Smoked Cornish Game Hens With Brine Recipe

These Smoked Cornish Game Hens are a family favorite! I smoke year-round, but Cornish Game Hens is one of my $5 Friday deals at Safeway; I can get 2/$5!  So I smoked them even though not in the best weather.  I tend to make extra so that I can make soup the next day.    (I have included affiliate links to products I love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

My favorite part of these cornish game hens is that they are easy to make and seem to make a fancy dinner with little work.  Plus, you can drop the leftovers and the bones to make leftover soup, similar to my Smoked Turkey Noodle Soup.  Plus, who doesn’t love smoked meat? 

Smoking Meat: Tools – Techniques – Cuts – Recipes; Perfect the Art of Cooking with SmokeSmoking Meat: Electric Smoker CookbookProject Smoke

Smoked Cornish Game Hens Ingredients:

• Cornish Game Hens 
• 1 gallon Water
• 1 Cup Salt
• ¼ Cup Garlic Salt
• ¼ Cup of Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 Tbsp Black Pepper
• ¼ Cup Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Ice (for the next day)

McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning, 29 ozLea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce Value Pack — 2/20 Fl Oz Bottles (40 Oz Total)Lawry’s Garlic Salt With Parsley, 33 ozTrader Joe’s Gourmet Set with Grinder Tops: Rainbow Peppercorns/Pink Himalayan Salt Crystals

How To Make Cornish Game Hen Brine:

In a large bin or container with a lid, pour in all your brine ingredients and give it a good swirl. 

Set your game hens in the brine; if your hens aren’t frozen, throw in some ice and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. 

How To Smoke Cornish Game Hens:

Prep your smoker; I always start by turning it on and placing it in my chips. (I love to use apple pucks) and get good smoke going. I add my water tray after I get the smoke going from my pucks and then open up my smoke pipe.

Bradley Apple Bisquettes 48 packSmoke Hollow 3016DEW 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker with Window, BlackHabor Instant Read Meat Thermometer

While waiting for good smoke, spray down the racks to your smoker with a non-stick spray or rub with olive oil. 

Remove your cornish game hens from your brine and set them onto your smoker racks. 

Once you have smoke rolling for your smoker, place your chickens in your smoker.

I kept my smoker at 200-225 (way easier in colder weather); I like to cook to meat temperature low and slow. 

Keep an eye on your smoker, smoke the chickens for a couple of hours, and double-check doneness with a thermometer.

They will have nice crisp skin and color to them! Plus they smell will have your neighbors drooling.

I served ours up with Easy Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad, baby bok choy, and some Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes.  

What To Serve With Smoked Cornish Game Hens:

• Caesar Salad
• Smoked Baked Potatoes
• Smoked Deviled Eggs
• Grilled Twice Baked Potatoes 
• Smoked Potato Salad
• Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad

Other Smoked Cornish Game Hen Recipes To Try Out:

• 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

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Ingredients

  

• 1 gallon Water
• 1 Cup Salt
• ¼ Cup Garlic Salt
• ¼ Cup of Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 Tbsp Black Pepper
• ¼ Cup Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Ice for next day

Instructions

 

• In a large bin or container with a lid pour in all your brine ingredients and give it a good swirl.
• Set your game hens in the brine, if your hens aren't frozen throw in some ice and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
• Note *I put my frozen Cornish game hens in the brine on a Tuesday night and smoked them on Saturday, they stayed cold and icy so I didn't add ice*
• HOW TO SMOKE CORNISH HENS:
• Prep your smoker, I always start by turning it on and placing in my chips. (I love to use apple pucks) and get good smoke going. I add my water tray after I get the smoke going from my pucks and then open up my smoke pipe.
• Bradley Apple Bisquettes 48 pack
• Smoke Hollow 3016DEW 30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker with Window, Black
• Habor Instant Read Meat Thermometer
• While waiting for a good smoke, spray down the racks to your smoker with a non-stick spray or rub with olive oil.
• Remove your cornish game hens from your brine and set onto your smoker racks.
• Once you have smoke rolling for your smoker place your chickens in your smoker.
• I kept my smoker at 200-225 (way easier in colder weather), I like to cook to meat temperature low and slow.
• Keep an eye on your smoker and smoke the chickens for a couple of hours and double-check doneness with a thermometer.
• They will have nice crisp skin and color to them!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!