Soaking birds

I was just curious what people have found about soaking birds before cooking. In this case I got some pheasant and partridge from a game farm and have the breasts sitting in the fridge in a bowl of water. I know people say to add salt to help soak up blood etc. but I never know how much to add. One time I put too much salt into bowl of fish fillets soaking in the fridge and they were way to strong on the salty side. Thanks for any info on how you handle your game bird meat.

I just soak mine in water for a while. No salt.

I almost always vacuum seal mine so drying them properly is important.

Read about aging birds. That will really get your attention. I have not done it yet. Maybe some day. I always clean them very soon after harvesting and get them cooled. Sometimes when road tripping to Iowa in cool weather we may leave them all day in the truck and clean at night. No problem yet. I just refuse to chance it in warm weather.

I’ve never brined pheasants, but with other game birds and game I’ll make a brine with equal parts sugar and salt, garlic, onions and whatever else you want. Let them sit over night and then cook them.

Good luck!

I have always soaked my breasts in water with table salt overnight. It pulls the blood out of the bullet holes etc. You dont want to soak them too long however because it does reduce the flavor considerably.