Cornish game hens. Almost everyone has seen them at some point, either sitting next to the chicken at the meat counter or hiding in the freezer section like little poultry-shaped hand grenades. They kinda-sorta look like chickens, but are they? Despite their name, Cornish hens are not a game bird — although they are, more or less, the size of a partridge. No, they are merely young birds (about five weeks old) from a small breed of chicken. Disappointed that they aren’t actually something exotic? I was, too, until I began eating them, many years ago. Think of Cornish hens as single-serving chickens, which is precisely the reason the breed was created back in the 1950s. And since they are so young and tender, Cornish hens are perfect for the grill. They cook pretty quick as it is, but the birds will cook even faster if you spatchcock them. Yes, I know. Spatchcocking sounds like some medieval torture, but it’s really just a simple way to flatten a bird well enough so that it gets great contact with the grill so it cooks faster. Once you’ve spatchcocked your hens (this method, by the way, works with any bird), you can grill them as-is, or grill them al mattone, which is Italian for “with a brick.” And yes, that is exactly what you do. Wrap bricks in foil and lay them on the hens and you will get even better contact with the heat, the birds will cook more evenly — and you’ll be eating them faster. I don’t like to mess with birds grilled this way. Sure, you can marinate them in something, but I prefer my hens flavored by nothing more than fire, salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lemon. Turn the birds over and use kitchen shears to cut out their backbones. Use your hands to flatten the birds. You can stop here, but I like to cut out the ribs and the saber bone — essentially the hen’s shoulder blade — to make the hens easier to eat. Salt well and set aside for 15-30 minutes; the hens will cook better if they are at room temperature. If they arc, place a foil-wrapped brick on the hen. Grill this way for 10 minutes with the grill cover open. If you don’t have bricks handy just squash the birds down on the grill with tongs or a spatula. Depending on the heat of your grill, you may not need much more time, but on cool-ish grills this final step can take as much as another 10-15 minutes depending on how done you like your hens. How to Spatchcock (Butterfly) Chicken, here on Simply Recipes Smoked Soy-Honey-Rum Cornish Hens, from She Simmers Game Hens with Caprese Salad, from Guilty Kitchen
