Cornish Hens on the Drum Smoker

For the first day of the new year, I decided to smoke a few cornish game hens in my drum smoker.
I brined the birds overnight in a mixture of water, kosher salt, sugar, onions, garlic, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper....



I placed some slices of smoked sausage under the skin for added moisture and flavor....


I rubbed the birds with butter and sprinkled them with cracked black pepper and kosher salt...

Heated up my drum smoker to a temperature of 300. Added a bit of apple and olive wood...

After the birds had smoked for about 1 1/2 hours, I added some twice baked potatoes....

The smoked potatoes were great. I make them with a bit of butter, onion, garlic and cheese...


Since this was the first day of the year, I had to have my usual black eyed peas. :)

I made a pot of hoppin' john....

The apple/olive smoked cornish game hens with smoked twice baked potatos, hoppin' john, creamy cucumbers and leafy salad....

The smoked sausage under the skin made the game hens nice and moist...

My company didn't complain. I think they were thankful I was the one doing the cooking after staying up so late watching the new year arrive. :)