# Grilling oysters



## atomicsmoke

For you oyster pros out there...do they have to open when they are cooked? Some say yes, some no...

I picked up a dozen to grill for Valentine's day. Six did not open...at $1/pop I am kind of disappointed. The taste was great, especially the liquor. I served them with horseradish whipped cream.












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__ atomicsmoke
__ Feb 14, 2015






I grilled oysters before but never tossed more than 2 out of a dozen. Two weeks ago also bought 5lbs of high oxygen packed mussels (Costco). Usually very few are bad. But this time I trashed about 1/3. The very cold weather maybe?


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## themule69

I am thinking patience! I have done sacks of oysters and never had one not open. Some don't pop as wide open. But they have always opened some.

Happy smoken.

David


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## atomicsmoke

Patience wasn't an issue: those six were on the grill for 45min and still stayed shut (tight). Thank you for chiming in.


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## red dog

I have grilled a lot of oysters and they don't always pop open. Doesn't mean they are bad. Clams are a different story.


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## atomicsmoke

Do you have an official source?

As far as I know bivalves opening while cooking means they were alive before grilling.


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## red dog

No I don't have an official source for oysters. Lots of info out there that says you shouldn't eat clams or mussels that don't open. Also info that says that a clam or mussel that is alive and is open should close if you tap it. If not it's dead and you shouldn't eat it. I have seen oysters open briefly while grilling. And if you cook them too long they will close back up.


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## moikel

Mixed info out there on this.I was taught if they don't open,don't eat them.But I have since heard that this isn't true. I check pretty closely because they don't always spring wide open. I am talking clams & mussels I eat oysters raw mostly.

Funny thing you never see Chinese people eat raw oysters ,they steam them or roll them in seasoned flour,ginger,garlic,5 spice powder then fry.

Lot of work goes into our oyster standards here,filtration tanks for 2 days before sale etc I have still never seen raw oysters on a Chinese plate.


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## dirtsailor2003

Well for oysters its tricky. There are those that say don't eat if they don't open and others that say go for it.  How about shucking them prior to cooking? When I lived at the coast we would grill hundreds of them on the half shell at bbq's. How do you tell if ones bad if you shuck them prior to cooking? There are a few methods. One is if the shell is open if you try and slide the shells sideways, it should close up. Also if you can pry the shell up and it closes its alive. When we cook ours we always pre-shuck the oysters and if grilling do them on the half shell. I'm with Mick and mainly eat them raw. The little petite's we get from the Oregon Oyster Farm on the Yaquina river are AWESOME!


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## moikel

When I was a little kid I remember my grand mothers side of the family bringing a hessian sack of oysters with them when they came to visit. We lived a long way from the ocean.That was the 1960s . My great uncle showed me how to shuck them. Funny what you remember.


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## welshrarebit

My favorite way is to put them on the grill, shucked, with shoyu, sriracha and lemon...


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## dirtsailor2003

Welshrarebit said:


> My favorite way is to put them on the grill, shucked, with shoyu, sriracha and lemon...


Hey that's my recipe!


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## foamheart

Just a thought here...... I grill oysters. I always grill on the 1/2 shell. If you are looking to use closed oysters like you see on TV . oysters or maybe clams being cooked in a pan with wine....?? Those are being steamed open from the wine juice.

We always grill or BBQ on the 1/2 shell just like we would when eating them raw. We grill with a bit of lemon, garlic and maybe a touch of horse raddish. BBQ ya just drop a spoonfull of sauce on that bad boy. We always found it easier to just heat the oysters on the half shell and do the BBQ sauce like a cocktail sauce and and not waste ant BBQ that way.

Don't know I ever saw any grilled whole, but doesn't mean its not the national standard.


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## timberjet

Hey that's my recipe too!


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## atomicsmoke

Foamheart said:


> Just a thought here...... I grill oysters. I always grill on the 1/2 shell. If you are looking to use closed oysters like you see on TV . oysters or maybe clams being cooked in a pan with wine....?? Those are being steamed open from the wine juice.
> 
> We always grill or BBQ on the 1/2 shell just like we would when eating them raw. We grill with a bit of lemon, garlic and maybe a touch of horse raddish. BBQ ya just drop a spoonfull of sauce on that bad boy. We always found it easier to just heat the oysters on the half shell and do the BBQ sauce like a cocktail sauce and and not waste ant BBQ that way.
> 
> Don't know I ever saw any grilled whole, but doesn't mean its not the national standard.


So how do you know is not dead when you put it on the grill?


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## foamheart

atomicsmoke said:


> So how do you know is not dead when you put it on the grill?


