Cornish Hen [Pictures]

LTH,

After our tasty Cornish Hen at Big Bun's and Pita I started to wonder why I didn't cook them more often at home, so I picked up a pair, $2.99 per hen, at Marketplace on Oakton, let them slowly defrost in the frig, marinated and grilled on a two stage lump fire with a bit of Hickory.

I got the tasty, but simple, marinade last year during a conversation at Tony's on Elston with an older Mexican woman while waiting in the meat counter line. I said I often use Goya Mojo Criollo for a simple marinade, she suggested Goya Adobo con pimienta and beer.

After giving the hen halves an Adobo rubdown they went into a ziploc with half a white onion, bit of oil and a bottle of Bell's Hell Hath No Fury, which we also drank with dinner.

Sear skin side down direct over lump charcoal with a bit of hickory, flip, move to slow side of Weber Kettle, cover.




Grilled tomato and risotto round out dinner.


Delicious, inexpensive and easy to cook.

Enjoy,
Gary

MarketPlace on Oakton
4817 W Oakton
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-9330

Tony's Finer Foods
4137 N Elston Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
773-866-0010

Excellent pictures, Gary. Why, they give me the feeling that summer isn't much more than right around the corner!

Well, which was best? Your "standard" Goya Mojo Criollo or the Adobo con pimienta and beer? And how did the Bell's hold up in a marinade? I've never tasted their "Hell Hath No Fury" so I have no idea how hoppy it is but I've had some disappointing experiences using hoppy, high-quality beers in cooking before. Strange that the bitterness that's so enjoyable in a good beer can sometimes get so overpowering in cooking with it.

Hmm,

After arranging a progressive dinner for New Year's Eve a few years ago where I had to de-bone, stuff, and roast 36 Cornish Hens ala some Martha Stewart recipe my Mom wanted. We've given them a new name in my family; "Little eff'n Chickens".

I could go a lifetime without seeing one again, and that still wouldn't be long enough.

Flip

Wow Gary, excellent inspiration! Thank you so much! I predict that there will be a mysterious run on Cornish hens at Marketplace. They won't be able to figure out why.

--Joy

Bridgestone wrote:Well, which was best? Your "standard" Goya Mojo Criollo or the Adobo con pimienta and beer? And how did the Bell's hold up in a marinade?

Bridgestone,

It's not so much which is best, more of a what am I in the mood for, though if pressed it'd be Mojo Criollo with added citrus, hot pepper, onion and a bit of oil. Though, by far, my overall preference would, as I'm sure would yours, be homemade such as Kurt, King of Kurtopia's Achiote Chicken.

The Hell Hath lent a slight hoppy tang, not overpowering, my wife commented favorable on the overall flavor. The birds were in the marinade 5-6 hours.

I had grapefruit, lime and a couple of lemons on the counter which I considered adding to the marinade mix, but thought the citrus might compete with the Bell's. What's your take?

Enjoy,
Gary

When I make fajitas - steak or chicken - I use a variation on a recipe from the Weber website from forever and a day ago. It's a mix of fresh lime, dark beer (I usually use Negro Modelo), cumin, chili powder, olive oil, onion, and garlic. Marinate a while. Grill the meat and dress with more lime and cilantro. I think it makes a great marinade. Negro has a full flavor and is a little sweet, but is not too hoppy. I have used Sierra Nevada Pale ALe, a slightly hoppier beer in a pinch with ok results, but the hops do come through. In a recipe like fajitas, when veggies and other toppings are added though, I think it's muted enough. I rarely have leftovers.

Sunday nights have been "Roasted Chicken Night" in my house for over six months now. 'Cept I don't roast a chicken for the table, I roast a Cornish hen for each person present. I always buy my birds at Whole Foods, and I always salt cure them prior to roasting using a modified version of Judy Rodgers' treatment. Pound for pound they cost more than chickens of comparable quality, and they certainly cost alot more than the birds shown above, but, boy, are they ever delicious. So much so, in fact, that I rarely enhance them in any way save for a quick pan sauce or thin gravy.

E.M.

