Roast chicken is one of my I-can’t-have-it-around-or-I’ll-eat-the-whole-thing addictions. After the first meal, the rest of the bird sits front and center in my refrigerator, and when the urge hits, I pull off a piece here and there until the carcass is picked clean. Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I am drawn to smaller birds: guinea hens, squab, poussin. They’re certainly on the high end in terms of fat and calories, but at least when I’m done, I’m done. No more temptations. When I saw 3/4-pound hens at one of my favorite vendors (Eco-Friendly Farms) at the Sunday farmers’ market in Washington’s Dupont Circle, I had a brainstorm: Why not treat them like beer-can chicken (more colloquially known as beer-butt chicken), but with a smaller can of pineapple juice instead? I thought it was the most original thing ever, until I Googled around and saw that others had trod this ground before me, including barbecue maestro Steven Raichlen. I forged ahead, combining the pineapple with one of its natural partners—rosemary—and cooking down extra juice with lime and butter into a sweet-and-sour glaze. With roasted potatoes (babies, of course), I had a meal.
If you can’t find the small cans of pineapple juice (they often come in 6-packs), wash out a small can of tomato paste and pour juice into it. If you can only find larger hens, adjust the cooking time to compensate and save some as leftovers for another day.
