It’s Game Season
Each year as Autumn comes round I promise myself I will cook more game meat. For some reason, it never happens but I am more than determined this year and I have started off well by cooking this BBQ Pigeon Breast with Caramelised Plums and a Plum sauce.
I recently listened to a podcast from the UnitedQ guys, with the guest being Jose Souto. He was so passionate about game meat and has fueled my determination further. If you are interested in game meat it is well worth a listen.
The Cook
I used the Weber Go Anywhere for this cook, with Australian Heat Beads. I was only cooking 3 small pigeon breasts and charring the plums so it was ideal.
Whilst the briquettes were coming up to heat, I cooked the plums and started to make the plum sauce. I also took the pigeon breast out of the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes or so at room temperature.
Once the Weber Go Anywhere was ready to cook on I took the plums out of the liquid they were cooking on and cooked on the BBQ for a couple of minutes on each side. I wanted a little char on them but not too much. I took them off and placed in a warming tray to keep warm.
Next, I added the pigeon breast, looking for an internal temperature of 65°C. I cooked them for around 4 minutes on each side and unfortunately slightly overcooked them. They cooked much quicker than I thought they would.
To serve, I placed them on a Lamb’s Lettuce and Pea Shoot Salad, sat one plum on the breast and one on the side and drizzled the plum sauce over the pigeon breast with a spot elsewhere on the plate. Finally, I sprinkled some pomegranate seeds over the plate to garnish.
BBQ Pigeon Breast, Caramelised Plums and Plum Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Pigeon Breasts
- 3 Plums
- 110 ml Water
- 60 g Sugar
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
- Lambs Lettuce (handful)
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate Seeds
Instructions
- Whilst you are getting the BBQ ready to cook on start preparing the plums and plum sauce. Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Add the water to the pan and place the plums skin side down into the water. Turn the heat up and bring it to the boil. Once the water starts boiling turn the heat down and add the sugar to dissolve.
- Cook for a further 10-15 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium to low. Add the pomegranate molasses and flip over the plums and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the plums from the pan and place to one side. You should be left with a lovely sauce that is starting to caramelise. Turn the heat to low and keep stirring the mixture.
- Once the BBQ is ready to cook on, add the plums and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Either place them on the indirect area of the BBQ or somewhere else (like a warming tray) where you can keep them warm.
- Next, you want to cook your pigeon breast. I was aiming for around 65°C but you can cook to a lower or higher temperature depending on how you like your pigeon breast.– Rare 54°C– Medium Rare 58°C– Medium 61°C– Medium Well Done 65°C– Well Done 72°C
- I actually overcooked mine slightly and that was doing it 4 minutes on each side, so make sure you have an instant-read thermometer close by to closely monitor those temperatures. Remove the pigeon breasts and plate up by making a bed of salad with lambs lettuce, and then place the pigeon breast on the lettuce. Add one of the warms plums on top of the pigeon breasts and one to the side of the plate. Drizzle the sauce over the pigeon breast with some added spots over the rest of the plate. Finally, sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds.
