Insanely Delicious Cornish Game Hens Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a good brine for Cornish hens? ›

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution. 2. Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely.

Place the hens in the brine, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove hens from the brine and rinse well inside and out; pat dry.

The meat is tender and flavorful, and absolutely the best I've ever had! Don't leave the hens in the brine for too long, or the meat will be too salty.

Step 1: Mix together liquid, salt, and sugar (if using) until salt and sugar are fully dissolved. Step 2: Add the protein to the brine, making sure that it is fully submerged. Step 3: Leave the protein in the brine for an hour per pound.

The basic ratio for any wet brine is one cup of kosher salt to one gallon of water. Make sure to fully dissolve the salt in the water. If you're feeling fancy, throw in some smashed garlic cloves, peppercorns, citrus (also smashed), or even a sweetener like honey or brown sugar.

Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don't find it all that helpful.

Most of the time they are served overcooked and dry, but with a little care they can be absolutely succulent. The secret to luscious game hens (or any poultry) is a two-part process … a dry brining technique and using a compound butter, which work together to create an amazing entrée.

Do not rinse the skin or cavity of the bird, as doing so may spread bacteria in the sink and on the countertop. Once defrosted, remove bird from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove giblet bag from cavity and reserve for making sauces, etc.

If you go to extremes, such as leaving chicken in brine for more than 24 hours, you'll get overly-salted chicken. It can also change the texture of the chicken. When in doubt, 1 hour per pound is always a good plan.

Do you rinse chicken after soaking in brine? ›

Once the chicken is brined, remove it from the solution, rinse off the excess salt, and pat it completely dry, inside and out, with a paper towel. This step is important because it prevents the chicken from steaming in the oven, which results in an unpleasant taste and texture.

The current official definition of a Cornish hen is as follows: A “Rock Cornish game hen” or “Cornish game hen” is a young, immature chicken (less than 5 weeks of age), of either sex, with a ready-to-cook carcass weight of not more than 2 pounds.

Give It Time

The worst thing you can possibly do is try to rush a dry-brining project. If you try to cook a steak that you've salted before the moisture on the surface has dried, you're going to end up steaming the surface of the meat initially, preventing good browning from happening.

Chicken can safely rest in its brining solution for anywhere from a few hours to two days, but generally, for a liquid based brine, you'll want to stick to about one hour of resting in the fridge per pound of meat you're preparing.

Morton Coarse Kosher Salt is perfect for brining because the flat, flaky crystals dissolve extremely well in water and create a crystal clear brine. Consider brining this grilling and holiday season.

We recommend using Diamond Crystal kosher salt to brine as it has a clean taste and is free of additives that can change the final flavor. Sugar, although not a must, is a fantastic brining add-in. Sugars add flavor and facilitate browning.

Pat Cornish Hen dry and season liberally with dry brine over a sheet pan with a rack ( juices will come out of the hen because of the dry brine). Dry brine Cornish Hen for 4 hours.