# Home Smoked and Canned Oysters



## goliath (Dec 20, 2014)

thanks to the folks on this site and some special help from Dave Omak i have taken on smoking and canning some fresh oysters. a buddy of a buddy.. (we all know how that works... he owns my ass for life now) brought me up 6 quarts of fresh shucked oyster meat. i brined some following a recipe on here and did the others following Daves directions. both were outstanding. the pressure canner is rattling away as i type this ..  LOL
couldnt wait to post the pics of what i have been doing the last couple days.
from start to almost finish..... and some golden beauties on rye toast with some of my smoked cheese!

Goliath













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## goliath (Dec 20, 2014)

all 20 sealed.....
already gave one away .. i can see i will need more SOON !!!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			


















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## daveomak (Dec 20, 2014)

They look really good.....  Soooooooooo........   are they better than store bought canned oysters.....


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 20, 2014)

Oh man! That's a great smoke! We have been wanting to do that forever!!! A nice salty cracker, super thin slice of sharp cheddar, a smokey oyster!!!! Points for you!


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## atomicsmoke (Dec 21, 2014)

Good buddy of buddy you got. Great smoke too.


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## goliath (Dec 21, 2014)

Dave ...... store bought cant even come close to these....
also the quality and freshness of these were just fantastic !!!


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## daveomak (Dec 21, 2014)

GOLIATH said:


> Dave ...... store bought cant even come close to these....
> 
> also the quality and freshness of these were just fantastic !!!




We share the same opinion....  Thumbs Up


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## one eyed jack (Dec 21, 2014)

Great looking Oysters you've got there.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Are there links available for the brine recipes?


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## leah elisheva (Dec 21, 2014)

Holy God how delicious! Cheers! - Leah


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## goliath (Dec 21, 2014)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106282/best-smoked-oysters-ever-recipe     this is 1 way to do them,

here is another method for the smoking and canning ....

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... just kidding...First batch I did was in the shell over a fire... medium heat.... the shells opened and real butter was added..... like any oyster feed .... I usually like adding celery salt to the butter but had guests.... anyway, no one ate the oysters so, in the refer they go.... no shells just the oysters and what butter was in the shell, in a quart pan.... they had a fair amount of smoke... an hour or so.... just moved them away from the heat and let the smoke get to them... (while still in the shell)... next morning heated a few for eats with a bloody mary.... they were still good.... decided to can them....
In 1/2 pint jars.... crammed in the oysters... vertically stacked in there... then layed a few on top.... a pinch of kosher salt..... added a table spoon or 3 of peanut oil to the jar.... canned and they were so good.... Peanut oil is the only oil for seafood.... I tried olive oil once and it tasted like crap.... anyway, you might try a dash of celery salt to one jar.... clam and oyster chowder are really improved with that addition.....
No shell oysters..... did them too..... in a ceramic/glass pie pan..... lay out the oysters... add some clam nectar and butter,salt and celery salt.... low heat and smoke..... let them sit there until they get to about 1/2 size from shrinking.... you will be able to tell by looking at them... they will brown up and firm up and take on that clam nectar as a substitute for the oyster juice that is missing... Use a good fruit wood or alder is the best.... you know alder was made to smoke seafood.... When they have enough smoke and have shrunk up by about 1/2.... add more butter and let sit in the refer overnight... pack in 1/2 pint jars, add peanut oil and can.....
I did one batch and did not refer overnight.... from the fire to the jars.... NOT NEAR AS GOOD AS THE OVERNIGHT/REFER OYSTERS..... so I think the cooling has a profound effect on them critters....
Anyway, seafood has been known to carry botulism.... Sooooooo..... do not skimp on the time and pressure..... someone figured out all that crap for a reason and I know I ain't smart enough to say they are wrong...

so i did both ways, i actually like smoking them on the Q-Matz .... seemed to get better penetration of smoke as it can come in all way around as compared to the method in a pan. when they were canned there was actually no real flavor differences. lots of smoke flavor !!!!

the oliv oil garlic finishing blend is nice for fresh eating also..

the ones on my toasr are just smoked and cooled. very important to leave them to cool in the fridge overnoght at least. they dont taste very good at all warm outta the smoker

Goliath


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## one eyed jack (Dec 21, 2014)

GOLIATH said:


> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106282/best-smoked-oysters-ever-recipe     this is 1 way to do them,
> 
> here is another method for the smoking and canning ....
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link and detailed explanation of your method's.  I've got Frog mats so I've got that covered, and live near the marshes in coastal NC so Oysters are no problem either.  Not much Alder, round here, though.


