Cornish Hens

ArizonaBGEguy

Going to give this a whirl tonight.. forgot where I got the original post on the subject of Hens so I apologize about no shout out.

Cornish Hen

Ingredients
2 24 oz cornish hens + rub

Instructions
Thaw birds. Mix all other ingredients and marinade chicken for 1-2 hours. Bake at 350 for about an hour, basting and flipping the birds. When juices run clear, done. Serve w/ rice pilaf.

Spatchcock The Birds
Take the birds out and discard the brine. Remove the spine by using kitchen shears to cut just to one side of the spine, starting at the chickens arse and repeat on the other side. Discard the spine. Break the birds breast by putting your thumbs on the breast bone (external side) and bending the bird backwards. The birds will now lay flat (butterflied).

Season The Birds
Season both sides of the birds with poultry seasoning and pepper.

Grill the Birds
Place the birds under a bright light and ask it where it was last Thursday night....oh wait. I mean, place the butterflied birds flat, boneside down, on a medium high grill. (If you like crispy skin spritz the outside with olive oil spray). Grill them until the backsides are crispy brown or carmelized (nice word for almost burnt in some spots). This should take about 30 minutes but I go by the color. Flip the birds and grill until the front sides are golden brown. Flip them back over and grill until the hens reach an internal temp of 165 degrees in the deep part of the thighs. (If you don't have an internal thermometer, it is when the leg and thigh give you a nice limp handshake or move easily.)

Season the Birds....Again
Baste both sides of the bird with lemon juice and then season with the Rendevous dry rub (you can order it online, but in a pinch you could use Emerils Essence or any poultry dry rub). Remove from grill and let the birds rest for 5 minutes. Cut each bird in half at the breast bone (or what is left of it) and serve.

Grillin & Chillin

Looking forward to some pic's of your cook, sounds good. I have cooked a couple hen's the same as I do Pork Butt's with my V-Rack.

Mickey

No flies on those birds

jaydub58

Pay real close attention to what ArizonaBGEguy says....that's spatchcoking and it works beautifully with Game Hens. His pics and his method is spot on.
Try it, you'll love it.

:cheer: :cheer:

jaydub58

Oooops, not his pics, but do follow his directions.........

Griffin

Sounds great. Can't wait to see pics.

I think you missed a step. Take spines and vacuum seal/place in a zip lock bag. Place in freezer for the next time you make chicken stock. At least, that's what I'd do.

ArizonaBGEguy

Tasty!

So good in fact that I didn't have time to take a picture. They were off the egg and on a plate before I could stop my wife/kids.. As a new BGE cook, i am finding this to be common.. : )

COoked in 45 minutes at 350. Quick and easy meal. Next time will brine them overnight, which will speed up thawing..