Ok, so I started out this weekend with the simple idea of just cooking some spatchcock chicken. I butterflied the bird and then decided to totally de-bone the bird (less his 4 limbs). Well, that wasn't so hard, so I got the wild hair to de-bone a Cornish Game Hen.....that was hard, but got the job done. I got to thinkin' about a simpler TurDuckEn: So I present to you: ChiCorn (Plain ol' roastin' chicken with a Cornish Game Hen stuffed in the cavity.
Here's what I did:
First lay your de-boned big bird out flat, skin down. Spice as desired (I just used some salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and sage). Then lay out some Bacon in a V pattern, following the thighs towards the center of the bird.
Next, plant the de-boned game hen as the next layer. I removed most of the skin. I just left enough so the hind quarters were still attached (not really needed, but makes it more presentable when the finished product is cut). Then I sliced up some apples and arranged them in the center. Season again as needed (I just added some cayenne and some sugar and cinnamon).
At this point, I was just guessing, so please don't rely on me for knowledge here. Obviously, butchers twine would be best, but I'll be darned if I could find any, so I just used some hemp cord (about 15'). Stitched up the entire opening. Again, I'm no surgeon, so experts please speak up on a good process (mine was hill-billy, and don’t really want to talk about it):
Placed the bird in on a foil sheet with the ends turned up (I suppose you could use a pan); breast meat down. I know, it sounds crazy to cook it with the white meat down, but the bacon provides a nice stream of juice to keep it moist. Not to mention, by the time it's been cooking for about 5 hours, 1-2" of liquid will accumulate on the bottom, keeping it nice and juicy. I cooked it at about 230-250 for about 5 1/2 hours with oak and apple. Basically when the large roasting chicken hit 175 in the thigh, I felt comfortable that the internal bird was done.
Probably the most moist and flavorful bird I've ever had. Will definitely be doing it again:
Here's what I did:
First lay your de-boned big bird out flat, skin down. Spice as desired (I just used some salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and sage). Then lay out some Bacon in a V pattern, following the thighs towards the center of the bird.
Next, plant the de-boned game hen as the next layer. I removed most of the skin. I just left enough so the hind quarters were still attached (not really needed, but makes it more presentable when the finished product is cut). Then I sliced up some apples and arranged them in the center. Season again as needed (I just added some cayenne and some sugar and cinnamon).
At this point, I was just guessing, so please don't rely on me for knowledge here. Obviously, butchers twine would be best, but I'll be darned if I could find any, so I just used some hemp cord (about 15'). Stitched up the entire opening. Again, I'm no surgeon, so experts please speak up on a good process (mine was hill-billy, and don’t really want to talk about it):
Placed the bird in on a foil sheet with the ends turned up (I suppose you could use a pan); breast meat down. I know, it sounds crazy to cook it with the white meat down, but the bacon provides a nice stream of juice to keep it moist. Not to mention, by the time it's been cooking for about 5 hours, 1-2" of liquid will accumulate on the bottom, keeping it nice and juicy. I cooked it at about 230-250 for about 5 1/2 hours with oak and apple. Basically when the large roasting chicken hit 175 in the thigh, I felt comfortable that the internal bird was done.
Probably the most moist and flavorful bird I've ever had. Will definitely be doing it again:
