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 made these on my Pit Boss Pro 1100. Now I picked mine up Lowes, but Walmart and Amazon carry other Pit Boss options or Pit Boss website themselves.
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Coca-Cola Cornish Game Hen Brine Ingredients:
Now, 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 ad 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 up with any dark soda, Diet Coke, Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, or Coke Zero. The soda flavor will alter the taste a bit 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.
I put my 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.
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.
Serve and enjoy!
How do you cook your cornish game hens?
How to Store Smoked Cornish Game Hens
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can debone them and keep the meat or save the whole carcass.
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 Side Dish To Serve With Smoked Cornish Game Hens:
- Caesar Salad
- Rice
- Smoked Baked Potatoes
- Smoked Deviled Eggs
- Grilled Twice Baked Potatoes
- Smoked Potato Salad
- Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
Smoked Cornish Game Hen 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.
- 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.
Smoked Coca Cola Cornish Game Hens Recipe
Ingredients
- 192 Ounces Coca Cola
- 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 4 Tablespoon Salt
- Ice
- Cornish Game Hens
Instructions
- Find a container large enough to hold your liquid, ice, and meat in.
- Pour your Coca Cola into the container.
- 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.
- I put my hens in the brine on a Sunday night and smoked them on Wednesday night! Be sure to allow to sit in the brine for at least four hours to overnight.
- Remove your cornish game hens from the brine and allow them to sit at room temp while you prepare 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.
- Flip your hens occasionally as they cook.
- 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 you can throw these on the top rack of your bbq and cook them till they are done.
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