PHEASANT PSEUDO-SATAY WITH THAI PEANUT SAUCE
This past November was our agency’s annual deer camp and on Sunday night, we hosted our traditional wild game dinner. While venison chili and backstrap fresh from the field were the main courses, I was tasked with serving up the appetizer.
Expectations were high.
The dish satay is believed to have originated in Indonesian or Malaysia as a street vendor adaption of Indian kebabs. Marinated in a mix of special spices, satay is classically skewered with bamboo sticks then grilled over an open flame. For this recipe, I skipped the sticks and opted for finger food instead (hence the title). You’ll want to pull apart the tenderloins (thin strip of meat on each breast) from the main part of the breasts. Since they are separate cuts, they will cook independently and could potentially dry out if not cooked on their own.
Needless to say, since I was serving dozens of people, my quantity of ingredients outnumbered the below, though I based the ratios off this original recipe. The Thai peanut sauce, which was a major hit — one hunter told me, “You could dip tire rubber in that and it’d still taste good” — is based off a recipe I learned while working at The Elk Public House in Spokane, Washington. Attendees were also amazed at how tender and flavorful the pheasant tasted, versus the dry birds they were used to eating from back home.
MARINADE INGREDIENTS (TWO SERVINGS):
• Four pheasant breasts
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, finely diced • 4 large cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil • 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons cumin • 1 teaspoon cayenne • 1 teaspoon turmeric
THAI PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
• Two 13.5-ounce cans of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 red curry paste
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
1. Dice onion and ginger, mince garlic, and mix with other marinade ingredients then add skinless pheasant breasts to marinade.
2. Allow to marinate for 2-4 hours.
3. When almost ready to grill, start Thai peanut sauce by adding all ingredients except peanut butter to a medium pot set to medium-low heat.
4. Stir thai peanut sauce ingredients often and once all ingredients are mixed well, add peanut butter, continuing to stir well.
5. After pheasant breasts have marinated, separate tenderloins (thin strips of meat on breasts) from main part of breasts and grill all meat on high heat on both sides until done (internal temp of 160).
6. No need to cut tenderloins as they’re perfect dipping size but cut main pheasant breasts diagonally into strips.
7. Once Thai peanut sauce is smooth and creamy, serve in dipping bowl.
8. Place dipping bowl full of Thai peanut sauce in middle of plate surrounded by sliced pheasant and enjoy!
As always, if you have any questions, never hesitate to reach out to me on Instagram: @WildGameJack or on Facebook: @BraisingTheWild.