This recipe works well for quail, pheasant, grouse, as well as duck. However, I personally like the upland birds the best. I prefer to use whole skinned birds, but boned breasts and legs will also work. Cut the whole birds in half before brining.
Brine:
1/2 cup salt (canning / pickling, or rock salt)
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
8 cups water
Mix all the brine ingredients together in a large bowl. If you use rock salt, make sure to give it time to dissolve. Place the birds in the brine using plastic containers or Ziploc bags and refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours. After the birds have finished brining, rinse with fresh water before cooking.
Spray the birds with non-stick cooking spray and grill over a medium low BBQ (gas or charcoal works fine) for about 20 minutes. The key is to cook flesh side down first just long enough to brown and get nice grill marking. With all the sugar in the brine, they can burn if you have the heat too high or leave them flesh side down too long. Flip the birds and cook untill done with the grill covered to help with the cooking process.
Just before the birds are finished, brush with a thick teriyaki type sauce. I like the bottled ones that have some pineapple or other tropical fruit in them. Too really make this an awesome meal, I like to make a batch of steamed sticky rice to go with it.
Cheers!
SnowDog
