Roasted Cornish Hens (Brined)

cornishhenscrispy This super crispy Cornish hen recipe is my favourite holiday main dish. The hens are slow smoked and then oven roasted to a golden crispiness. A highly flavourful brine and tasty dry seasoning rub elevates this recipe from good to great.

4 (1¼-1½ lbs) whole Cornish hens, at room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry
1 pt buttermilk
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
½ tsp. lime zest, freshly grated
1 medium lime, freshly juiced
4 cloves garlic, diced
¼ cup duck fat

Mix the dry spice ingredients together in a small ramekin.

Mix the buttermilk, lime juice, zest, garlic, fresh herbs, and half the dry seasoning mix.

Place the brine mix in an extra-large ziplock bag. Add the Cornish hen to the brine and marinate overnight.

Remove the hen from the refrigerator. Rub each hen with duck fat below and above the skin.

Add the remaining dried spice mix all over the hens as well as under the skin.

Preheat smoker between 225-275°F. Add the hens and smoke for about an hour.

Remove from smoker and finish in the oven at 450°F (230°C/210°C fan, Gas Mark 8). Remove and let rest about 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Cornish hens are hard to find fresh, most will be frozen. They can easily be thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Them them come to room temperature before cooking, about 30 minutes. Then be sure to pay dry.
Don't skip the brining step. Brining adds amazing flavour and ensures a moist bird during crisping.
I went for a somewhat Cuban seasoning mix. Feel free to tweak or use your favourite dry seasoning mix. Just make sure the hen is well seasoned.
When seasoning the bird be sure to season underneath the skin as well as on the skin. The hen has loose skin in a few different locations that you can raise with a finger or spoon to add seasoning. Same holds true for the duck fat.
Duck is an amazing add! But it's not accessible everywhere, but if you find it, buy it and use it. Otherwise butter is a fine substitute.
Desired temp is 165°F. I tend to pull my hen out at about 160 ish as the hen will continue cooking some as it cools.
If you have stands to cook the hens upright use them.