Guide to Grilling the Perfect Cornish Game Hen from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet

Step-by-step instructions to help anyone grill like a professional.

Cornish Game Hens are great off the grill. Our favorite technique is to butterfly each bird so they can be grilled over direct heat, preferably over an open hardwood flame.

Step One: Butterfly the Birds

Rinse each bird under cold water and then dry inside and out with paper towels.

Cut out and discard the spine. From the inside, split the breast bone using a sharp knife. Open/flatten each bird and trim the neck area to remove any extra skin.Tuck the wings up and over themselves so they lock in place over the shoulders.

Step Two: Season the Birds

Any number of seasoning options will work well with this grilling technique. The easiest is to rub inside and out with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, or use a generous coating of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet's signature Kalamazoo Garlic Grilling Rub.

Alternatively, you can rub the birds down with a quick combination of minced fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh lemon rind, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Your favorite chicken marinade should also work well with this grilling technique.

For any of the basic seasoning options, let the birds sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.

Step Three: Prepare the Grill

Preheat the grill to 400 degrees for direct grilling. Make sure the grill surface is clean and slightly oiled.

We recommend using apple, cherry, oak or cabernet chips in your smoking tray or smoker box, or grilling over an open hardwood flame on one of Kalamazoo's Dual-Fuel Hybrid grills. The photo below was taken for Wine News following a grilling session over grape vine chunks soaked in white wine.

Step Four: Grilling

Grill the butterflied birds, skin-side-down for about ten minutes over direct heat at 400 degrees with the hood closed. After the first five minutes, use grilling tongs to rotate each bird 45 or 90 degrees, creating an attractive pattern of grilling marks.

After the full ten minutes, turn the birds over so the skin side is up. Brush very lightly with olive oil and continue grilling with the hood closed for another 20 minutes.

Remove the birds from the grill when the internal temperature (measured away from the bone) is 170 degrees. The skin should be browned, and the meat moist and tender.

Note: Butterflied Cornish Game Hens are also great grilled with a combination of direct and indirect heat. Preheat your grill for 500 degree indirect grilling. Place the chickens skin-side-down over direct heat for the first 5 minutes, then move skin-side-up over the indirect zone for 30 to 45 minutes.