BBQ Game Hen

I recently found out that according to the US Department of Agriculture,

Cornish Game Hens are actually just little chickens. Bigger than fluffy yellow chicks
But small chickens non-the-less. It is interesting that here in the good old U S of A, we are willing to pay more for something that takes less time and food than the original. A full size chicken, or pullet, takes 42 days to mature. Game hens? Only 29 days. And because they are smaller, they take up less space. And they eat less. But we continue to pay more for them.
Why? Well, I like a game hen because it is just enough, when served with three sides, to feed my husband, my baby, and me. No left-overs. But there is some thought that the immature bird has a better flavor. Hmm, I'm not sold on this point.

Anyway, tonight for dinner, I made a BBQ Game Hen, with sweet potato, green beans with bacon, and tomato salad. (We are leaving town Friday, I'm trying to clean out the fridge.)

Begin by peeling the skin off the hen. The BBQ sauce will stop it from ever getting crispy, and wobbly chicken skin is GROSS! Next, thoroughly season, with salt and pepper, both inside and out. Place into a no-stickem sprayed casserole dish. Now it's time for the BBQ sauce.
Combine 1 cup ketchup with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tsp. Soy Sauce, 1 tsp. Hot sauce, and 1 tsp. Garlic Powder.
Paint a thin layer of said sauce onto bird and place in a cold oven.
Turn oven on to 350 and set timer for 20 minutes.
Go read with your kid until the timer goes off.
Now pull the bird out and paint on another layer of the sauce.
Return to the oven and increase temp to 375, set timer for 15 minutes.
Wash your sweet potato. One large sweet potato will feed both my husband and me, so I only cook one. Wrap in cling wrap.
Chop 2 slices of bacon into 1/2 inch wide strips. Cut the direction where you end up with like 25 strips, not like 3. Put into sauce pan on low heat. Brown bacon, stirring occasionally. When crispy, add 1 can cut green beans. Cover. Leave alone on low.
Play tag with your kid until the timer goes off. You're it.
Repaint your bird again, return to oven and raise temp to 400. Set timer for 10 minutes.
Put sweet potato in microwave and turn on High for 7 minutes.
More tag. Now you kid is it.
When the timer goes off, paint your bird one more time, and reset timer for 10 more minutes.
Leave the sweet potato in the micro, though poke it to ensure it is pretty soft.
Slice up 2 tomatoes and 1/4 red onion. You want to go thick on the tomato and thin on the onion. Toss with olive oil and champagne vinegar.
Set the table.
Pull the hen and paint one last time. Leave in dish to rest while you plate.
Unwrap and split the sweet potato, give each person one half. Dot with butter and S&P.
Add a pile of green beans and tomatoes.
Now divide your hen down the middle and give each of you half.
Now eat dammit!