Name: Grilled Cornish Game Hens
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 4 Cornish game hens (1¼ to 1½ pounds each), giblets discarded; Salt and pepper; Lemon wedges

Why This Recipe Works

Friulians take the simplest of ingredients and transform them into delicious and uncomplicated meals. Wild game birds, for example, are hunted and then cooked over an open flame, embellished with nothing more than salt and pepper. Wild game birds, for example, are hunted by and then cooked over an open flame, embellished with nothing more than salt and pepper. As we would need to work with what we could buy in an American supermarket, we chose easy-to-find Cornish game hens, which are small birds with robustly flavored meat. We butterflied the hens, creating a uniform thickness for even cooking, and we sprinkled them with salt and pepper. We then set up a half-grill fire and started cooking the hens skin side up over the cooler side of the grill so the fatty skin had time to slowly render while the meat cooked. To finish, we flipped them skin side down and placed them over the hotter side, which crisped the skin in a few minutes. The juicy, flavorful meat pairs well with a traditional side dish of Polenta grigliata.

Before You Begin

While the hens rest, you can grill the polenta on the hotter side of the grill.

Instructions

Working with 1 hen at a time, place breast side down on cutting board and use kitchen shears to cut through bones on either side of backbone; discard backbone. Flip hen and press on breastbone to flatten. Trim any excess fat and skin.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). Adjust primary burner (or, if using three-burner grill, primary burner and second burner) as needed to maintain grill temperature between 400 and 450 degrees.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Tuck wingtips behind backs and turn legs so drumsticks face inward toward breasts. Season hens with salt and pepper. Place hens skin side up on cooler side of grill (if using charcoal, arrange hens so that legs and thighs are facing coals). Cover and cook until skin is browned and breasts register 145 to 150 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating hens halfway through cooking.

Using tongs, carefully flip hens skin side down and move to hotter side of grill. Cover and cook until skin is crisp and deeply browned and breasts register 160 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes, being careful to avoid burning. Transfer hens skin side up to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut each hen in half or into quarters and serve with lemon wedges.