Smoked and Fried Cornish Game Hen

Hot Chicken Paste and Tabasco-Spiked Hot Honey

Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois of Blue Smoke | New York

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Adapted by StarChefs | February 2019

INGREDIENTS:

Brine: (Yield: 5 gallons)
7 ounces light brown sugar
1.62 pounds salt
12 bay leaves
4.22 ounces garlic cloves, halved
1.06 ounces black peppercorns

Smoked Game Hen: 
16 Cornish game hens
Blue Smoke Red Dirt rub 

Hot Chicken Paste: (Yield: 5 gallons)
5 ounces smoked paprika
4 ounces granulated onion
3 ounces salt
2 ounces yellow mustard powder
1 ounce cayenne pepper
0.5 ounce malt vinegar powder
0.5 ounce habanero powder
2.5 quarts canola oil

Dunk: (Yield: 852 grams)
260 grams pastry flour
12 grams powdered sugar
7 grams baking powder
15 grams kosher salt
9 grams granulated garlic
9 grams granulated onion
2 grams cayenne powder
2 grams cumin, ground
1 grams black pepper, ground
100 gram hot sauce

Dredge: (Yield: 28.1 pounds)
25 pounds all-purpose flour
1.5 pounds salt
13.5 ounces black pepper
9 ounces cayenne
4 ounces paprika

Tabasco-Spiked Hot Honey: (Yield: 5 gallons)
3 kilograms red wine vinegar
1.25 cups Tabasco
10 kilograms grams honey
15 grams Spanish paprika
15 grams Aleppo pepper 

To Assemble and Serve:
Oil for frying

METHOD:

For the Brine:
To a large Lexan, add all ingredients and 4 gallons plus 2.75 quarts water, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.  

For the Smoked Game Hen: 
Add birds to Brine. Brine 4 hours. Prepare a smoker with oak and heat to 250°F. Drain birds, pat dry, coat in rub, and smoke 4 to 5 hours. Cool birds. 

For the Hot Chicken Paste:
In an oversized bowl, whisk to combine spices. To a large pot, add oil and heat until shimmering, about 170°F. Pour fat over spices. Whisk to combined. Cool. Pour into quart containers, cover, and refrigerate. Temper before service. 

For the Dunk: 
In a bowl, whisk to combine dry ingredients. Add hot sauce and 300 grams water. Stir to combine.  

For the Dredge: 
In a large Lexan, combine all ingredients. 

For The Tabasco-Spiked Hot Honey:
In a large Lexan, whisk to combine all ingredients. Transfer to squeeze bottles. 

To Assemble and Serve: 
In a deep fryer, heat oil to 400°F. Stir Hot Chicken Paste to maintain a consistent potency. Dip Smoked Game Hen in the Dunk followed by the Dredge. Deep fry 6 to 7 minutes, until deep golden. Remove from fryer and dunk birds in Hot Chicken Paste. On a large serving, place bird and drizzle with Tabasco-spiked Hot Honey.

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