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Noooooooo.......never remove anything except the gizzard and the feathers.

Let it hang 2 days-pluck up to the head then skin the head-remove the gizzard-rub the bird all over with a **** of seasoned butter and place a rasherof bacon(I prefer very thin parma ham)over the breast-push the knees up to the body and use the bill as a skewer(its easier if you break off the tip first)and use it to secure the legs in the trussed position.

Roast at gas 8 for 10 -15 mins for medium or 20 for well done.

Remove the innards and place in the roasting tin.

Place the `cock on a warmed plate at the bottom of the turned off oven.

Place the roasting tin over a medium flame and when it sizzles throw in 1/2 a glass of port,stir and mash the innards as they will be mushy(and sooooo tasty) until it reduces to a thickish sauce.

Toast a slice of bread and spread the sauce on it then the woodcock on top of it.

 

It may sound an awful recipe but the woodcock "evacuates"itself on springing up in the air so it doesn`t have anything in it apart from taste,believe me I thought I would be sick but it tastes gorgeous.....Enjoy.

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Femove the innards and place in the roasting tin.

 

Place the roasting tin over a medium flame and when it sizzles throw in 1/2 a glass of port,stir and mash the innards as they will be mushy(and sooooo tasty) until it reduces to a thickish sauce.

Interesting recipe, I have of course heard of the innards of the Woodcock being used in the dish, but have never tried it.

 

On the assumption that game birds have the same basic make up inside as the Woodcock, Why has it never been suggested to use the innards of pheasants or partridges in the same way? The sauce suggested by Henry D is really just the offal being mashed, liver, kidneys,heart and lungs etc. Would it not work with bigger birds? I've seen lots of pheasants "evacuate" themselves when they jump.

Or do you think it came about initially because of the need to bulk out the dish being as there is not that much there to start with?.

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Diet is the key,Woodcock eat invertebrates and phessies and partridge eat cereal/green stuff and the wader innards are therefore shorter so when it sh!ts all of it goes,but a phessie when you clean it has allsorts of horrible green decomposing stuff in it.

If you do a woodcock like the recipe I posted then the trail comes out clean and no nasty smell or green colour.

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  • 1 month later...
Noooooooo.......never remove anything except the gizzard and the feathers.

Let it hang 2 days-pluck up to the head then skin the head-remove the gizzard-rub the bird all over with a **** of seasoned butter and place a rasherof bacon(I prefer very thin parma ham)over the breast-push the knees up to the body and use the bill as a skewer(its easier if you break off the tip first)and use it to secure the legs in the trussed position.

Roast at gas 8 for 10 -15 mins for medium or 20 for well done.

Femove the innards and place in the roasting tin.

Place the `cock on a warmed plate at the bottom of the turned off oven.

Place the roasting tin over a medium flame and when it sizzles throw in 1/2 a glass of port,stir and mash the innards as they will be mushy(and sooooo tasty) until it reduces to a thickish sauce.

Toast a slice of bread and spread the sauce on it then the woodcock on top of it.

 

It may sound an awful recipe but the woodcock "evacuates"itself on springing up in the air so it doesn`t have anything in it apart from taste,believe me I thought I would be sick but it tastes gorgeous.....Enjoy.

Must try this one henry d.

Sound good :(

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  • 2 years later...

Ok, I got lucky and bagged a woodcock on Saturday. Preparing and cooking it NOW.

 

A simple 5 ingredient recipie so i nipped in the co-op on the way home tonight and set about preparing the beast this is how i did.

 

1 Woodcock - check

loaf of bread for toasting thereof - check

bottle of port - check

**** of butter - darn it

streaky bacon - darn it

 

so had to go out again for bacon and butter.

 

Honestly on a 5 ingredient dish how the hell can you forget to buy 2 of them :lol: especially when i only cook once in a blue moon :good:

 

Anyway due to the delay i am sampling the port, hope i don't forget about the woodcock in the oven otherwise the main event could rapidly go south :D

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My goodness that was ******* awesome.

 

I probably overdid the bacon, using 4 rashers and maybe (just maybe) had a tad too much port, served on two doorsteps of crusty toasted bread. But i sure as hell aint changing anything next time !!!!!

 

Overall two thumbs good :good::D Hellfire i'd be well happy paying £35 for that in a restaurant.

 

Here woodcock, woodcock, woodcock, here........ BANG

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  • 4 weeks later...

I shot my first woodcock yesterday and plucked and drew it today. Have I really fu*cked up by drawing the bird or will there still be enough flavour in the meat?

 

I am planning everything as above apart from the innards bit (must admit that I didn't fancy the trail when I was plucking it)

 

Thanks

 

Peely

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I shot my first woodcock today, after over twenty years of shooting. A very memorable experience, although I regret shooting such a noble bird. I've never before had a chance to shoot one, or it's been an opportunity lacking in challenge. A drive that was added into a shoot at the last moment showed 18 woodcock, of which 6 were shot.

 

I now have a brace, which are going to be treated to Henry's recipe.

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  • 3 years later...

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