As summer draws to its climax, nature is full and in fruit. This time of year i move inexorably toward game in various forms. this week we concentrate on Wood pigeon.
Since restaurants around the country have chosen to glorify and exploit this humble and cheap source of meat/ bird and turn it into the truffle of vermin, pigeon has gone from strength to strength. Yet in many ways it has been fucked about with over cooked and served with a strange and unneccesary variety of ingredients.
For all your information a whole wood pigeon costs from 30-50 pence per bird wholesale (on the feather) to £3-5 at a game dealer, farmers market etc which willl be dressed. However, you will never get the liver, and heart unless you know the shooter or person who butchered it. THAT person will have thrown the offal away.Wasteful Bastards…
For this entry though i have posted my dry cure for the breasts. These can then be hot or cold smoked later.
Dry Cure
300g sea salt
1 tbl sp brown sugar
12 juniper berries
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme
1 tbl sp white peppercorns
2g Potassium nitrate(optional)
Method
1.In a coffe grinder or blender whizz up all ingredients barr the salt.
2.Now mix salt with whizz up bits.
3. Dust pigeon breasts in the cure and place on a wire rack. Repeat
4. After 30mins remove breasts from cure and wash under cold water. Dry off with paper towel and leave to develop a pellicle.
To Smoke
I have a Bradley cabinet smoker which i use for hot smoking which i set to cook at 80 degrees centigrade. I then add a quantity of oak shaving ligtly dampened. I thensmoke for one hour.
We bought one of your pigeon breasts yesterday – wonderful. Only wish it had belonged to the pigeon that sticks its head down our chimney at daybreak and coos, echoing down into our bedroom!