# BEST SMOKED OYSTERS EVER (recipe)



## rypress

Hey Smokers!

So I set out searching the web for a recipe on "how to smoke oysters". My goal was to reproduce those delicious canned smoked oysters we all love and grew up on. Right? Those things are amazing - and from a can!?!?!

Anyway, there's not a whole lot out there in terms of "smoked oyster recipes" other than some smokers who've opened them on the half shell and tossed them into their smoker. That's easy. Too easy! I wanted more...I wanted something special. So? I experimented and happened upon my own recipe/technique and ultimately the most amazing smoked oyster I've ever had! I guarantee you'll agree!

*STEP 1:* *Get you some fresh oysters. *

I found the ideal size is a raw oyster that is about 3" to 3.5" long once out of the shell. This is probably a medium-sized (5"-7") oyster (in the shell) - something to consider when picking out your oysters - not too small, not too big. The oysters shrink considerably in the smoking process. Next, shuck 'em! Collect the raw oysters in a chilled bowl. The colder you can keep your oysters, the better - as they break down quickly once out of the shell.

*STEP 2: Get your brine on!*

Brine the oysters the same as you would fish. My brine recipe:

3/4 cup non-iodized salt
1.5 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 bay leafs
1 tblsp garlic powder
1 cup brandy
Couple turns of a pepper grinder
Couple dashes of hot sauce (Tapatio or equivalent)
Table spoon dried chopped white onion (or onion powder)
1.5 gal water

This recipe/quantity 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 them to separate any as they have a tendency to stick to one another. Place your brine/oysters in a cold refrigerator or ice chest and let them brine for 30-40 hours.

*STEP 3: Rinse and Set*

After brining, gently rinse each oyster under cold water to wash off any residual seasoning, shell, or "dirt" from the meat. Place oysters on an oiled grid rack or vegetable grill rack. I use a stainless steel rack designed for grilling vegetables on a BBQ. It's basically a flat sheet of stainless with a grid of half-inch holes punched out. This will prevent any smaller oysters from slipping through a standard rack as well as allowing the smoke to get to the under-side of the oyster too. A rack like this is ideal:








Here's a photo of my oysters on my vegi grill rack - about to go into the smoker:







*STEP 4: Get your smoke on!*

I smoked these in a Bass Pro Shops (Masterbuilt) smoker set at 225 degrees F for just under two hours - smoking the entire time (roughly four pans of chips). For this batch I used Hickory. I typically use alder for seafood, but was out of alder, so hickory it was.







*STEP 5: Finish 'em off in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

The night I put these on the brine I also made two cups of garlic, red chili, lemon-zest infused EVOO that I would use to finish them off once out of the smoker. Plain EVOO will do just fine, however, infuse whatever herbs/flavors you desire for an even more interesting flavor profile. Let them marinate in the oil (in the fridge) for a few hours before serving. The oil will get a little cloudy when it's chilled but will clear up as it warms back up to room temp.







*STEP 6: Enjoy!*

Serve chilled or at room temp, on a crustini or straight off a fork. Unfortunately, I had to share these 48 oysters with some good friends and family...all of whom were blown away and many of which said they were the best OYSTER (not just smoked oyster....BEST OYSTER) they've ever had! I would have to agree!

Let me know what you guys think.

Cheers!

-Ryan

Side notes:

I was up at my best buddy's house so we used his smoker to do these this time. We discovered his smoker has a hot spot in the back right corner (Lower-left corner in the photo associated with Step 4). About 6-8 of the oysters got a little "well done". That is, they begin to take on a beef-jerky-like firmness - still good flavor, just super chewy. Notice the darkness of these "well done" oysters...Something to watch for next time. We should've taken the ones in this area off sooner, but to be honest, we weren't paying much attention to that back-right corner....Next time! Oh, and while the oysters were smoking we also had in there a nice steak of Chilean Sea Bass and a steak of Turbofish, and four large portabella mushroom caps. We've never smoked Sea Bass or Turbofish before, but OH MY! This fish turned out amazing as well...nice oily species, perfect for smoking! Clockwise: Portabella Mushroom, Chilean Sea Bass, Turbofish







We used the smoked mushroom as a delivery vehicle and came up with this delightful little combo/bite:







Ok, enough of me bragging! Cheers, guys!


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## alblancher

Great first post.  Looks like you did a great job on both the recipe and the presentation.  Why not tell us a bit about yourself in the new member area.  Like,  what part of the country are you from to get such pretty oysters this time of the year!

Al


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## Bearcarver

Ryan,

This is an Awesome post !!!!

Please go to Roll Call, and introduce yourself so we could all give you a proper welcome.

