Smoked Doves with Guajillo Sauce

Name: Smoked Doves with Guajillo Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 14 h 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 16 to 20 doves, quail, snipe or sora rails, or 8 pigeons or teal; 1/2 cup kosher salt; 2 quarts water; 1 teaspoon Instacure No. 1; 8 dried guajillo peppers; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 small white onion; 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander; 2 to 6 hot chiles, such as arbol; Salt and lime juice to taste

User Reviews

5.0

18 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Brine Time
12 hrs
Total Time
14 hrs 30 mins
Servings
4 people
Calories
60 kcal
Course
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine
American, Mexican

Smoked Doves with Guajillo Sauce

Elizabeth Hodge

Report

Consider this a master recipe for smoking small birds. Doves, pigeons, teal, snipe, rails or quail will all work with this recipe. The sauce is something I like a lot, but you can use whatever sauce you'd like.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

9 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

16 to 20 doves, quail, snipe or sora rails, or 8 pigeons or teal
1/2 cup kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
2 quarts water
1 teaspoon Instacure No. 1 (optional)

GUAJILLO SAUCE

8 dried guajillo peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 small white onion, quartered
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 to 6 hot chiles, such as arbol
Salt and lime juice to taste

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Dissolve the salt and curing salt into the water and submerge the doves in it. Set this in the fridge for no less than 4 hours, and no more than 24 hours; I prefer 12 hours. Remove, rinse briefly and pat dry.
Get your smoker going to about 170F to 200F. Use whatever wood you like, but I prefer mesquite or oak. Smoke your doves for 2 hours, with smoke going the whole time.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour boiling water over the dried chiles to rehydrate them. While this is happening, char the onion and garlic in a hot, dry skillet until you get some nice blackening. Peel the garlic and put it in a blender. Roughly chop the onion and put that in there, too.
Put the guajillo chiles and all the remaining ingredients into the blender and puree. Thin the sauce with some of the chile soaking water, lager beer or water. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lime.
You can either paint the doves with this sauce in the last hour of cooking, or you can remove the birds from the smoked, cut then in half with kitchen shears or a knife, and then bathe them in the sauce. Serve with plenty of napkins and a bone bowl. Watch out for birdshot!

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 60kcal (3%) Carbohydrates 11g (4%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 2g (3%) Saturated Fat 0.4g (2%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 4mg (1%) Sodium 14244mg (594%) Potassium 287mg (8%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1996IU (40%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 52mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	60kcal	3%
Carbohydrates	11g	4%
Protein	2g	4%
Fat	2g	3%
Saturated Fat	0.4g	2%
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4g	2%
Monounsaturated Fat	0.5g	3%
Cholesterol	4mg	1%
Sodium	14244mg	594%
Potassium	287mg	6%
Fiber	3g	12%
Sugar	5g	10%
Vitamin A	1996IU	40%
Vitamin C	7mg	8%
Calcium	52mg	5%
Iron	1mg	6%