STEVE RAICHLEN'S GRILLED GAME HENS

Steve Raichlen's Grilled Game Hens image

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

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1 medium-sized onion, grated
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each paprika, ground cumin, ground ginger, and ground white pepper
4 game hens (each about 1 pound)
1 lemon, cut in wedges, for garnish

Steps:

1. For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the game hens and lemons in a large bowl.
2. Rinse, drain, and halve the hens lengthwise; place in the bowl, coating thoroughly with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 8 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
3. Preheat the grill, using the three-tier method (see note below ). When ready to cook, oil the grill rack. Remove hens from the marinade and arrange skin-side down on the rack over the hottest section of the grill; cook until the skin starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Move the hens to the center section of the grill and continue to cook until the skin is thoroughly browned, 7 to 10 minutes more.
4. Turn the hens and move them back to the hottest section of the grill. Brown the second side well, 5 to 7 minutes, then move the pieces back to the center section of the grill to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be about 25 to 35 minutes. When ready, the hens will be crisp and golden-brown outside, and the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Three-Tier Grilling Method:
Pile 2/3 of the coals on one side of the grill and the remaining 1/3 in the center. Leave a small portion of the grill free of coals. Three-tier grilling gives you a super-hot heat source for searing, a moderately hot heat source for cooking, and an area to place the food if it starts to burn. You control the heat by moving the food from one area to the other.