We would love to have you stick around and make more posts like this one.

Thanks,

Bear

PS: If you could, put approximately where you live in your Bio, so it comes up on your posts.

That way it's easier to help people, and sometimes things said make more sense.


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## rypress

Thanks for the warm welcome, Gentlemen!

I just added some info (location, etc.) to my profile.

I hope to contribute more posts to the forums in the future. Great site!


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## Bearcarver

rypress said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome, Gentlemen!
> 
> I just added some info (location, etc.) to my profile.
> 
> I hope to contribute more posts to the forums in the future. Great site!


That's great Ryan!!

Bear

Al, I wasn't copying what you said. I was typing my post while you were posting yours. Seems we were thinking the same thing.


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## africanmeat

Ryan It looks Yummmmmy thanks, i will book mark  it

Ahron


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## SmokinAl

Great job,. Ryan! Welcome to SMF!


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## fpnmf

Ahemmmm!!

Those look delicious...but the best smoked oysters are From the gulf!!!

Everybody knows that!!

hehehehehehehehe

 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/105416/todays-smoke-oysters-and-shrimp-with-qview  

  Craig


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## Bearcarver

fpnmf said:


> Ahemmmm!!
> 
> Those look delicious...but the best smoked oysters are From the gulf!!!
> 
> Everybody knows that!!
> 
> hehehehehehehehe
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/105416/todays-smoke-oysters-and-shrimp-with-qview
> 
> Craig


Pre-marinated?

Bear


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## fpnmf

Bearcarver said:


> Pre-marinated?
> 
> Bear


EGADDDD!!!  Never!!!  Shucked and leave some juice in the shell.

  Craig


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## Bearcarver

fpnmf said:


> EGADDDD!!!  Never!!!  Shucked and leave some juice in the shell.
> 
> Craig


I meant --- are the ones from the Gulf pre-marinated----as in 30 weight.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## fpnmf

Bearcarver said:


> I meant --- are the ones from the Gulf pre-marinated----as in 30 weight.
> 
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> Bear


Gulf oysters and seafood aren't having any probs from the spill in almost the entire gulf.

In fact they are harvesting everywhere in the gulf,

   Craig


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## Bearcarver

fpnmf said:


> Gulf oysters and seafood aren't having any probs from the spill in almost the entire gulf.
> 
> In fact they are harvesting everywhere in the gulf,
> 
> Craig


Thanks Craig,

Maybe I don't pay enough attention, but I never hear or read anything about it on/in the news.

Makes it seem too hush-hush to be all OK now.

Bear


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## shooter1

Great job and welcome aboard. I have to agree with Craig, Gulf oysters rule or at least they did.

We won't know the full effect of the oil spill for a long time to come. The goverment says its safe to eat the seafood. The Japanese govermeant said there was no danger from the radiation leaks and they had it under control. Right!


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## fpnmf

Shooter1 said:


> Great job and welcome aboard. I have to agree with Craig, Gulf oysters rule or at least they did.
> 
> We won't know the full effect of the oil spill for a long time to come. The goverment says its safe to eat the seafood. The Japanese govermeant said there was no danger from the radiation leaks and they had it under control. Right!


I haven't been to NO yet.but when I get there I will be happy to eat the seafood.

Our oysters come from Apalachicola tho...

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/...aculture-team-ensures-bay-oysters-safe-to-eat  

  Craig


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## beer-b-q

Those look great Ryan...


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## Bearcarver

fpnmf said:


> I haven't been to NO yet.but when I get there I will be happy to eat the seafood.
> 
> Our oysters come from Apalachicola tho...
> 
> http://www.tallahassee.com/article/...aculture-team-ensures-bay-oysters-safe-to-eat
> 
> Craig


Thanks Craig, but that link seems to only be good if you pay to register/join.

Bear


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## fpnmf

Bearcarver said:


> Thanks Craig, but that link seems to only be good if you pay to register/join.
> 
> Bear


Well..ain't that odd... read the article off google....

  Craig


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## nwdave

PUTTING this thread back on track..........
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   You all just keep thinking the best are from the east coast.  Some of us know different and don't have to get sensitive about it.

Ryan, welcome aboard and what a great kickoff.  Definitely got this on the list and will compliment a fair sized King Salmon that's cooling it's heels.


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## rypress

Thanks for the warm welcome, fellas! I'm hoping I'll have time to smoke more oysters this coming Saturday. My wife and I will be attending a friend's birthday party Saturday night and I thought it'd be a good venue to get even more feedback on my recipe. I'll let you know if I do and how they're received should I end up smoking more.