Erik- Sunday nights are Roasted Chicken Nights in our house too. I've been interested in trying out cornish hens and it never occurred to me to use the Zuni method (which I love). What modifications do you make? Thanks for the idea.

ek wrote:Erik- Sunday nights are Roasted Chicken Nights in our house too. I've been interested in trying out cornish hens and it never occurred to me to use the Zuni method (which I love). What modifications do you make? Thanks for the idea.

Oh, they're minimal, really. I mix a bit of freshly-crushed black pepper with the salt before application, and then, once the cure has been applied, I rarely, if ever, leave the birds to sit for more than 12-15 hours. The main thing for me, I guess, is taking the time to spatchcock each bird. And, I like to do that before applying the salt and pepper mixture.

Now, I've tried a couple different ways of spatchcocking, and I've settled on a technique whereby the legs are completely disjointed, then flipped up and skewered in such a way that their tapered ends nestle against the "shoulders" of the bird. This has proven to give me the best result, as it crisps the skin wherever possible, but it also retains precious moisture in critical areas.

The real credit, though, should go to my Hackman cast-iron pans which I've nicknamed, "Pride," and "Joy."


Pride (12.5") and Joy (10")



A photo-illustrated guide to spatchcocking poultry @ SF Gate*

Hackmann Dahlström Cookware @ FinnStyle

E.M.

* My own technique, described above, is a (further) modified version of the one shown here.

Erik- looks great- I'll have to give it a try. Love the pans by the way.

Erik M. wrote:I always buy my birds at Whole Foods

Erik,

I thought I'd give Whole Foods Cornish hens a go, but WF at Peterson/Cicero was out, they had stuffed Cornish hens, but that did not appeal. Butcher said they'd be restocked by today.

Al-Khaymieh for Cornish hen is on my short list as well.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gave the Cornish Hen at Big Buns & Pita a try last night.

Best Thing I've Eaten Lately.

Will have to try the Al-Khaymieh ones too, haven't been in there in a very long time.

Mike G wrote:Will have to try the Al-Khaymieh ones too, haven't been in there in a very long time.

I see a lunch visit in our near future. How about next Wednesday, my treat.

G Wiv wrote:

Mike G wrote:Will have to try the Al-Khaymieh ones too, haven't been in there in a very long time.

I see a lunch visit in our near future. How about next Wednesday, my treat.

Hey, I wanna go too!

I should warn you about Al-Khaymeih, though. The Cornish hen preparation is markedly different from that of BB&P, i.e., it's seasoned with a generous amount of ground spice.

E.M.

For those considering tastings of Middle-Eastern hen preparations around town, do not discount the sweet stuffed cornish hen at Hashalom:



I've never tried it at Al-Khaymeih, but I've added it to my list based on your recs.

Best,
Michael

G Wiv wrote: How about next Wednesday, my treat.

If you're treating I'm in too. I'll fly in Tuesday and buy you dinner at Katsu.

Well, I grilled some Cornish hens from Marketplace following Gary’s great suggestions.

The Goya Mojo Criollo is a liquid marinade that comes in a tall (10-inch) clear glass bottle. It looked really unappetizing, sort of like bad clam juice. But I persevered. Reading the label, Mojo Criollo is just a nice blend of citrus juices with some good spices. This is what I used for the hens.

They turned out very well! Crisp crunchy skin outside, juicy flavorful meat inside.



I also found the Adobo con Pimienta which is a powdered spice mixture in a shaker. I took that home for a future experiment.

I did not make risotto although nice white rice seemed to go well, as did a wedge of iceberg lettuce with homemade blue cheese dressing and some cold watermelon. Summer, indeed!



Thank you again to Gary for the inspiration!

Now…. what’s for dinner tonight! --Joy

eatchicago wrote:I've never tried it at Al-Khaymeih, but I've added it to my list based on your recs.

Now, I've tried it. Really, quite tasty. Hacked up into perfect-sized pieces, assertively seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Highly recommended:

Farouj at Al-Khaymeih


Thanks for the recommendation.

Best,
Michael