Char-Grilled Game Hens with Mustard-Molasses Marinade

Game hens, Cornish hens, rock Cornish hens—whatever you call them—these tender, young birds bring juicy, sweet meat to your table every time (provided they’re not overcooked). Oven roasting typically takes about 50 minutes, but I gave these hens just over an hour, since I grilled them over indirect heat.

The marinade here starts out bold but mellows after a few hours in the fridge, penetrating the flesh with the slightly sweet and tangy flavor of molasses and hot mustard. I used Chinese-style hot mustard, but Dijon would work well too. Set aside a little of the marinade to brush on the chicken just before taking it off the grill. Very few ingredients, very big flavor.

To prepare the hens: Remove any giblets, then rinse the birds thoroughly and pat dry. Using kitchen shears, remove the tail and any excess skin and fat. Lay each hen breast-side down on a work surface. Cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Cut through the center of the breast cartilage/bone to divide the hen in half.

Rinse and pat dry

Cut along the backbone of the trimmed hen

Remove backbone

Cut through the breast to halve

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 tbsp hot Chinese-style mustard
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 game hens, split lengthwise in half, backbone removed (as noted above)
• olive oil, for oiling the grill grate

Preparation

1. Combine the molasses and mustard in a small bowl, reserving about 2 tablespoons in a separate bowl. Loosen the skin on the hens and rub most of the marinade underneath. Rub the remaining all over the outside of the skin. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a large plate or pan and refrigerate 4-6 hours.

Marinated Hens

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat with space for indirect grilling.
2. Rub the grill grate lightly with oil. Place the hens breast-side down over direct heat until the skin begins to char, 2-3 minutes. Turn and grill 2-3 minutes on the cut side. Note: Don’t be alarmed by the blackened skin! Just like honey, a molasses-based marinade will char quickly because of the sugar. That’s ok—the meat underneath remains tender.
3. Move the hens off direct heat and continue grilling, turning 3-4 times, until almost cooked through, about 1 hour.
4. With the hens breast-side up, brush each with the reserved marinade. Continue grilling until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.

Beginning to Grill over Direct Heat

After Turning

Move Off Heat

Basted Hens

--> Transfer to a board or platter and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Char-Grilled Game Hens with Mustard-Molasses Marinade