Most of the oysters I get come from Tomales Bay, California - 44 miles north of San Francisco and about 77 miles northwest from where I live in Pleasanton, California.

http://tomalesbayoysters.com/app/map

Cheers!


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## Bearcarver

NWDave said:


> PUTTING this thread back on track..........
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> You all just keep thinking the best are from the east coast.  Some of us know different and don't have to get sensitive about it.
> 
> Ryan, welcome aboard and what a great kickoff.  Definitely got this on the list and will compliment a fair sized King Salmon that's cooling it's heels.


Who said anything about the best of anything coming from the East Coast??? I must have missed that.

I always thought the best of a lot of seafood came from the NorthWest.

The only seafood I get from the East Coast is Tuna, Stripers, Swordfish, etc, etc, that my Son catches.

Bear


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## oldschoolbbq

Rypress, those indeed are luscious looking Oysters and I know they tasted good from the way you posted
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I drove cross country trucking for 10yrs., and loving Oysters, I stopped at a roadside Smokehouse on 101.Dry,no oil and delicious
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I used to go down to the coast (when I lived in Texas) and get seafood right off the boat; wooo- eeee , nothing better that really fresh Sea stuff.I'd go to N.O.LA and get Crawfish for .50 pre pound if I had the Chest to put them in;I always did
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Dang, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it,all this...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





was a regular thing while growing up in Texas!

oh well, I brought some Texas Culture up here to Ohio:
 





  I can as big a party as I want,plus Betty the UDS:0-

Welcome to the forum, and ...


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## oldschoolbbq

Rypress, those indeed are luscious looking Oysters and I know they tasted good from the way you posted
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I drove cross country trucking for 10yrs., and loving Oysters, I stopped at a roadside Smokehouse on 101.Dry,no oil and delicious
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I used to go down to the coast (when I lived in Texas) and get seafood right off the boat; wooo- eeee , nothing better that really fresh Sea stuff.I'd go to N.O.LA and get Crawfish for .50 pre pound if I had the Chest to put them in;I always did
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Dang, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it,all this...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





was a regular thing while growing up in Texas!

oh well, I brought some Texas Culture up here to Ohio:  Welcome to the Forum,Stan;}-


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## texdav

Those are pacific Oysters whcih have a completely different taste than gulf oystres;they are also much larger on average .But then he is in California.


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## dukester

OK...FINALLY! i found someone with clear sense of what i am trying to do. Friday is the test day=smoked AND smoked and marinated with a sweet sauce with a bite...brandy etc...will letcha know

d


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## gviau

Ok I've tried this twice now and was completely blown away. Second time I substituted Jim Beam for the brandy and male syrup for the brown sugar. Made 5 dozen on sunday and they were g one in a day. Great recipe thanks!


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## smokin pigskins

These look so good.  Why have I never thought of this?  Maybe it's because the only fresh oysters we have around here are Rocky Mountain oysters!


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## oldschoolbbq

Nice Ryan , and Welcome to the SMF ; always good to have Bay area represented , with all the Sea food there available , I could be a happy man , I Love Sea food and Oysters are near the top . I like the canned ones , however , on a trip (ex-trucker) down 101 , the Wife and I stopped at a roadside smokehouse and they had Smoked Oysters , but they were dry , but interestingly good . I mean they weren't over done . They were soft and not chewy and had no oil on them , I guess that's the way they are before the EVOO?
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .

Have fun and...


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## oldschoolbbq

Nice Ryan , and Welcome to the SMF ; always good to have Bay area represented , with all the Sea food there available , I could be a happy man , I Love Sea food and Oysters are near the top . I like the canned ones , however , on a trip (ex-trucker) down 101 , the Wife and I stopped at a roadside smokehouse and they had Smoked Oysters , but they were dry , but interestingly good . I mean they weren't over done . They were soft and not chewy and had no oil on them , I guess that's the way they are before the EVOO?
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .

Have fun and...


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## jaynik

Nice. All oysters are good. 

Have you tried without brining these? Our oysters are all saltwater oysters and generally have what I would consider natural brine.


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## shirleydorothy

This recips sound really good, we are going to try it this weekend.  Have you ever finished off by canning them in a pressure canner and jars for future use?  I would love to know how you did them.


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## saintlawrence

Rypress:  Did these today and they came out great!  Had extra-smalls on hand, but next time will take your advice and do mediums.  Substituted bourbon for cognac and cherry for alder.  Great flavor and texture. Thanks for a terrific recipe.  

Right now I've got three and a half pounds of steelhead in my Weber smoker, three hours into a 5 hour smoke.  Been a smokey weekend.

Best,

St.L.


