If you are using a fire, bank the coals to one side and set the pot off direct heat.
- Line a cast iron casserole dish or deep skillet with raw bacon strips, running them across the bottom and up the sides. Leave the ends hanging over the rim; you will fold them back over at the end.
- Lay the pounded pheasant breasts across the bacon in one layer. Season them.
- Cover the meat with the sliced potatoes, shingled and overlapping. Season again as you go.
- Pour the ranch over the potatoes and spread it out. Cover the whole thing with the cheese.
- Fold the hanging bacon ends over the top so the surface is sealed under bacon.
- Cover with foil or a lid. Cook 90 minutes, then pull the cover and go another 20 to 30 minutes to crisp the bacon on top.
- Check a potato in the center with a knife. If it still resists, put the cover back on and give it another 15 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.
This is hunt camp cooking, which means one heavy pot, a long cook, and no attention required in the middle. The bacon lining is the reason it works. Pheasant breast is very lean and dries out fast on a grill, so wrapping it in bacon and burying it under potatoes means it steams in rendered fat instead of losing water to the air.
The layering order matters. Meat on the bottom sits in the fat, potatoes above take on the drippings, and the ranch and cheese seal the top so nothing dries out. Two hours at a moderate temperature is not a suggestion — the potato slices need that long to go soft, and the bacon on the bottom needs it to fully render. This one needs a cooler and a real fire or grill, so it belongs at a road-accessible camp, not in a pack.
Packing
Slice the potatoes at home and hold them submerged in water in a sealed container so they don't brown; drain before they go in the pot. Pheasant travels frozen in the cooler and thaws on the drive. Everything else is a cooler item except the seasoning.
Variations
- Grouse, quail, or boneless chicken thighs work the same way. Dark chicken meat wants the full two hours.
- Swap half the potatoes for sliced onion if you want the dish less heavy.
- No ranch in camp? A cup of sour cream with a packet of ranch seasoning stirred in does the same job.
https://realtree.com/recipe/timber-2-table/pheasant-bacon-ranch-casserole