Oyster is dead as soon as you break it open. If I broke your muscle off you'd be dead too.....LOL

Thats always what I've heard. You gotta break that muscle to open the shell. It takes days and its worse than smokin butts, but you can talk them out but you have to be a silver tongued devil. Brian Skelly probably could. Only your top sales people.

Oysters ain;t clams there is no way for you to tell other than smell and thats really only freshness. What can hurt you with oysters is the microbacteria. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. Its best to always deal with a fish monger you know, I remember a few years before BP, I would still buy sacks and 1/2 sacks off the side of the road. BUT all oyster sacks BY LAW have to be tagged with who where date and area they came from. Saltyness tells more where and when. You are just not physically able to tell bad. A microbiologist or a marine biologist can. But he can only test for area ratio.


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## atomicsmoke

Pigs and cows are dead too when we eat them. When they died though is quite important.


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## gary s

I like Oysters any way you fix them

Gary


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## timberjet

Me too gary


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## moikel

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__ moikel
__ Feb 28, 2015






I love these big guys wish I lived in Tasmania some days.

Asian people won't even stop to look they are headed for these.













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__ moikel
__ Feb 28, 2015






Sea snail family,farmed but better wild.Hand dived in cold water in very shark rich colder waters.


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## foamheart

Wait, does that say 20.00 each for an oyster?  Noooo....... ROFLMAO.  I could easily eat a thousand dollars worth at a sitting!  Nope nope nope..... would not do for me to be in that market.

I'll no doubt sound like an idiot, have not bought a sack of oysters in awhile. BUT used to be about 35.00 a sac, 25.00 1/2 sac on the side of LA1 comming in from the coast. I am a weenie now, I usually get the resturant down the street to just shuck me a quart when I need some. A qt ain't cheap but thats a load of oysters too!


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## gary s

I was thinking the same thing, Easily consume a $1,000 worth.     Back Years ago we were doing a job in South Louisiana and  we found this place that had Ice cold beer and oysters on the half shell for $0,10 each, I think I ate $10.00 or $12.00 dollars worth that day   Boy are those days gone !!

Gary


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## bonzbbq

Gary, that reminded me of a place years ago at Port Canaveral, it was an oyster shack on the water, claimed to have the fastest shuckers anywhere, they may have been, most could shuck about as fast as you could eat them, pretty cheap, we would sit there and eat several dozens with cold beer, place is long gone now, sure miss those days though.

Bonz


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## moikel

I hadn't seen those big ones before.I don't know whats behind them unless they were from some long lost lease or something.Not sure how many I could eat.They are Pacifics from Tasmania ,very clean water.No heavy industry at all in that state.

They are about $12 a doz for normal size. My weekender is in oyster country.My neighbour won the world title for fastest shucker in 1984. There is a big festival at Galway in Ireland.


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## red dog

Foamheart said:


> Wait, does that say 20.00 each for an oyster?  Noooo....... ROFLMAO.  I could easily eat a thousand dollars worth at a sitting!  Nope nope nope..... would not do for me to be in that market.
> 
> I'll no doubt sound like an idiot, have not bought a sack of oysters in awhile. BUT used to be about 35.00 a sac, 25.00 1/2 sac on the side of LA1 comming in from the coast. I am a weenie now, I usually get the resturant down the street to just shuck me a quart when I need some. A qt ain't cheap but thats a load of oysters too!


Yes but it say's "loin stirring"!  What's the going rate for having your loins stirred these days? I'll take some good old Willapa Bay oysters from Washington any day.


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## moikel

Don't you just love copy writers? Loin stirring a clever pitch.

Industry very regulated here because of run off from cow pastures etc. Then there is the native rock oyster v Pacific thing. There are thousands of oysters growing wild but it would be very risky to eat them unless  you were in Tasmania or similar.

We have just had a major health issue here with Chinese berries( blue,straw.,black) contaminated with hepatitis A & tuna with some other weird thing.Food regulations that relate to Asian product here suck.Dont start me on Asian farmed fish.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I will do some oysters fried here soon.I use rice flour mixed with powdered ginger,garlic,5 spice serve with lime wedges.


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## wes w

I've got to chime in here.   I'm in the mtns of NC.  5 hrs from the right coast.   So, what are the oysters i buy in a jar?   They look dead.  :-)  

Dead or alive, you have got to try Jeffs bacon wrapped oysters.   They are awesome.    I'm doing them again tomorrow while I smoke my first meatloaf.      I love oysters anyway you want to fix them.


