Cranes

[sutlerjon]

Anybody got any ideas fer cookin' these big chickens? :angry:

We been fryin' em ..... but I'm getting tired of wing.

We've been workin' on the same one fer 2 days now!

They just keep comin' to the house.

They are a little over 3' tall!

Really loud and funny as heck to watch. They can put up a pretty good fight, I hafta whack 'em with a belayin' pin quite a few times before they go down, claws is sharp too!

They're Sand Hill Cranes .... a little tough an' stringy and a bit "oily". Wingspan about 6'.

[Graydog]

Add bacon and the butter help to keep this crane moist and give it an old world fire roasted taste. This is as traditional as it gets when it comes to crane.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 whole crane, about 5 pounds

• 4 slices bacon

• 3 tablespoons butter

• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sprinkle the inside of the crane with the salt and pepper. Truss the crane. Place securely on rotisserie skewer. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub with butter and sprinkle with salt. Blanch bacon in boiling water for one minute. Secure the strips of bacon over the breast and thighs with string. Preheat your grill and prepare you rotisserie. Place a drip pan under the place where the crane will be and fill it half full with water. Keep water in this pan during the cooking rime. Place crane on grill with a medium heat. Cook until the center of one breast reached 165 degrees F. about 2 hours. Remove bacon about 15 minutes before the crane is done and baste with drippings from the pan.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Graydog

[hurricane]

That's an expensive meal in Florida. Knocking one off carries a $50,000 fine and a year in jail, but only if it's a Florida Sandhill Crane.

I think it's cheaper to lure a cow into the yard and whack it instead. :angry:

- Hurricane

[MorganTyre]

Legal to hunt here in Texas. They're easy to get as well from what I understand. They mate for life so when you kill the one the other just stands there mourning it. How depressing is that.

[Guest]

so when you kill the one the other just stands there mourning it.

Makes yer next dinner easier to catch tho....... :angry:

[sutlerjon]

I hope you all realize I was only kidding about roasting the Cranes .......

Yes, they are protected here in Fla. especially in our neighborhood, they brought in some mating pairs several years ago and now we have a whole bunch of 'em. Still protected though.

I can only safely collect the "road weary" ones, they pick the strangest places to nap.

The eggs are big enough you only need 1 to make an omellette for 2.

......... I only roasted one, they're Waaaayyyyyy tastier deep fried! Yes, Patrick, "second's" are a lot easier to catch!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ......

Personal to Graydog, your recipe is great but you should try a bit more bacon, while they're a little fatty being a water bird, the pork fat and salt just add that little extra zing or BAM! (if you like Emeril). Based on their size you can also get by with 4 - 6 cloves of garlic. Mmmmmm good!