Grilled Doves a la Mancha

Ingredients

12 doves, or 4 to 8 squab or teal
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 bay leaves
12 to 24 sage leaves
2 sprigs rosemary, cut into short lengths
About 1/4 cup melted bacon fat, butter or duck fat
Spanish smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Coat the doves with olive oil and salt them well. Stuff each cavity with sage, rosemary and a bay leaf.

Get your grill hot and clean the grates. Set the doves breast side up and cook them over medium-high heat, with the grill cover closed, for 6 minutes. Open the grill cover and turn the doves over so the top of the breast is wedged between grill grates. Paint the birds with some bacon fat. Let them cook this way for a minute or two, just to get a little color. Turn the doves on their sides and grill for another minute or two — for each side. Paint with more bacon fat.

Dust with the smoked paprika and the black pepper and move the birds to a platter. Let them rest for 5 minutes. Eat with your fingers and serve with a bowl to put the bones in.