Wash the Cornish Game Hens and with a large knife cut them each in two pieces (each piece has one leg, one wing, half a breast, and half a back). Trim the excess skin and fat from the cut edges, wash the hens in cold water and place in a large covered baking dish. Add the salt, pepper, and dried basil to the baking dish and rub the ingredients over the hens. Wash your hands with plenty of soap (because you just handled raw poultry), cover the baking dish, and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Start the coals on your barbecue. Take the hens from the oven baking dish and place back side down over the hot coals. Cook for about 10 minutes and then turn over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. It might be necessary to move the hens if the burning charcoal flares up (if you did cut away some excess skin and fat this is likely to not happen). Cooking time may vary depending on how hot the coals are.

Cut into the hens with a small sharp knife to make sure that they are done before serving.

Optional:we sometimes spread a little teriyaki or barbeque sauce on the hens while cooking on the barbeque. They do also taste great with just the basil, salt, and pepper.

Serving size:a whole Cornish Game hen makes a large serving for one person. We usually serve a whole hen per person only if we are just having a salad with the hen. If you have a few side dishes, then half a Cornish Game Hen makes a good serving.