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## ski-freak

Nice idea to smoke Oysters on a perforated veggie rack. Will have to try that!

Here in Rhode Island we have many varieties of delicious Oysters because of our many Salt Ponds along the coast. Usually we just eat them raw as soon as they're shucked.

When it comes to Oysters, I always want them really fresh - no shipping or storage of any kind...


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## teresak

:yahoo:
Can't wait to try these!!!


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## puget sound

thank you for the tips every one knows the best oysters come from washington state


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## smokinincanada

Hi Rypress...Thanks for sharing.  Question:  Can the brine be reused?


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## dirtsailor2003

SmokinInCanada said:


> Hi Rypress...Thanks for sharing.  Question:  Can the brine be reused?


You would want to make a new batch and not reuse the brine.


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## leah elisheva

Wow! I'm just finding this thread too - amazing what some Sunday afternoon surfing does right - and these oysters, AND the turbot and sea bass and mushrooms, just look AMAZING!!!!!! This was fantastic to see!!! Thanks for sharing! WOW!!! Cheers! - Leah


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## cmonson

This all looks so tasty. I am trying the recipe today.

Is the "30-40 hours" to brine the oysters a typo? I'm wondering if it should be 30-40 min??? Too late for this batch, they've been in the brine for over 35hrs and just put them in the smoker (using alder). Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the recipe.


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## smoker808

Thanks for bringing this to the top brother I'm gonna try this one day at a family get together as there's always Oysters on the grill. Smoked should be an awesome addition. Im wondering about the 30-40 hours myself so let us know how it turned out.


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## smokingpigfoods

Has anyone figured out the 30 - 40 hour thing yet?


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## smokin - j

Just ran across this thread a couple of days ago. I got a gallon of fresh oysters. I am going to give this method a shot here within the next couple of days. The post was great ! It was nice to run across a post with pictures. You know for the "visual learners" :-) I will be posting when I get through with the ones I got.

Thanks again,

Smokin - J


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## helen12345

I too just ran across this thread a few days ago, while searching for the perfect smoked oysters.  I brined them for 35 hours (yes HOURS) and followed the rest of the ingredients/instructions. Actually had 8 dozen oysters and there was more than enough brine.  I made sure I kept an eye on the smaller ones and took them off before they were overdone.  They are the BEST smoked oysters!!- thanks to Ryan for posting the original recipe.


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## smokingpigfoods

So 35 hours must be way to go then.


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## honeysock

Thanks so much for posting this! I hide in my office at work to eat my canned smoked oysters; I know of no one else who adores them-- can't wait to try this. Your pictures are awesome.


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## hannahcowboy

Ryan, I have a great opportunity for you around this recipe - this isn't a sales pitch but a chance to have your recipe featured on a national, leading lump charcoal brand.

please contact me @ [email protected] if you're interested. thank you!


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## stillsmoking

Hey thanks for the assist!

Gonna try my new Bradley smoker with some oysters and your recipe. Will let you know!


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## hogswiskers

Nice recipe, will give it a try soon.

Sure 30 to 40 hours in the brine is necessary? Seems like a long time.


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## goliath

made these 2 weeks ago and were MARVELOUS !!!!!

did the olive oil also and was quite enjoyable. they canned up very nice also BUT use Dave Omaks method and put some peanut oil in the jars, also a pinch of coarse salt..

Goliath


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## smokingpigfoods

When you canned them at what pressure and time did you use?


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## karzapart55

Gotta try them oysters!  But you cant beat the N.E. for shellfish, esp. Blue Points!


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## lowcountrygamecock

Took the family on a little boat ride this morning and picked up two five gallon buckets of oysters from the inlet. About as fresh as you can get. We normally just steam them but I saw this recipe about a week ago and saved three or four dozen for smoking. I didn't brine them and they were still good. My wife will normally only eat one or two just to say she ate one. She ate at least a dozen of the smoked oysters. I turned around and they were gone.  Made all the work worthwhile for sure.


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## sunsetbeachsmkr

This post is 4 years old but right on time.  I took the finished product back to my local fish market and they all went crazy for it.  Best oysters ever.


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## sunsetbeachsmkr

Bumping the best oyster post I have ever seen.  Oyster season is in and I live across the street from the best oyster beds south of the Chesapeake.  I tried Rypress' recipe last week and ran through it just to test.  Got lazy and bought a peck from Bill's rather than harvesting them myself.  

In my neighborhood you cannot expect to impress anyone with your oysters, smoked, roasted or raw.
I tasted them and knew I had something.  Took a jar of them to Bill's and next time I went in the girls were all a'giggle.  
 

