Pat's Deep-Fried Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon pepper black freshly ground
• 3 quarts buttermilk 
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 
• 9 pound cornish game hens 
• 2 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 2 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning 
• 1  onion cut into wedges
• 6 servings vegetable oil; peanut oil preferred for frying
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon red-pepper flakes crushed
• 1 bunch thyme sprigs fresh

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• mixing bowl
• pot
• plastic wrap
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Whisk together the first six ingredients in a small bowl. Set half of thismixture aside.
2. Divide the remaining seasoning mixture between two large mixingbowls, and pour the buttermilk evenly between the two bowls,whisking to combine. Put half of the onion and thyme in each bowl.
3. Place three game hens in each mixing bowl, and turn to coat. Coverthe bowls with plastic wrap, and leave in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight(the longer the better; allow the seasonings and flavors to permeatethe game hens).
4. Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F in a large Dutch oven ordeep-fryer. Preheat your oven to 200 degreesF, and cover two heavy-duty sheet trays with wire racks.
5. Remove thegame hens from the buttermilk mixture while the oil is heating.
6. Whisk together the flour and the remaining seasoning mixture ina large casserole. Working with one game hen at a time, put one gamehen in the flour and toss to coat, then shake off the excess. Slip thecoated game hens, in batches according to the size of your fryer, intothe hot oil, and fry for 13 minutes, until beautifully golden brown.
7. Place each fried hen on the wire-rack-fitted sheet tray, and hold in thewarm oven. Repeat with remaining hens.
8. ALTERNATIVE
9. Baked Cornish Game Hens
10. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover two heavy-duty rimmed sheet trayswith wire racks, and spray with nonstick spray.
11. Drain the hens from the buttermilk marinade, and pat dry.
12. Place the henson the sheet trays, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
13. Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, or until an instant-readthermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degreesF and the juices run clear.
14. Pat's Guide to Deep-Frying
15. One of the things I think people really don't know about me is that I was fryingfood before I was grilling! (Nowadays my love of fried food comes second only tomy love of grilling.) Fried food in the South is like pizza in Chicago: if you grew up in Memphis, you grew up with it. My grandfather used to fry whole rabbits, andmy grandmother used to fry chicken for breakfast, served up with biscuits!
16. CHOOSE YOUR OIL Neutral oils like peanut, safflower, canola, and vegetableoil all have a high "smoke point," so they work well at high frying temperatures.We often like to use peanut oil, because it adds a very subtle peanut flavor; theflavor of canola oil is less pronounced.
17. PICK YOUR POT If you don't have an electric fryer, select a heavy-bottomed
18. Dutch oven for deep-frying. You'll usually need at least 3 or 4 inches of oil inthe bottom of the pan, but more if you're frying something larger, like Cornishgame hens or chicken.
19. FILL IT UP Be careful not to overfill your pot! If you don't leave room forthe items you're frying, the oil may spill over the sides, causing a mess or,even worse, a fire. To check how much oil you need, you can first do a test runwith water. Fill the pot up with water, then slip in the food you're going to try.Wherever the water rises to, that's how high your oil is going to go—so markthat place on the pot, and don't fill it too high!
20. Mixt Greens (with Andrew Swallow), and, with Guy Fieri: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and Guy Fieri Food.