Meet your new go-to vacation meal or household dinner – Smoked Cornish Hens with tender, juicy meat, and candy, smoky taste in simply 60-90 minutes! Spatchcocking and smoking these petite sport hens means straightforward dinners stuffed with finger-licking taste that may have the entire household asking for seconds.
That is a kind of chicken recipes that’s really easy to make however seems extremely spectacular. We spatchcock the birds for simple cooking, and extra smoky taste, however this fast cooking technique works it doesn’t matter what grill you’re utilizing.
🍗 The Lower: What are Cornish Hens?
Additionally referred to as Cornish sport hens, these are a small breed of hen that weigh 1 – 2 kilos. They’re the proper petit hen, smaller than common chickens, for dramatic plating, as one sport hen per individual is right. Due to their dimension, they cook dinner a lot quicker than common smoked chickens, which makes them good for roasting and smoking.
We discover these birds within the frozen meat division at our native grocery retailer, however should you can’t discover them there, test our favourite locations to buy meat online. These little birds are good for an intimate romantic dinner, a small vacation, or as an alternative choice to large turkeys for any vacation feast.
Components
We shortly spatchcock these birds to make cooking them even simpler and so as to add extra smoked taste to each chew.
- Cornish Recreation Hens
- Hen Spice Mix – We used Nashville scorching hen
- Kosher Salt and Floor Black Pepper
The best way to Smoke Cornish Recreation Hens
These cornish hens have been smoked on our Traeger pellet grill for an extremely straightforward recipe however scroll down for notes on methods to cook dinner them on different grills. We love Jack Daniel’s charcoal pellets within the hopper, and some chunks of apple or cherry wooden on the most well liked again nook of the smoker grates for added smoky taste.
- Begin by eradicating the Cornish hen from the bundle and patting it dry with a paper towel. Utilizing kitchen sheers, spatchcock, then hens by inserting the hen, breast aspect down and reducing alongside the spine on each side to take away it. Flip the birds over and press them flat. Then season the sport hens liberally on each side with the hen dry rub and salt.
- Subsequent, preheat your pellet smoker to 325 °F. When the grill is preheated, place the Cornish hens on the grilling grates, breast aspect up. Shut the lid and let the sport hens smoke till the interior temperature reaches 160 levels F on the thickest a part of the breast, about 50 to 90 minutes.
- Utilizing grilling tongs, flip the sport birds, breast aspect down on the grill grates to sear the pores and skin and cook dinner one other 5 to 10 minutes for crispy pores and skin, till the interior temp reaches 165 levels F with an instant-read thermometer. Flip the birds once more and switch them to a clear reducing board or baking sheet and tent loosely with foil. Let the sport hens relaxation for 10 to fifteen minutes earlier than serving along with your favourite sides. Serve a single juicy hen per visitor for particular person parts.
Lady Carnivore Knowledgeable Recipe Ideas
You possibly can brine this cornish sport hens recipe in a wet brine or a dry brine, however we discover with their smaller dimension, we don’t have to.
The best way to smoke sport hens on a charcoal grill
- Prep your charcoal grill for a two-zine fireplace by pouring a lit charcoal chimney on one aspect of the grill. Place the grill grates on high and regulate the air vents to permit the grill to preheat to round 300 – 325 levels F. If you happen to’re including smoking wood, add it now, cowl it with the grill lid, and permit the smoke to burn clear earlier than including the hens to the grill.
- When the grill is preheated, add the sport hens to the cooler aspect of the grill, cowl, and smoke as directed within the recipe card. When flipping the birds to relaxation aspect all the way down to sear, transfer them to the direct warmth aspect of the grill and use tongs to maneuver the Cornish hens to keep away from flare-ups however get a superb chat on the pores and skin.
The best way to smoke a Cornish hen on a fuel grill
- For a fuel grill, preheat your grill for a two-zone fireplace by igniting the grill and permitting it to preheat with the lid closed for 10 to fifteen minutes. When the grill has preheated, flip off two of the three burners or three of the 4 to create a cool zone and a scorching zone. If including wooden chips to smoke on a gas grill, add them now.
- When the grill is prepared, place the sport hens, breast aspect down, on the oblique warmth (the cooler aspect of the grill). Cook dinner in line with the recipe card till the cornish sport hen reaches an inside temp of 160 levels F. Sear the pores and skin, breast aspect down, on the warmer aspect of the grill.
