How did I screw up cooking a cornish game hen, even with a recipe? DOH!?
Okay… I’ve never cooked one before. Bought a NuWave oven (which is great) & thought I’d try a cornish game hen. Recipe seemed pretty simple – only problem is that apparently I was even simpler.
It said to rinse it, and I did… It said to roast it breast side down for 30 minutes. Did that. Then it said to turn it upright & cook it for 17 minutes, or until meat was 170 degrees. Did it. (my memory of the exact times may not be correct).
PROBLEM: When it said to turn the bird over, it also said to spread open and season the cavity and remove the giblets. Okay, so I nearly tore the poor bird apart trying to open that #(@%! cavity, Finally got it open, but I didn’t see no stinkin’ gizzards in there (not that I would have know what a gizzard looked like even if I’d seen one). Seemed empty to me. So I seasoned it & started the second phase of cooking.
PROBLEM 2: I had to cook it longer than the cookbook said, but I finally got the temperature to 180 degrees (thermometer in the meat of the breast). "Done!" says I, but then I took it off the tray. I lifted it with a fork in the cavity and, in doing so, tilted it up – and blood ran out!! Blood??!! The darned thing was supposed to be cooked!!
What the heck?! I ate the breast meat, where the thermometer was, but not too close to the bone. How are you supposed to cook the inside, when the outside is already cooked?? Or was the dripping blood normal?
I don’t get it… "I am so confused" Please help!!
Tags: 30 minutes, amp, breast meat, cavity, close to the bone, cookbook, cornish game hen, cornish game hen recipe, dripping blood, exact times, game hen recipe, giblets, gizzard, gizzards, memory, nuwave oven, poor bird, second phase, thermometer, what the heck
Filed under: Cooking Thermometers | Nov 12th, 2009.
Your first problem is you should have removed the giblets and seasoned the bird after rinsing it off. That should have been step 1.
If the meat or bone is still bloody.. keep cooking but make sure to baste the bird with butter or marinade to keep it moist. Use a thermometer that indicates when you have reached the right temperature for poultry. You should stick the thermometer through the thickest area of the bird. Not on the legs or wings.