Grilled Cornish Game Hens
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What is it about the grill? Why is it so doped with male hormones? Is it because guys still don't want to get caught inside in the kitchen, somehow compromising their sexuality? (Uh oh, watch out he's got a whisk--he might be going gay!)
Or is it because of that open flame? I mean, what little boy didn't want to play with matches? (Me, actually, but then again, I liked whisks.)
No matter, because I'm all for the grill, even if it gets gendered in ways that make my head hurt. (I'll let you figure out which one of us grills: Bruce carries around a Leatherman and fixes plumbing leaks; I sit on my ample butt reading Henry James. It's a real puzzler, no?)
And while I'm at it, I'm all for Cornish game hens, even if they aren't game hens, or even sporting birds of any stripe, but cross-bred, Lilliputian chickens (which also makes my head hurt).
OK, to the recipe.
The best way to grill these game hens is to flatten them out. I suppose you could back the car out and run over the little birds a few times. But the more sensible approach is to take out the backbone. (Watch out: it's about to get gross.)
First, figure on one 1-pound game hen per big eater or two of your more normal eaters. Look inside the large cavity. You'll see the spine running down one side. You need to cut the spine out. Basically, you take a sharp knife and make a cut on either side of it, then pry it up and cut if off at the back of the cavity. It's gross but it's the only way.
Now you can flatten the bird out skin side down on your cutting board. You'll see all those remaining bits of ribs, sort of like flaps in the meat. Cut these out as well.
If this operation is too much, ask the butcher at your supermarket to do it for you. Tell him--or her!--you need the bird flattened out for grilling but not completely deboned.
Once you've got the birds flattened out, make a quick marinade. Here's one of Bruce's favorites: 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon ground sumac, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground mace.
Ground sumac? It's a favorite spice from the Middle East and southern Italy, especially Sicily. It's made from the plant's astringent, slightly sour berries. And available everywhere these days, even from Penzey's. (By the way, you can't eat the sumac that grows by the roadside in North America. Not unless you want a trip to the emergency room.)
OK, add the game hens, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, fire up the grill for high heat cooking, then add the birds skin side up. Cover and grill for 20 minutes.
Turn and continue grilling skin side down for 10 more minutes, until golden and luscious, and until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat at the thigh without touching bone registers 165F.
It's a feast for all genders, no matter who does the grilling.
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Reader Comments (2)
I recently learned that cutting a bird that way to grill it is called spatchcocking. That was enough to get me to buy a whole chicken the other day and do just that. Haven't tried cornish game hens yet, but I really like the sound of that marinade.
Brittany, you win the vocabulary comment of the day. Spatchcocking. I'm SO using that this weekend at our dinner party. "I never miss a chance to spatchcock." I'm sure I'll get stares.