Well, as an extension of last weekend's "designated driver" can chicken, I thought I'd try the same process on some Cornish Hens. The problem is their...uh....back door is a little smaller than a roasting chicken. The good news is I found a way to do it. The bad new is, I had to temporarily discontinue my boycott of StarBucks coffee (I don't like their practice of moving in and shutting down mom and pop shops....shame on you!).
While at the gas station I saw that the StarBucks iced coffee cans were really small, and would work perfect on these small birds. Now, while I thought about using the coffee in the cooking process, I couldn't put a combination together this weekend. So I quickly downed 2 cans of "Double Shot Espresso and Cream" and cut the tops off (cleaned them well). Filled the cans with Dr Pepper, EVOO, some bananna peppers and its juice, thyme, and garlic powder.
I had the birds marinade over night in a mixture of Sea Salt, Maple Syrup, and pear juice/syrup (from canned pears). Mounted the birds on the cans and used some large apple wedges to close the neck opening (to keep the steam in).
Cooked at 275 until the birds reached an internal temp of 175 (spraying every half hour with apple juice, EVOO, and Dr Pepper), using a combination of lump charcoal and oak.
Here's the result (the guy on the left looks like he's got gas!):
While at the gas station I saw that the StarBucks iced coffee cans were really small, and would work perfect on these small birds. Now, while I thought about using the coffee in the cooking process, I couldn't put a combination together this weekend. So I quickly downed 2 cans of "Double Shot Espresso and Cream" and cut the tops off (cleaned them well). Filled the cans with Dr Pepper, EVOO, some bananna peppers and its juice, thyme, and garlic powder.
I had the birds marinade over night in a mixture of Sea Salt, Maple Syrup, and pear juice/syrup (from canned pears). Mounted the birds on the cans and used some large apple wedges to close the neck opening (to keep the steam in).
Cooked at 275 until the birds reached an internal temp of 175 (spraying every half hour with apple juice, EVOO, and Dr Pepper), using a combination of lump charcoal and oak.
Here's the result (the guy on the left looks like he's got gas!):
