Thanksgiving: Smoked Cornish Hens Stuffed with Wild Rice, Sausage and Apple Stuffing

[chilerelleno]

Very nice the color on those birds!

Thanks man!

Man those look great! One thing i have never cooked. Looking at yours I might have to change that very soon!

Jim

Thank you Jim.
Time to bust that cherry!

 

[Fueling Around]

Thank you for the service to Scouting. Got my Silver Beaver a few years ago.

...
The price of specialty poultry is insane.
Cornish hens spend half the time/money on care and feeding and then charge twice the price.
And the Capons too, rooster castration doesn't warrant $10.+ per pound.
...

Best guess is the labor and other costs involved.
Castrating a rooster requires surgery or chemicals. Check your bird for a scar line down by the lower abdomen. If none it was a chemical transformation which still requires intervention.

I don't think game hens can get the commercial gut suck due to size nor a mechanical plucker due to the thinner skin.

Back in college days a housemate had a grad student research project with turkeys and had way better hatch than needed for his test study. He butchered the culls around the size of game hens. They were delicious and didn't have the extra poultry flavor of a grown turkey

 

[DRKsmoking]

Thanks David, I have leftover birds, where ya at?

Just a few long strides from you , cross the 49th and right beside Maine.

David

 

[chilerelleno]

Thank you for the service to Scouting. Got my Silver Beaver a few years ago.

Best guess is the labor and other costs involved.
Castrating a rooster requires surgery or chemicals. Check your bird for a scar line down by the lower abdomen. If none it was a chemical transformation which still requires intervention.

I don't think game hens can get the commercial gut suck due to size nor a mechanical plucker due to the thinner skin.

Back in college days a housemate had a grad student research project with turkeys and had way better hatch than needed for his test study. He butchered the culls around the size of game hens. They were delicious and didn't have the extra poultry flavor of a grown turkey

I understand it from the business aspect, high overhead, seasonality and them being a specialty item with low sales, if they're gonna make a profit the price has to be high on the Capons, Cornish hens and other specialty poultry just like any other specialty product.

The Cornish hens appear to me to be mechanically eviscerated same as any other chicken.
But they definitely aren't "picked" (plucked) in the same highly efficient manner as full size birds.
I had to go over all these birds plucking quills by hand, which was considerable around the wings and tails.
And the neck were still attached with a lot of tattered excess neck skin, all of which was removed.

The turkey chicks sound like they'd be good eating.

 

[chilerelleno]

Just a few long strides from you , cross the 49th and right beside Maine.

David

LOL... Yeah, just a 2057 mile hop, skip and a jump.

 

[gmc2003]

NIce looking FLock of Seagulls John. The color and ingredients look perfect.

Point for sure
Chris

 

[chilerelleno]

NIce looking FLock of Seagulls John. The color and ingredients look perfect.

Point for sure
Chris

Thanks Chris.