Texas Style Game Hens Food

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

DEVILED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Pat hens dry with paper towels. Place on baking sheet. Mix oil, red pepper and rosemary in bowl. Rub all over hens. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature.
• Heat 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat. Sprinkle hens with salt. Add 3 hen halves, skin side down, to each skillet. Place 1 heavy large pot atop hens in each skillet. Place weights (such as several bricks or rocks) in each pot. Cook until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, about 18 minutes per side.

HERB-ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or a thermometer reads 180°.

TEXAS-STYLE GAME HENS

Steps:

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium heat until the jelly melts, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from the heat; keep warm.
• Combine the salt, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp chili powder, stirring well. Sprinkle over the cornish hens.
• Grill over medium coals for 45 minutes; turn occasionally.
• Baste with the sauce and grill an additional 15 minutes. Turn and baste frequently with the remaining sauce. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

BARBECUED GAME HEN

Steps:

• Combine onion, apple cider vinegar, and barbecue sauce. Set aside.
• Coat hens with oil, dry rub, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
• Cut aluminum cans in half. Fill cans with onion, vinegar, and barbecue sauce mixture. Place the cans on a hot grill, and set the hens on top of the cans. Grill for approximately 1 hour.
• Brush lightly with barbecue sauce after 1 hour of cooking.

FLAVORFUL CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; sprinkle over hens. In a large skillet, cook hens over medium-high heat in oil until browned on both sides. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; set aside and keep warm., In the same skillet, saute green onions and garlic until tender. Stir in broth and orange juice concentrate; pour over hens. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until meat is tender and juices run clear. To serve, drizzle with pan juices and sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

JALAPENO-STUFFED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Heat a grill until hot. Season the hens with salt and pepper. Place 4 jalapeno halves in the cavity of each hen. Wrap 3 slices of bacon over the breast on each hen, securing the bacon with toothpicks that have been soaked in water. Place the hens on the grill and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cover the grill and cook until hens are cooked through, about 40 minutes, turning once. Remove the toothpicks, split the hens in half lengthwise, divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.

STEVE RAICHLEN'S GRILLED GAME HENS

Steps:

• 1. For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the game hens and lemons in a large bowl.
• 2. Rinse, drain, and halve the hens lengthwise; place in the bowl, coating thoroughly with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 8 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
• 3. Preheat the grill, using the three-tier method (see note below ). When ready to cook, oil the grill rack. Remove hens from the marinade and arrange skin-side down on the rack over the hottest section of the grill; cook until the skin starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Move the hens to the center section of the grill and continue to cook until the skin is thoroughly browned, 7 to 10 minutes more.
• 4. Turn the hens and move them back to the hottest section of the grill. Brown the second side well, 5 to 7 minutes, then move the pieces back to the center section of the grill to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be about 25 to 35 minutes. When ready, the hens will be crisp and golden-brown outside, and the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
• Three-Tier Grilling Method:
• Pile 2/3 of the coals on one side of the grill and the remaining 1/3 in the center. Leave a small portion of the grill free of coals. Three-tier grilling gives you a super-hot heat source for searing, a moderately hot heat source for cooking, and an area to place the food if it starts to burn. You control the heat by moving the food from one area to the other.