What to serve with Cornish Hens
Pair these smoked sport hens with all your favourite BBQ aspect dishes. Attempt beef-fat French Fries, foil-wrapped potatoes, coleslaw, or grilled asparagus.
Wine Pairing
This smoked cornish hen recipe can go together with both a pink or white wine. We love one thing with a light oaky taste, whether or not a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Choose which one strikes your fancy.
Leftovers and Storage
Wrap any leftovers tightly in aluminum foil or in an air-tight container and, as soon as cooled, retailer within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
To reheat, microwave in 30-second batches to warmth by way of. Alternatively, reheat your entire hen in an oven preheated to 325 levels F and place the smoked cornish sport hens, nonetheless wrapped in foil, on a baking sheet within the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till heated by way of.
Extra Smoker Recipes
Have you ever noticed these small chickens at your market and puzzled methods to make them at house? Begin right here for a easy recipe that’s finger-licking good and worthy of any special day or only a enjoyable weeknight dinner.
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Spatchcocking and smoking give these cornish hens an irresistible candy, smoky taste whereas maintaining the meat extremely moist and tender. This straightforward method leads to a fast dinner with spectacular taste that may grow to be a daily favourite.
Stop your display screen from going to sleep
Spatchcock the sport hens
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Begin by eradicating the Cornish hen from the bundle and patting it dry with a paper towel.
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Utilizing kitchen sheers, spatchcock, then hens by inserting the hen, breast aspect down and reducing alongside the spine on each side to take away it.
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Flip the birds over and press them flat. Then season the sport hens liberally on each side with the hen dry rub and salt.
Smoke the Cornish hens
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Subsequent, preheat your pellet smoker to 325 °F.
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When the grill is preheated, place the Cornish hens on the grilling grates, breast aspect up.
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Shut the lid and let the sport hens smoke till the interior temperature reaches 160 levels F on the thickest a part of the breast, about 50 to 90 minutes.
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Utilizing grilling tongs, flip the sport birds, breast aspect down on the grill grates to sear the pores and skin and cook dinner one other 5 to 10 minutes for crispy pores and skin, till the interior temp reaches 165 levels F with an instant-read thermometer.
Relaxation and Serve
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Flip the birds once more and switch them to a clear reducing board or baking sheet and tent loosely with foil.
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Let the sport hens relaxation for 10 to fifteen minutes earlier than serving along with your favourite sides.
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Serve a single juicy hen per visitor for particular person parts with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and minced parsley.
We use Cowboy Charcoal briquets for our charcoal grill and Jack Daniel’s Bourbon Barrel Wooden chips for smoking on each our kettle grill and fuel grill.
HOW TO SMOKE GAME HENS ON A CHARCOAL GRILL
- Prep your charcoal grill for a two-zine fireplace by pouring a lit charcoal chimney on one aspect of the grill. Place the grill grates on high and regulate the air vents to permit the grill to preheat to round 300 – 325 levels F. If you happen to’re including smoking wooden, add it now, cowl it with the grill lid, and permit the smoke to burn clear earlier than including the hens to the grill.
- When the grill is preheated, add the sport hens to the cooler aspect of the grill, cowl, and smoke as directed within the recipe card. When flipping the birds to relaxation aspect all the way down to sear, transfer them to the direct warmth aspect fo the grill and use tongs to maneuver the Cornish hens to keep away from flare-ups however get a superb chat on the pores and skin.
HOW TO SMOKE A CORNISH HEN ON A GAS GRILL
- For a fuel grill, preheat your grill for a two-zone fireplace by igniting the grill and permitting it to preheat with the lid closed for 10 to fifteen minutes. When the grill has preheated, flip off two of the three burners or three of the 4 to create a cool zone and a scorching zone. If including wooden chips to smoke on a fuel grill, add them now.
- When the grill is prepared, place the sport hens, breast aspect down on the oblique warmth (the cooler aspect of the grill). Cook dinner in line with the recipe card till the cornish sport hen reaches an inside temp of 160 levels F. Sear the pores and skin, breast aspect down, on the warmer aspect of the grill.
Serving: 1g | Energy: 939kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 79g | Fats: 64g | Saturated Fats: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 13g | Monounsaturated Fats: 28g | Ldl cholesterol: 455mg | Sodium: 1441mg | Potassium: 1249mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 738IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 286mg | Iron: 9mg
