Vertical Roaster
I recently wanted to make a couple of game hens and wanted to cook them vertically. So I found these Spanek Vertical Roasters from Spanek Industries here in California. No idea what the real estate thing is about. Since I was cooking game hens — also known as Cornish Game Hens — I got a pair of the smallest ones but may actually get the chicken ones, too.
They work great. However, the instructions are a bit…lacking. I understood it. Eventually. Just think there’s a better way to convey the information. And since I don’t want to have to keep track of their little 4×6 pamphlet, this….
Vertical Poultry Roasting
Equipment
- Vertical Roaster(s)
Instructions
- Rinse your poultry in cold water and pat dry. Rub liberally with your favorite dry rub.
- Using a roasting pan of a suitable size to fit however many roasters and birds you're roasting, add enough liquid — broth is good — to cover the bottom at least 1/4" deep. Trust me: this'll make clean up a lot easier.
- Lightly oil the vertical roaster with cooking spray.
- Shove that bird onto the roaster so that the top of the roaster is visible out the neck hole.
- Position oven racks pretty low so that you can get the bird in there.
- Preheat oven to starting searing time by the chart below and let sit at that temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Put the roasting pan into the oven for the appropriate searing time by the chart below. Then, lower the temperature to the suggested temperature and cook an addition amount of time to get to the total time.
- Remove, let rest, and carve.
Roasting Time
Here’s where I think Spanek could’ve done better with their instructions. In short, calculate the total cooking time, sometimes it’s based on weight. For example, a 4-pound chicken calculate 60 total minutes (4 x 15). Of that total cooking time, 15 minutes will be searing time at 450°F and 45 will be at 350°F.
