Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Quail

Name: Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Quail
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: southern
Ingredients: 8 cleaned quail, 1/4 pound each; 1/8 pound streaky bacon or salt pork, cut into small cubes, about 1/2 cup; 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic; 2 1/2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs; 2 1/2 tablespoons finely diced carrot; 2 1/2 tablespoons finely diced celery; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley; 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried; Salt to taste if desired; Freshly ground pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons bacon fat or corn oil

Recipe from Bill Neal

Adapted by Craig Claiborne

Updated June 9, 2021

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: (0)
Comments: Read comments

The chef Bill Neal, of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, N.C., taught Craig Claiborne how to make this delectable recipe in 1985. Eating well, Mr. Neal said, was his family’s preoccupation in their small farming community near Gaffney, S.C. “Both my grandmothers were marvelous cooks, but no one in that community ever thought of going to a restaurant. It was all home cooking.” —Craig Claiborne

Featured in: FOR A CAROLINA CHEF, HELPINGS OF HISTORY

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

8cleaned quail, ¼ pound each
⅛pound streaky bacon or salt pork, cut into small cubes, about ½ cup
1tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2½tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2½tablespoons finely diced carrot
2½tablespoons finely diced celery
1tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
½teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried
Salt to taste if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2tablespoons bacon fat or corn oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat a charcoal grill until white ash forms on top of the coals.
Step 2
Split each quail neatly along the backbone. Set aside.
Step 3
Put the bacon or salt pork and garlic on a flat surface and chop until almost a paste. Put the mixture in a mixing bowl and add the bread crumbs, carrot, celery, basil, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly with the fingers.
Step 4
By hand, carefully separate a portion of the breast meat from the bone, to form a small pocket. Push equal portions of the pork stuffing into the cavities. Push any additional stuffing under the skin of the birds without breaking the skin. Brush the birds all over with bacon fat or oil.
Step 5
Place the quail skin side down on the grill and cook until nicely browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and press the outer portions together to give the bodies more of their original shape. Let cook 4 to 5 minutes on the second side, or until the desired doneness is reached.