Brine

• Brining flavors pheasant and helps protect it against the effects of overcooking. Immerse the pheasant in cold water mixed with about 1 cup of kosher salt or 3/4 cup of non-iodized table salt per liquid gallon. Add a sweetener, such as about 1/2 cup of sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or molasses. You can replace one-third to one-half of the water with wine, beer, vinegar, apple juice or cider, citrus juice, tea, chicken or vegetable stock, soy sauce or another suitable liquid. Add complementary seasonings, such as salt and pepper, garlic or onion, chive, ginger, chili powder, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram, or dill. Fresh and dried both work. Soak the pheasant in the refrigerator for about four hours.

Marinade

• Marinating is an alternative to brining that offers another opportunity to season and flavor pheasant before you cook it. It's better suited to cuts and pieces, rather than whole birds. Marinate in a glass baking dish covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, using an acidic liquid as a base; wine, vinegar, soy sauce, tamari, orange juice or lemon juice are good picks. Combine the base with about an equal amount of oil and some seasonings. Seasoning options are as numerous and varied as with brining, and can include all sorts of herbs and spices. Marinate pheasant cuts for two to four hours or a whole pheasant for six to 12 hours. Turn the meat as needed so that all sides get equal soaking time.

Sauce

• Adding a sauce to pheasant is another way to impart seasonings and flavors. You can make a sauce similar to your brine or marinade if you sauce after one of these other techniques. Make sauce fresh, though, and discard used brine or marinade, as it's been contaminated by the raw poultry. Some basic pheasant sauce ideas include wine butter sauce with onion and chives; white wine Dijon mustard sauce with rosemary; mayonnaise with garlic and lemon zest; and orange marmalade and soy sauce with hot chili sauce and chives.

Straight Seasoning

• If you don't have the time or inclination to brine, marinate or prepare a sauce, simply season pheasant with dry ingredients before sticking it in the oven. Lots of poultry seasoning mixtures are commercially available. Or, make your own; salt, pepper, celery seed, rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram and basil are all standard inclusions. Mix them in approximately equal parts, or favor those ingredients you like best. Seasoning is all about what you personally like, so add and subtract to taste. Cumin, red pepper flakes or chili powder are good for adding some kick to your pheasant dish.