\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. The juices that come out of the Cornish hen should run clear and not have any pink or red in them. I cut up 5 small potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 yellow onion (the recipe didnt say white or yellow), 5 garlic cloves, 4 sprigs of thyme, rosemary, 6 lemon slices and set the hens on top of all of that and drizzled with olive oil. For those looking for an even deeper smoky flavor, consider bringing your Cornish hens overnight in a salt and sugar solution before smoking them this will help lock in much of the moisture and ensure your birds are as flavorful as possible when they hit the plate! Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the hens in the roasting pan and let them sit for 5 minutes. In addition, the glue used to bind these materials together can also add harmful compounds to the smoke that is absorbed by the food. Cornish hens contain dark and white meat. The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Place hens, the marinade, and water on the bed of onions. That is why we want to help you out by providing some guidelines that can give you an idea of what can work best for your needs. Best Ever Roasted Potatoes the crispiest roasted potatoes, so golden brown and simply perfect! Cornish hens are known for their long cooked times, which can take anywhere from 2-3 hours. Your email address will not be published. Thanks. At these low temps just keep an eye on things and check back every now and again because it will take a little longer for it to cook through properly. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook cornish hens at 450 degrees breast sides up for 45 to 50 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh when inserted into the center. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Pat the hens thoroughly dry with paper towels. I saw it on the Kitchen yesterday. Next time I will add a little chicken broth. Into the cavity of each bird, insert a lemon half, an onion quarter, half a garlic head and 3 thyme sprigs. Additionally, the extra fat present melts at high heat, keeping the cornish hen meat juicy. So flavorful and juicy! Then added a cup of dry white wine to deglaze and let that cook down quite a bit. Combine all the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Due to their small size, they resemble miniature chickens. Another approach is to use observation to see whether the meat is finished cooking. Arrange slices of onion at the bottom of a casserole dish or a large ducth oven. Once hens have soaked, remove birds and pat dry with a paper towel, and let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes so it will cook evenly and not dry out while smoking. Once heated, add 2-3 handfuls of wood chips into the smoker with some additional oil so they can smolder without catching fire. Thanks for sharing. Once the temperature gets to 180 degrees at the end of the cooking time of 50 minutes you should let the cornish hens rest for at least ten minutes before serving. Quick Overview: Smoke cornish hens at 225 for 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160 and let rest for 10 minutes until temp reaches 165 so its safe to eat. Do not cook a rare or undercooked cornish game hen as this can cause foodborne illness and it goes against many health codes. Stuff the hens with some onion, herbs, and/or lemon wedges if you have extra that needs to be used up. Pecan, apple or cherry are the best choice for smoking cornish hens or chicken. However if youre pressed for time, at least 2 hours is ideal. Soaking the hens in a brine helps keep the bird moist and juicy! When youre ready to eat, slice in to that juicy cornish hen! Tag us on Instagram at @jocooks or hashtag #jocooks so we can see your creations! The perfect dinner for two. Not sure how to get the great golden color yours, but that is just cosmetic. Roast for 20 minutes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Place the hens on an aluminum foil sheet for easy cleanup afterward. And if you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends or family who might also enjoy smoked cornish hen! Copyright 2023 Kitchen Knacks | This website and its content are copyright of TheKitchenKnacks.com. You can also fill the hens with your favorite bread or rice stuffing. Trussing a chicken is about more than just looks! Trying this for our small family Thanksgiving dinner. Cornish hens can be cooked at a variety of temperatures, but the best temperature is between 300 and 450 degrees F. The lower end can result in undercooked meat or an overcooked outside while cooking for too long can cause dryness and tough texture. When I cook this (hopefully its somewhat thawed by 4:30 or 5:00pm) Just a fantastic, moist and flavourful recipe! About Us | Contact Us | Privacy & Cookie Policy | Sitemap, We help people get the right information about everything related that takes time. With such a low cooking temperature, its important to note that it may take up to two hours or more for the hens to cook through completely. The marinade is quite a lot to take care of bigger birds up to 1 1/2 pounds to 1 3/4 pounds each. Place the baking sheet inside of a preheated smoker and cook for 1 hour or until fully cooked through to 165F (74C). Rub the seasoning onto each to ensure an even distribution of flavor throughout the meat. Brought to boil, covered and set on lowest flame for 45 minutes. Remove thawed (if they were frozen) cornish hens from packaging. The hen should take between 45 minutes and 1 hour and 15 minutes to be completely roasted. trying this with cornish hens tonight, Question: my hen is frozen- (only cooking one for the two of us to share.) Your email address will not be published. Together with the team at ExactlyHowLong, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers. Also letting the small chickens sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before cooking will help it cook evenly and wont allow the heat to dry out the meat. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Cooking Cornish hens can be a daunting task for many home cooks, especially when it comes to the question of how long to smoke cornish hens?.