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## disco (Dec 21, 2014)

I think you should consider adopting a fat old guy from the southeast corner of the province. They look terrific.







  for giving us another great smoking idea.

Disco


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## goliath (Dec 22, 2014)

> Disco
> 
> I think you should consider adopting a fat old guy from the southeast corner of the province. They look terrific.
> 
> ...


they turned out very nicely Disco...

the one version i posted was from Dave Omak .. we messaged a bit about how to do them.

as long as they are fresh ya cant hurt them. Also they have a 2 week shelf life from the day they are shucked. Fanny Bay Oysters actually packages them up and you can get them thru Canada Post in 2 to 3 days. depends how much ya want to add for freight. we bought 12 kilos... roughly 25 pounds. they are about $7 a pound... pretty unreal price actually for the shucked meats. you can order the size you want from small, to 3" and up. mine were the 3" and were perfect. and of course i breaded and fried some up when i got them.

they put them in a styro cooler. with ice and in a waxed cardboard box. 3 days here to terrace is $48 so it ads $2 a pound. thats nothing cause the quality is just awesome. so get some pals together and order a bunch !!!

Goliath


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Dec 22, 2014)

GOLIATH said:


> thanks to the folks on this site and some special help from Dave Omak i have taken on smoking and canning some fresh oysters. a buddy of a buddy.. (we all know how that works... he owns my ass for life now) brought me up 6 quarts of fresh shucked oyster meat. i brined some following a recipe on here and did the others following Daves directions. both were outstanding. the pressure canner is rattling away as i type this ..  LOL
> 
> couldnt wait to post the pics of what i have been doing the last couple days.
> 
> ...



Wow, them are awesome man !  I'd love to give that a go !  That's gonna be some tasty snackin !


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## mr t 59874 (Dec 26, 2014)

Nice looking oysters and a good job of canning. 

A friend brought a quart bag of frozen oysters last night and ask if I would smoke and can them for him.  I see you prefer using peanut oil to olive oil.  In the past I use olive oil with excellent results.  Just wondering if it might be the difference in olive oils.  Will give some of these a try with peanut oil for a comparison.

The following is how mine are done with a link to canning them. 

.   Mr. T's "Smoked Oysters" from Go to Show 

Thanks for your post.

Tom


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## daveomak (Dec 27, 2014)

Mr T 59874 said:


> Nice looking oysters and a good job of canning.
> 
> A friend brought a quart bag of frozen oysters last night and ask if I would smoke and can them for him.  I see you prefer using peanut oil to olive oil.  In the past I use olive oil with excellent results.  Just wondering if it might be the difference in olive oils.  Will give some of these a try with peanut oil for a comparison.
> 
> ...






Tom morning....  I just think peanut oil pairs better with seafood....    Most olive oils, to me, taste like garbage on American foods...  it's good on Italian breads and pasta...


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## mr t 59874 (Dec 27, 2014)

DaveOmak said:


> Tom morning.... I just think peanut oil pairs better with seafood.... Most olive oils, to me, taste like garbage on American foods... it's good on Italian breads and pasta...


Morning Dave,  I use good quality olive oil when cooking for the flavor it infuses in the food.  I'm sure quality makes a difference as some have only been used once.  While I also use peanut oil when cooking and deep frying, it has not been used when canning oysters.  I will give peanut oil a shot along with coconut oil.

Tom


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## goliath (Dec 27, 2014)

Dave the peanut oil worked fantastic, i actually only used 1 TSP per 1/2 pint, and a pinch of salt. probably a little more of both next batch. there was a lot of juice in the jars after the canning process BUT much of it went back into the oysters. its been hard to leave the damn things alone. 1/2 pint work out super as i know if i did pints i would still eat a whole jar at 1 sitting ...  LOL

thanks again for the help !!!

Goliath


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## crazymoon (Dec 27, 2014)

Those babies look incredible, nice smoke !


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