Amazing Smoked Cornish Hens Recipe
How to smoke cornish game hens with an piece of cake brine that creates a moist and juicy bird, and a dry rub that gives it a delicious flavor!
Important: For best results, soak the cornish hens in a craven brine recipe for the smoker, 24 hours before smoking. Although non required, information technology makes a Big difference in season!
Smoke cornish hens at 225° for 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160° and allow remainder for x minutes until temp reaches 165° then information technology'due south safe to eat.
Run into full blog mail service and recipe card below to for more tips to make this fabulous recipe!
Jump to:
- What are cornish hens?
- Cornish hen brine
- Cornish Hen Seasoning and Dry Rub
- How long to smoke cornish hens
- Tips for Smoking Cornish Game Hens
- What to serve with cornish hens
- Favorite smoked recipes
- Smoked Cornish Hens
What are cornish hens?
Cornish hens (usually weighing effectually 1-ii lbs.) are a small breed of chickens then this is why a chicken brine and dry out rub piece of work well for cornish hens as well.
They're young chickens and so they're very tender and little birds then they're like shooting fish in a barrel to serve as individual portions, perfect for a special occasion or to serve on a weeknight!
They can be found at many grocery stores and the Tyson make that I utilise comes without giblets. If the hens you're using have giblets, remove them before adding to the brine and smoking.
Cornish hen brine
Although it'south non required, if you have time to brand and let your cornish hens sit down in a brine solution, it's highly recommended for a juicy, flavorful hen. (I love doing this for chicken wings, and broiler chickens too!)
I highly recommend using the brine ingredients in this smoked craven alkali and letting the hens soak for 24 hours. However if you're pressed for fourth dimension, at to the lowest degree 2 hours is ideal.
Once the cornish hens have soaked in the brine, remove birds from the marinade and pat dry.
Cornish Hen Seasoning and Dry out Rub
No fancy ingredients required! Simply use a mix of the following spices that you probably already take on paw:
- 1 teaspoon blackness pepper
- ane/two tablespoon table salt
- 2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix all together in small bowl and completely embrace hens with rub.
How long to smoke cornish hens
Smoking cornish hens in our pellet smoker took a couple of hours. (2 hours)
Starting the small chickens out at 225°, and cooking for a total of one.five hours, and then raising the temperature upwards to 350° for an additional fifteen-xx minutes allows the skin to crisp upward and lock in those juices.
NOTE: If internal temperature of hens has not reached 160° after the higher temperature, lower the temperature of the smoker back to 225° and cook until it reaches 160°.
Smoke until cornish hens achieve an internal temperature of 160° and permit to balance until it reaches 165° (75°C) for prophylactic consumption. (See recipe card for more details on resting.)
Tips for Smoking Cornish Game Hens
How do you keep Cornish hens from drying out?
Soaking the hens in a brine helps keep the bird moist and juicy! Likewise letting the small-scale chickens sit down at room temperature for xv-xxx minutes before cooking will help it cook evenly and won't let the heat to dry out the meat.
Do you melt Cornish hens breast up or down?
Breast side down is oft recommended, so the juices naturally remainder in the breast meat as it cooks. However, chest side up is also perfectly fine and still results in a juicy bird!
How exercise I know when my Cornish hen is done?
When the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit, in the thickest office of the chest and thigh, it's rubber to consume. However cooking until 160° degrees and letting information technology rest, covered in aluminum foil, allowing it to reach 165°, is ideal.
What kind of wood chips or pellets should I use for smoking cornish hens?
Pecan, apple or blood-red are the best choice for smoking cornish hens or craven. However you can use another flavor if that'southward what you accept!
Remove thawed (if they were frozen) cornish hens from packaging.
If frozen: Motility from freezer to the refrigerator a day or two before yous alkali or smoke them.
Marinate hens in smoked craven brine for at to the lowest degree ii hours in the fridge, (24 hours preferred) in a large bowl or pot, (I used my viii Qt. Instant Pot, pot) covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Once hens take soaked, remove birds and pat dry with a paper towel, and let sit down at room temperature for 15-30 minutes so it will cook evenly and non dry out while smoking. Discard alkali.
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together the spice blend in a small-scale bowl.
Place hens on a cutting lath or baking sheet and cover entire cornish hen, top and lesser.
Once smoker has preheated, identify hens straight on the smoking rack and close chapeau, smoking for 1.five hours.