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## red dog

The best oysters I ever ate were at a place on Hood canal In Washington. Fearless Freddy was his name. He had been a circus performer and lion tamer and there were old pics of him all over the walls. They served tiny fried oysters in sizzling 8 inch cast iron skillet. Each person got their own skillet full of oysters. Pure heaven washed down with some sparkling wine!


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## eman

Sacks have gone up since the spill but only 45 - 50 bucks for some good oysters from st bernard parish. Open the oyster. discard the top shell. seperate the oyster from the bottom shell leaving it in the shell melt butter ad minced garlic shallots and some Worcestershire . Set oysters in the shell on a hot grill and pour butter mixture into each shell . Let it flame up if it wants to. when oysters curl use hot gloves or tongs to remove from grill. top w/ a bit of grated parm and serve. Dragos recipe minus one ingredient.


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## jeepdiver

gary s said:


> I was thinking the same thing, Easily consume a $1,000 worth.     Back Years ago we were doing a job in South Louisiana and  we found this place that had Ice cold beer and oysters on the half shell for $0,10 each, I think I ate $10.00 or $12.00 dollars worth that day   Boy are those days gone !!
> 
> 
> Gary



When I was in college at University or Southern Miss one of the local bars had .10 oysters and 2.00 fish bowls (large round goblets) of beer.  10 bucks and you were stuffed and had a good buzz to start the night.

Probably one of the worst things about Denver,  2.00 per Oyster.  I just can not do it unless it is a really special occasion.   I will be heading down to Orange Beach Al this summer,  and will be getting my fill several days


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## wes w

Eman, that sounds awesome.    I'll have to see if I can find some in the shell.


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## red dog

eman said:


> Sacks have gone up since the spill but only 45 - 50 bucks for some good oysters from st bernard parish. Open the oyster. discard the top shell. seperate the oyster from the bottom shell leaving it in the shell melt butter ad minced garlic shallots and some Worcestershire . Set oysters in the shell on a hot grill and pour butter mixture into each shell . Let it flame up if it wants to. when oysters curl use hot gloves or tongs to remove from grill. top w/ a bit of grated parm and serve. Dragos recipe minus one ingredient.


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## oscuba

Thanks. I've given up on mussels. I can have them hand picked at a good store and have 30% open in hours so they are tossed. My sister sent be a huge bag of mussels shipped direct from the dock. 50% were dead.

I love oysters. I just don;t want to have to shuck them. I guess I'm a lazy shucker.


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## food junkie

I love me some grilled oysters













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__ food junkie
__ Mar 22, 2015


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## gary s

Man those look great, I'll be right there

gary


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## eman

Foam Have you ever dropped a couple a dozen in the crawfish boil???


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## foamheart

Actually........ No. I have done 1/2 shell on the grill with either lemon juice and butter or with BBQ sauce. I have had the stews etc..... but I love mine on the half shell. If its a good dredge fried are ok, but you gotta be a world class chef to do really good oysters fried. I really do like 'em en brouchette with shrimps.

I have to buy a quart of good shucked to get any to cook....LOL I sure miss the good old days with .10 cents shucked oysters and .25 cent drafts.

The en brouchette is my favorite after on the half shell.

They shrink so bad in boiling water, and you have to get 'em quick or leave for a long boil right? If not they are like poorly cooked calamara, little rubber plugs?


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## wes w

Foamheart said:


> Actually........ No. I have done 1/2 shell on the grill with either lemon juice and butter or with BBQ sauce. I have had the stews etc..... but I love mine on the half shell. If its a good dredge fried are ok, but you gotta be a world class chef to do really good oysters fried. I really do like 'em en brouchette with shrimps.
> 
> I have to buy a quart of good shucked to get any to cook....LOL I sure miss the good old days with .10 cents shucked oysters and .25 cent drafts.
> 
> The en brouchette is my favorite after on the half shell.
> 
> They shrink so bad in boiling water, and you have to get 'em quick or leave for a long boil right? If not they are like poorly cooked calamara, little rubber plugs?


Wow,  .25 draft?    Hell, I'd never leave the house, ever!!     Mother used to make oyster soup. Not sure how she made it, but it was always good


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## foamheart

Wes W said:


> Wow,  .25 draft?    Hell, I'd never leave the house, ever!!     Mother used to make oyster soup. Not sure how she made it, but it was always good


Cream soup? .25/draft was cheap beer, small plastic cups, and every Wednesday and Friday during college  (The first time) LOL


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## wes w

Something like that.  I know she used milk in it.   We had milk cow growing up.  Best milk ever.   Its a shame she never wrote her recipes down.


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