Have a batch brining right now for the birthday of the loveliest and seafood snootiest member of our society at my Aunt Margaret's.

Instructions are finger foods only.  

Ima knock 'em dead with these oysters.


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## rkp56

OK, I'm a first time smoker (well, first time in twenty years...).  I have a Masterbuilt and tried oysters according to this recipe.  First of all, I found it very difficult if not impossible to get a fixed recommendation on using water in the water pan and on whether or not to soak the wood chips!  I went with no water and soaked wood chips.

After the 30 hour brining, I smoked the oysters for 2 hours at 225 degrees.  They didn't appear to be even half done.  I turned down the temp and smoked them for another five hours at 150 degrees.  After that, many were still large and squishy so I tried a couple of the ones that shrunk down to what we are used to seeing in the store, and they were only OK at best.  I tossed the whole lot. 

Any recommendations?  Others out there finding that two hours at 225 degrees doesn't even do half the trick?

R


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## Bearcarver

rkp56 said:


> OK, I'm a first time smoker (well, first time in twenty years...).  I have a Masterbuilt and tried oysters according to this recipe.  First of all, *I found it very difficult if not impossible to get a fixed recommendation on using water in the water pan and on whether or not to soak the wood chips!  I went with no water and soaked wood chips.*
> 
> After the 30 hour brining, I smoked the oysters for 2 hours at 225 degrees.  They didn't appear to be even half done.  I turned down the temp and smoked them for another five hours at 150 degrees.  After that, many were still large and squishy so I tried a couple of the ones that shrunk down to what we are used to seeing in the store, and they were only OK at best.  I tossed the whole lot.
> 
> Any recommendations?  Others out there finding that two hours at 225 degrees doesn't even do half the trick?
> 
> R


I never smoked Oysters, so I can't help with the time or temp.

However I can help with the MES questions:

#1   I have not put water in my MES water pan for the last 6 years, for any kind of smoking. It does no good---only harm.

#2   When I used to try to smoke with wood chips in the chip burner, soaking the chips didn't help (IMHO). The only way to get perfect, consistent, continuous smoke is to get an AMNPS, and fill it & light one end, and get up to 11 hours of perfect smoke.

Link to AMNPS:

http://www.amazenproducts.com

Bear


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## sunsetbeachsmkr

I use this recipe twice a month in my Masterbuilt.  Please note the OP rolls smoke non stop.  That means getting the temp up to 225 with a half pan of water and then place oysters on a  grate of some sort so they get all around circulation. Once the temp is up and oysters are in, place dry chips in hopper.  It is the smoke that cooks them and wet chips ain't gonna do it.

I once made the mistake of putting the oysters and chips in before reaching 225 and got hockey pucks.  Why?  Because the only time you get smoke in an electric grill is when the element is firing and it fires full time until reaching 225.

Properly done, smoke is created from the dry chips as the thermostat comes on for brief intervals.  You will go through three loads in the Masterbuilt.

Hope this helps.  Ask more questions anytime.  This has taken me some time to perfect but now everybody wants my oysters!


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## gmoher

Thank you so much for this!  Just made my wife (who is a big fan of smoked oysters) incredibly happy for mother's day.  I used slightly smaller oysters, so had to cut down the cooking time a bit (maybe 1:15-1:30 or so total), and take them off sort of one by one as the smaller ones got done all the way up to the bigger ones.  Used EVOO, lemon juice, and garlic for the ending.  Unreal.


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## scottpatch

Looks fantastic.... Looking forward to giving it a go!


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## sunsetbeachsmkr

AND HE SCORES!!!

Ran into Jeff Green, third generation operator of a shucking house here in coastal Carolina.

He says "Those were the best smoked oysters bar none."

"Well anytime you want some more, just give me a pint and I will bring them back smoked."

"I'll do better than that - one pint for you and one for me."

This recipe is so good I am getting free oysters out of it.


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## smoooookin

My mouth is watering. I need to try this!


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## joanne mcginnis

I followed this recipe and have it in the Traeger right now. Will post photos when done!


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## crnbndr

Is it done yet?


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## smokingpigfoods

TLBA9454.jpg



__ smokingpigfoods
__ Aug 18, 2017


















TLBA9454.jpg



__ smokingpigfoods
__ Aug 18, 2017


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## bigfoot21075

Time to drag this thread up and dust it off - we are in PRIME Oyster season here on the Chesapeake so I  am going to make a batch of these this weekend. MMMMmmmmmm


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## klutzee

I wonder if they would need brined if they are already shucked and packed in their own juice ( liquor) I bought a  quart yesterday from a guy who just got back in town from his job on the water and membered this thread. Cant wait to try them.


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