Marinated Cornish Game Hens

My sister, Ann, has used her favorite marinade on Cornish game hens for years. It was inspired by a 1981 recipe she found in the New York Times that she tweaked, but, since she’s my kid sister, I couldn’t run it unadulterated, and I had to tweak it further.

This recipe calls for Cornish game hens, which are not game birds or even a different breed. They are immature chickens younger than five weeks, of either sex, weighing two pounds or less. You can double the recipe and use a whole chicken, but the younger birds absorb the marinade better. If you wish, you can also cook this recipe on a rotisserie.

Makes 2 servings

Takes 15 minutes to prep, 12 hours to marinate, and about 45 minutes to cook

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground bay leaf (see Note)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 Cornish game hen, cut in half

1. Prep. Combine all the ingredients except the hen in a zipper-top bag and shake until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Put the hen in the bag and turn several times to coat. Put the bag in a bowl to catch drips and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

2. Fire up. Set up the grill for two-zone cooking. Try to get the indirect side to 325°F.

3. Cook. Lift the hen from the marinade and set the pieces skin side up on the indirect-heat side of the grill. When the internal temperature of the breasts hits 145°F, place them over direct heat, skin side down, to crisp the skin. Flip them often, and when the internal temperature hits 160°F, bring them in.

Note: If you can’t find ground bay leaves in your local grocery store, you can order them online or grind whole bay leaves yourself in a coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, or blender.