Japanese Inspired Pheasant
By Andrew Zimmern
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, learn how to butcher a whole pheasant and utilize the boneless meat for pheasant yakitori skewers. The secret to making authentic izakaya-style Japanese skewers is in the fresh ginger juice baste and classic yakitori glaze—a craveable combination of dashi, sake, soy and mirin. I like to cook the skewers on a tabletop grill with binchotan, a charcoal made of compressed white oak that burns at high heat. It adds a fun DIY element to your barbecue and allows your guests to help in the cooking process.
Tune into Wild Game Kitchen every Monday on Tastemade.
Pheasant Yakitori Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup kombu (1/2 ounce), broken into small pieces
- 1/4 cup bonito flakes
- 3 cups sake
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 3/4 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 pounds boned out pheasant thighs and breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 bunches scallions (about 12), cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup pure ginger juice (or 1/4 pound ginger, peeled and juiced)
- Vegetable oil, for brushing
- Japanese prepared hot mustard, for serving
Instructions
In a saucepan, bring the water and kombu to a simmer. Add the bonito and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes. Strain the broth into a large saucepan. Add the sake, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to the broth and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 40 minutes.
Season the pheasant pieces with salt, brush with vegetable oil. Using metal skewers (or soaked wooden skewers), alternately thread the pheasant and the scallions on skewers. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat coking. Grill the skewers directly over the heat turning frequently, until just cooked through, about 7-8 minutes total. Baste the skewers with the ginger juice and yakitori glaze. Remove from the heat, baste with more yakitori glaze and serve with hot mustard.
