Cozy Corner-Inspired Barbecued Cornish Hen
Chapter 2 — The Meats
In the undisputed pork capital of the world, tucked inside a cinderblock joint on North Parkway, the Robinson family at Cozy Corner achieved absolute perfection with a diminutive, spread-eagle chicken. Smoked in a 1970s Chicago-style aquarium pit, their Cornish game hen emerges burnished, mahogany-skinned, and swimming in a puddle of fiery Memphis sauce. It is an uncompromising masterpiece of regional barbecue. This recipe brings Desiree Robinson's exacting magic to the backyard, bypassing the need for a custom pit with smart thermal management and a dead-simple dry rub that you sprinkle, never rub.
Before you start
Spatchcock and dry brine the hens overnight.
Split the birds down the back with poultry shears, crack the breastbone flat, and pat completely dry. Mix your dry rub (reserving one teaspoon for the sauce later), coat the birds with a microscopic sheen of olive oil, and sprinkle the spices on from up high. Do not rub or massage it in. Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to desiccate the skin.
Ingredients
- Cornish game hens2 med
- olive oil1 tbsp
- sweet paprika1/4 cup
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 1/2 tbsp
- chili powder1 tbsp
- coarse black pepper1 tbsp
- garlic powder1 tbsp
- onion powder1 tsp
- cayenne pepper1 tsp
- ketchup1 cup
- apple cider vinegar1/2 cup
- water1/4 cup
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- yellow mustard1 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tbsp
- hot sauce1 tsp
Method
- 01
Set your smoker, kettle, or oven to 275°F.
For a proper smoker, run indirect heat with hickory and a little applewood. For a kettle, build a charcoal snake and lay wood chunks along the first half. If confined indoors, set your oven to 300°F and mix a quarter-teaspoon of liquid hickory smoke into your binder oil before applying the rub.
- 02
Smoke the birds naked, refusing the urge to wrap them.
Place the spatchcocked hens directly on the grill grates, bone-side down. Placing foil or butcher paper over poultry traps steam and ruins the epidermal texture. Let the clean, thin blue smoke do the work.
- 03
Simmer the thin Memphis sauce.
While the birds smoke, whisk the ketchup, vinegar, water, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and your reserved teaspoon of dry rub in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. It should be thin enough to pool beneath the meat, not paint it.
- 04
Pull the hens at 165°F and rest them loosely tented.
After about an hour and fifteen minutes, check the thickest part of the breast. The thigh should register 175°F and the leg joint should twist freely. Remove from the heat, tent very loosely with foil so steam escapes, and rest for 15 minutes. A faux Cambro cooler is unnecessary here; the thermal mass is too small and the steam would destroy the skin.
- 05
Serve drenched over cheap white bread.
Slice the hen down the breastbone. Lay it on a piece of white bread and ladle the warm barbecue sauce directly over the top, letting it soak the bread and pool on the plate.
Notes
Barbecued Bologna.
For the full Cozy Corner experience, score a thick, two-inch slab of commercial bologna, dust it heavily with the house dry rub, and smoke it alongside the hens.
From Cook BBQ at Home.