I picked up a couple of Hot Chicks!

I ran across a special deal at the store – a pair of young hens together for under $4.00. Not Cornish game hens, rock or otherwise, as a whole rock Cornish game hen is about the size of just the body of one of these. They were crying out to me to visit the smoker, so I had to oblige them


Here they are getting ready. They have just come out of a 4-hour brine and been rinsed. The one on the right is ready to go, and the one on the left is just being prepared. Note the right bird all nicely tucked in. The knife in the left one shows the location of one of the two ‘vest pockets’ I make in the skin of the bird, not too big. Then I tuck the wingtips into these, and since the slots are snug, the wings are retained for the duration of the cook. This keeps the wings from flying around all over, and makes a nicer presentation (see last foto). I do this for anything from game hens to turkeys – works like a charm!

A remote thermometer was inserted in the thickest breast and was set to 165 degrees, They went into a smoker at 275 degrees and smoked until the temp was reached. Then I pulled them, foiled them and let them rest for 15 minutes.

I also took advantage of the smoke and loaded 4 hamburger patties on the tray above the birds. Try smoked burgers instead of grilled sometime – a great treat. They will be used for quick meals later, just microwave them and instant fresh smoked burgers! The burgers dripping grease as they cooked apparently worked well to keep the birds lubed and moist - never had a bird this moist cooked in any fashion.

Well, here they are. The little patch on the breast of one was the thermometer entry point. Golden brown, delicious, juicy and just the right smoke level and pink flesh. These may go into heavy rotation at our place!