Smoked oysters?

[scotsman]

Wife and I went for a socially acceptable, limited stop drive around Hood Canal today. Saw lots of low tide beaches covered with oysters. Hmmm does anyone have a recipe for smoked oysters?

[KNOPHISH]

I've made em and they turned out pretty good. Don't remember brine mix, probably a little salt, brown sugar, ginger and cayenne. rolled in a dry brine then put em on foil in smoker. How come shellfish is still closed? I wanna go get some.

[h20hunter]

What i did last was shuck em....throw then in a kosher salt,  white sugar,  garlic  brine for 5 or 6 hours then into the trager with smoke and heat.. .when done a touch of olive oil and a cold beer.

[The scout]

No shortage of them around here. Made them lots of ways. The best advise is get them about twice as big as you think you want them, they shrink up the most when you smoke them. I use a cup of tender quick a cup of brown sugar, couple smashed garlic cloves, some red pepper flakes and a gallon or a little more of water for a brine.

[MtnMuley]

What i did last was shuck em....throw then in a kosher salt,  white sugar,  garlic  brine for 5 or 6 hours then into the trager with smoke and heat.. .when done a touch of olive oil and a cold beer.

......add a couple fresh jalapeño rings and can. Have a friend that gives me a case that way off the Traeger every year and they rival about anything with a cold IPA.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

Here's a Good Smoked Oysters Recipe 
Doug

3/4 Cup non-iodized Salt
1.5 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
3 Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1 Cup Brandy
Ground Pepper
 Dash of Hot Sauce (Tabasco)
1 Tbsp dried chopped Onion (or Onion Powder)
1.5 gal Water

This recipe will easily take care of at least 4 dozen oysters and even some fish at the same time too.

In a large, non-metallic container, stir the brine really well until salt and sugars dissolve. Place all shucked raw oysters (meat only, not shells) into the brine and gently stir so they will not stick to one another. Place your oysters in brine in refrigerator or ice chest and let them brine for 30-40 hours. Rinse off and smoke 225 Degrees for 2 hours, (I use Hickory pellets.) Coat the Oysters with olive oil, Seal A Meal and freeze.

[Alchase]

We use to cold smoke them after brining as well. Fried smoked oysters are fantastic!

[Fl0und3rz]

Can't say that I have ever made them or had them, but this thread is making me want to.

[Alchase]

No better cracker fodder than smoke baby oysters 

The canned ones are OK, but home smoked fresh oysters are incredible with a piece of Cougar Gold cheese on a cracker.
I know I said cheese from WSU, but if they can't play football they might as well make fantastic cheese! 


 

[lokidog]

Picked this dozen on Sunday, would they be too big?    

I filter and save the "juice" for chowder/stew.

[Alchase]

They will shrink by about 30% - 40% when smoked with heat.
But if you choose to cold smoke, they will not shrink as much. We usually sorted the smaller ones out, because they go better on crackers. The larger ones we still smoked then would freeze or cook for dinner.
They will taste amazing fried, or your choice of cooking them.

[Alchase]

While growing up with our cabin on the Canal, my favorite way to eat oysters, was to place them still in the shell on the fire until they opened up. Then dip them in garlic and lemon butter and eat. 

It was not until later we learned that the spore for the baby oysters were living on the shells. And by cooking them this way we were killing the next generation. 
By shucking on the beach and returning the shells, we increased the oyster population dramatically.

[huntmando]

Yoshidas, minced garlic, and red pepper flake for 4 to 6 hrs. Traeger on smoke until preferred texture and firmness. I agree with previous comments and use mediums because of shrinkage.

[lokidog]

While growing up with our cabin on the Canal, my favorite way to eat oysters, was to place them still in the shell on the fire until they opened up. Then dip them in garlic and lemon butter and eat. 

It was not until later we learned that the spore for the baby oysters were living on the shells. And by cooking them this way we were killing the next generation. 
By shucking on the beach and returning the shells, we increased the oyster population dramatically.

Are you sure you did? These introduced oysters do not easily self-seed. There have been oysters put on one beach here for probably 30 years. I've never actually heard of one growing on a shell even though the request is to put the empties back out there, but hey, there are three on rocks under the dock a little ways down current.

[Alchase]

While growing up with our cabin on the Canal, my favorite way to eat oysters, was to place them still in the shell on the fire until they opened up. Then dip them in garlic and lemon butter and eat. 

It was not until later we learned that the spore for the baby oysters were living on the shells. And by cooking them this way we were killing the next generation. 
By shucking on the beach and returning the shells, we increased the oyster population dramatically.

Are you sure you did? These introduced oysters do not easily self-seed. There have been oysters put on one beach here for probably 30 years. I've never actually heard of one growing on a shell even though the request is to put the empties back out there, but hey, there are three on rocks under the dock a little ways down current.

The Oysters in Hood Canal are Pacific Oysters. They are natural there.

Yes, after they spawn the adult Oysters shell make the perfect attachment place for the "Spawnees"  .

"Once oyster larvae attach to a surface, such as other oyster shells, they are known as spat (shown in inset image). As generation after generation of spat grow into adult oysters, they form dense clusters known as oyster reefs or beds."

When you seed a bed, you plant adult oysters, empty shells and the seeded plankton sized babies or Spat.

They drift around, and you hope by providing them the adult shells, that they will attach to them. They prefer to attach to oyster shells than to other attachable surfaces.

If you pick all the oysters completely off a section of beach, and do not leave the shells for the spat to attach to, you will have an area almost completely barren of oysters.
You can see this a Tawana State park. They were threatened lawsuit back in the late 80s early 90s (my oldest son was two or three at the time) by a visiter her cut her foot on an oyster shell in the swimming area. To keep from being sued, the state cleaned all shells from the beach out past the low water mark. In doing so created a desert with no oysters (or clams) that is still trying to recover.

I did my science fair project on them in 3rd grade, 

 

[AL WORRELLS KID]

If you pick all the oysters completely off a section of beach, and do not leave the shells for the spat to attach to, you will have an area almost completely barren of oysters.

I did my science fair project on them in 3rd grade, 

 

Alchase, Looks like you Kid Scientists are still roaming the beach studying Oysters, even today.
Doug

  WILLAPA BAY — Clad in their distinctive white lab coats, a dozen young scientists observed and noted details then tested hypotheses during the Oysterville Science Academy.                   

[Alchase]

I think the 4 stitches I got on my foot from barnacles were a bigger hit with my class than my science project.
 

[AL WORRELLS KID]

Smoked Oyster Burger

8-12 smoked oysters
1 cup mayo
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons horseradish

Hamburger Patty (Right off the Barbie)
Tomato (slice)
Lettuce
Large Hamburger Bun (toasted or untoasted)


In a food processor, blend the Smoked Oysters, Mayo, Garlic, Horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco Sauce.

Slather the inside of a Hamburger Bun with Smoked Oyster Mayo and build up your Burger around it.

You’ll have lots of Smoked Oyster Mayo leftover, why not try it on your Fries.

Who knew this Combo would taste like "Money"?
As they say it's "Spot On Good", Try some at your next BBQ. 
Doug

[elkchaser54]

Anybody shuck em and put them on a grill shell side down and cook em that way ?