After 1.5 hours of cooking time, plough the rut up on the smoker to a high oestrus of 350°, cooking for an additional fifteen-20 minutes, or until when using a meat thermometer, and checking the thickest part of the breast and thigh, the internal temperature has reached 160°. This will assistance give it a crispier skin. (See final cooking steps beneath.)
Once the hens have reached 160°, remove from smoker and place on a plater and wrap the hens in aluminum foil, to allow the chickens to residuum for well-nigh ten minutes. They should go on to cook once off of the smoker, reaching the safe internal temperature of 165°.
Cornish hens are set up to serve! If desired, garnish with a small handful of fresh herb sprigs like parsley!
Cornish hens are pocket-sized plenty to be individual servings, and are not only wonderful for a weeknight dinner with family, they're besides swish enough for a fancy dinner!
When you're ready to consume, slice in to that juicy cornish hen!
What to serve with cornish hens
This like shooting fish in a barrel salad recipe and this corn casserole are my favorites to serve alongside cornish hens just we as well beloved to round a repast out with cream cheese smoked mushrooms since we already have the smoker heated!
Favorite smoked recipes
If your smoker is already preheated, there'due south no need to waste the pellets or energy reheating afterwards! Meal prep and make other smoker meals, similar smoked chicken strips and smoked burgers for easy dinner ideas for the remainder of the week!
Smoked Cornish Hens
How to smoke cornish game hens with an piece of cake alkali that creates a moist and juicy bird, and a dry rub that gives it a succulent season!
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smoker
- 2 cornish hens
- smoked chicken brine
Smoked Cornish Hen Rub
- one teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- ii tablespoon paprika
- one tablespoon garlic pulverisation
Prevent your screen from going night
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In a big pot (big plenty to marinate cornish hens in a gallon of brine, yet small enough to cover the hens completely and a pot small enough to fit in a refrigerator) mix together the ingredients for this smoked craven alkali.
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Place cornish hens in brine and air-condition, covered, for at least 2 hours, but up to 24 hours.
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Once small-scale hens have marinated in brine, remove and discard brine.
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With a paper towel, pat the cornish hens dry and let residuum at room temperature for 15-xxx minutes. (This will aid hens cook evenly and not dry.)
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Preheat smoker to 225°.
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While preheating, mix together spice rub ingredients in a small basin.
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Rub spice blend all over cornish hens, evenly, covering the tops, bottoms and sides of hens completely.
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Place hens on smoking racks (breast side downward) and smoke for i.v hours.
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After 1.5 hours, turn temperature on smoker up to 350° and melt for an additional 15-20 minutes to crisp up the skin.
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Bank check the internal temperature of hens, and remove once the thickest part of the breast and thigh have reached an internal temp of 160°. (Note: If internal temperature of hens has not reached 160° later on the higher temperature, lower temperature of smoker back to 225° and cook until information technology reaches 160°.)
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Place hens on a blistering sheet or platter and wrap in aluminum foil, and let rest for virtually ten minutes or until the internal temperature reaches a safe temperature to eat, of 165°.
Although it's non required, if you accept fourth dimension to make and let your cornish hens sit in a brine solution, it'southward highly recommended for a juicy, flavorful hen.
How do yous keep Cornish hens from drying out?
Soaking the hens in a brine helps keep the bird moist and juicy! Also letting the pocket-size chickens sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes earlier cooking volition assist it melt evenly and won't permit the heat to dry the meat.
Do you cook Cornish hens breast up or down?
Breast side down is often recommended, so the juices naturally rest in the breast meat equally it cooks. Yet, breast side up is also perfectly fine and still results in a juicy bird!
How do I know when my Cornish hen is washed?
When the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit, it's safety to swallow. However cooking until 160° degrees and letting it rest, covered in aluminum foil, allowing information technology to attain 165°, is ideal.
Serving: ane hen | Calories: 935 kcal | Carbohydrates: 7 thou | Protein: 79 g | Fatty: 64 g | Saturated Fat: 18 g | Cholesterol: 455 mg | Sodium: 2026 mg | Potassium: 1283 mg | Fiber: iii chiliad | Sugar: ane g | Vitamin A: 3939 IU | Vitamin C: 2 mg | Calcium: 74 mg | Fe: 5 mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Let us know how information technology was!
Source: https://fantabulosity.com/smoked-cornish-hens/
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