Cooking Cornish Hen on Outdoor Electric Grill
- 1). Clean each bird inside and out by rinsing it under cold running water. Gently dry it with paper towels.
- 2). Cut out the spine of the hen using a sharp knife. Break the breastbone of the hen with the knife, and open up the bird. Cut off any skin remaining around the neck. To fully open the bird, pull the wings back over the shoulders until the wings stay in place.
- 3). Rub the inside and outside of each bird with sea salt. Follow by rubbing with ground pepper, fresh garlic, rosemary and lemon rind. Let the birds sit with the seasoning on them at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.
- 4). Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F for direct grilling.
- 5). Grill the butterflied birds with the skin side facing down for 10 minutes on direct heat of 400 degrees F with the grill lid closed. After a full 10 minutes, flip each bird over with grilling tongs. Very lightly brush each bird with olive oil. Close lid, and continue grilling for another 20 minutes.
- 6). Check the internal temperature of the birds with a kitchen thermometer. When the internal temperature of each bird is 170 degrees F, remove it from the grill using tongs. The skin should be brown, and the inside meat should be tender.
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