Smoked Coca Cola Cornish Game Hens Recipe

Smoked Coca-Cola Cornish Game Hens are a new family favorite! Coca-Cola on the smoker and in brines is one of my favorite ways to flavor the food I smoke! Cornish game hens often go on sale often for a great price.

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I know some people think that cornish game hens are too small!  I think they make a tasty little fancy-looking weekend dinner!  I love smoking cornish hens on pit boss pellet grills, mine were made on my Pit Boss Pro 1100.  Now I picked mine up from Lowes, but Walmart and Amazon carry other Pit Boss options or Pit Boss website themselves.  

Pit Boss Pellet GrillsTraeger Pellet GrillsZ Grills Pellet Grills

 

Smoking cornish hens on a pellet grill will work on any of the pellet grills on the market will work well. Traeger cornish game hens will be cooked the same way.

Coca-Cola Cornish Game Hen Brine Ingredients:

This is an easy brine to mix up, and you can even add some changes. Please feel free to tweak it as you see fit. I tend not to add water to the brine if I am using ice. Nor do I add much ice if the Cornish game hens are frozen. The ice or hens will eventually melt and water down the Coca-Cola Brine.

• Cornish Game Hens
• Coca-Cola– You can change this with any dark soda, Diet Coke, Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, or Coke Zero. The soda flavor will slightly alter the taste, but it will work.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Minced Garlic
• Salt
• Ice

How To Make Smoked Coca-Cola Cornish Game Hens:

Find a large container to hold your liquid, ice, and meat in. 

Pour your Coca-Cola into the container.   (In this brine I used 5 cans of Coca Cola, I’ve used a whole 2 liter for bigger batches before)

Add in the seasonings to your brine and mix it up with a whisk.

Drop in the cornish game hens into the brine.  My hens were frozen when I did this. 

Store the brine and hens in your fridge or continue to put ice in to keep the hens at a cold temperature.   

How long to brine cornish game hens? This answer will vary from person to person. I put my frozen hens in the brine on a Sunday night and smoked them on Wednesday night! Be sure to allow it to sit in the brine for at least four hours or overnight.  

Remove your cornish game hens from the brine and allow them to sit at room temperature while preparing your smoker.

When I smoked mine, I used the smoke setting with a p4 on my smoke Pit Boss Pro 1100 for 2 hours and then turned my smoker up to 225. 

Money and time-saving tips from the old lady. If you order pellets online from Walmart and spend $35, they will drop them off at your door for free!! Their everyday price on pit boss pellets is amazing, plus the expert grill brand has a great price. (see them ->here)

Flip your hens occasionally as they cook. 

how long to smoke cornish hens

My hens were temped out after an hour and 15 minutes. Your moke times may fluctuate, so be sure to use a meat thermometer to verify they are at a food-safe temp. 

If you don’t have a smoker, throw these on the top rack of your BBQ and cook them until they are done. 

As with any meat that are smoked, you smoke for internal temperature, not for a set amount of time.

Serve and enjoy! 

How do you cook your cornish game hens? 

How to Store leftover Smoked Cornish Game Hens

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The remainder meat will be good for two to four days if stored properly. You can also debone the cornish game hens and freeze the meat. I would use the remaining meat within 30 days after freezing.

Storing leftovers properly requires the right tools! My preferred storage method is if the leftovers can be sealed in a food saver. If not, then an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for the fridge is the way I go. The air-tight container and a freezer Ziploc bag are the next best bet for freezing the leftovers. I also use a food scale to measure portions into serving sizes.

Freezable storage ContainersFood SealerFreezer BagsFood Scale

 

Other Brine Ingredient Options:

• Quartered Lemon Slices
• Brown Sugar
• Garlic Powder
• Garlic Cloves
• Chicken Broth
• Orange Juice
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Lemon Zest
• Apple Juice

What To Serve With Smoked Cornish Game Hens:

The sky is the limit on What to serve with Cornish game hens, starches and vegetables are my go-to! See my list of ideas -> here.

Side Dish: Caesar Salad, Rice, Smoked Baked Potatoes, Smoked Deviled Eggs, Grilled Twice Baked Potatoes, Smoked Potato Salad, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad

Desserts: Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bakes, Pink Fluff, Oreo Fluff, 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge, Cake Mix Cookies, Ice Cream Floats, Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

Smoked Cornish Hens Recipes:

These are some of my favorites to smoke. The flavor is always excellent, and they are easy to change up each time you make them. These can be made on a pellet smoker or any smoker.

• Sweet And Spicy Cornish Game Hens 
• Mediterranean Smoked Cornish Game Hens
• Cold Smoked Cornish Game Hens
• Smoked Cornish Game Hens With Brine And Dry Rub
• Coca-Cola Smoked Cornish Game Hens
• Smoked Cornish Game Hens With Brine

Pellet Smoker Recipes To check out

Looking for more smoker recipes?? Be sure to check out Smoker Recipes. The post contains smoker recipes from ham to macaroni and cheese to Prime Rib! See it -> here.

• Dutch Oven In The Smoker Recipes
• Special Occasion And Holiday Recipes
• Smoked Side Dishes
• Smoked Deli Salads