Cornish Hens with Wild Rice for Smoker
Submitted by akaGary
Smoked Cornish hens stuffed with wild rice and pecans, glazed with lime marmalade and orange juice. Includes charcoal, electric, and gas smoker instructions for 2-3 hours of low smoke.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsIf you’ve got a smoker and a couple hours to spare, these little birds will be the best thing that ever came off your grill.
Cornish hens get stuffed with a nutty wild rice filling made with sauteed green onions and chopped pecans, then brushed with a citrusy glaze of lime marmalade and orange juice. The smoker does the rest, wrapping everything in a slow haze of wood smoke that infuses the meat with flavor you simply cannot replicate in an oven.
Instructions are included for charcoal, electric, and gas smokers, so no one gets left out.
Pro Tips
- Use cooked wild rice for the stuffing. Raw rice won’t cook through at smoker temperatures.
- Brush the marmalade glaze on before smoking and again right before serving for a double hit of sticky-sweet citrus.
- Two wood sticks (hickory or apple work great) is enough. Too much smoke turns the hens bitter.
- Check doneness with a thermometer in the thigh. You’re looking for 165F in the thickest part.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse hens, pat dry and season cavity with salt.
Sauté onions in 1 tablespoon butter, stir in rice and chopped nuts.
Stuff hens with rice mixture and secure opening.
Prepare glaze by melting 2 tablespoon butter in a saucepan.
Add marmalade and orange juice, blend until smooth.
Brush hens with glaze and place on smoker grid.
Brush with glaze before serving.
CHARCOAL: Use 5 lbs. charcoal, 3 quarts hot water, 2 wood sticks and smoke 2 to 2½ hours ELECTRIC: Use 3 quarts hot water, 2 wood sticks, and smoke 2 to 2½ hours. GAS: Use 3 quarts hot water, 2 wood sticks, and smoke 2 to 3 hours.
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