Chicken roasting over an open fire?

[Denim Deb]

Hubster and I went into Aldi's today. While we were looking at stuff, I noticed they had rock Cornish game hens. And it got me to thinking. I like to make a fire out at the tack shed, and cook either my lunch, or if I'm spending the night, my dinner. And I got to wondering if I could rig up a spit, and cook one of them. They're just about the right size for me to eat at one sitting, but I've never tried cooking anything like that over a fire. Has anyone? If so, please share how you did it, if you prepared the bird any or what. Or if there's any other way I could cook it.

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like fun but I've never done it....love the Cornish game hens! If you do it, tell us how it was?

 

[Denim Deb]

I will. Hubby says I can do it, even wrap it in foil and just put it in the coals. That might work well as well. My thought w/the spit is, how often would I have to turn it?

Setting up a spit isn't a problem. Hubby gave me this for Christmas this year. I just need to find something to use as the spit.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Camp-Fork-Rest/16781506

 

[rebecca100]

I think with a spit it would have to be turned pretty frequently over a low fire. I think the coals would work better. If you did a spit I would do some kinda shield like a piece of tin bent over it, to keep the heat trapped so it would cook by trapped heat rather than direct heat.(can't think of the words-radiant heat and convection? Maybe?). Anyway just thinking out loud.

 

[FarmerChick]

dutch oven....stick it in there and let her go. would be delish I would think. camping we set up a small grate over open fire. made a chicken in the dutch oven.
can't go wrong.

not sure on the spit. not a spit girl here I am a kabob person and I know those have to be turned alot.

but with an open fire, one pot wonders would be super easy.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Actually I'm hot after the idea of getting myself a grill to do some outdoor cooking over an open fire. I'd just get creative with some seasonings and put it over a grill.
I thought (Okay, thats a lie...it was DH who gets the credit) killing some of our Cornish X's at 3 weeks to have as cornish game's bit we ended up doing them at more like 10 weeks and they all cut in halves.

 

[animalfarm]

You can make a basic spit by using a couple of y branches with the chicken on a stick across them over the fire. If you want a sturdier arrangement, use large branches sharpened and pounded about a foot and half into the ground. The tricky bit is balancing the chicken so it doesn't flop back to the same position when you turn the stick.
If you aren't too particular, baling wire works to strap it on there. A wee little chicken can be spitted with one end of the spit on the ground and the other on a y branch to form a triangle with the ground.

Make the chicken spit just a bit longer then the chicken and hang a billy can on it and have tea and/or soup as well although you can just set the billy can in the fire itself. How often you turn depends on how hot your fire is and how close to the coals the chicken is. Its cooking 101. If the chicken is black on one side you didn't turn it enough. Thats all that counts. Get a nice color all the way around and she be fine. Doesn't have to be timed. If there is a raw bit when you knaw it off the stick, hold it back over the fire cave man style just like in the movies.

This may wear thin. Dutch oven or tinfoil in the coals is easier if you aren't roughing it or wanting a bit of fun.