Oyster Roast

[gran398]

NOTHING beats a good old-time oyster roast. Cold beer, cornbread, slaw, and chile (for those not oyster-friendly). And lotsa laughs, lies and fish stories.

When I was a kid, dad had a brick mason make an oyster roast, oak-fired. It was brick with a fire brick liner, open front for feeding wood, large chimney on rear to funnel the smoke up and outta your eyes. Steel bars across the top, for the big sheet metal plate to lay on.

Can also do the same thing quick and cheap with cinder block.

Get the fire good and hot, put on a bushel of CLEAN oysters, cover tightly with wet burlap bags. Rake them off into a big tray, have at them.

Nowadays everybody uses a propane fish-cooker with one of those big double-style steamers.They work fine, but something about that oak wood and burlap.

Here's a trick an old sounder showed me. Sometimes they would close the season around here after heavy rain would jump up the bacteria levels. All we could get were those Texas and Louisiana oysters. Great big, but kinda bland, and definitely not salty.

So buy a bushel of those, still in the burlap bag, UNWASHED(they are still alive). Take them to the saltwater sound around your house there, tie the end of the bag tight, and dump them in off the end of a pier. Do this under cover of darkness, avoiding perpetrators and nar-do-wells. Let them sit about 3 or 4 days(if you can stand it) and Voila!! A Local Super Oyster...

[John Jones]

Alright, now you owe me.  I have had oysters many ways but not like that.  I just finished an excellent dinner 30 minutes ago and you have my mouth watering all over again.

 

[John Jones]

If you can find some Apalachicola (FL) oysters, they are pretty darn good.

[GoneFission]

NOTHING beats a good old-time oyster roast. Cold beer, cornbread, slaw, and chile (for those not oyster-friendly). And lotsa laughs, lies and fish stories.

Amen, brother.  We do a couple every fall - yep, cinder blocks, a big steel plate, burlap bags, and a shovel - you gotta love food you serve with a shovel.     Don't forget you can throw some shrimp on there and steam them as well.  



Like the idea about "localizing" oysters.     Great idea - too bad it won't work in fresh water...

See ya on the water!

[gran398]

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!!

How 'bout I bring a bushel of JJ's Apalachicola's back up with me, and swing by your place on the way home?

It's 10 in the morning, I could devour a load of those bad boys RIGHT NOW.

[Capt. Bob]

They're hurtin' in Apalach right now.

Just too much rain  :cry:

[John Jones]

Yeah, after I posted that I did a little research.  Sad but they will be back, someday :(
Weather experts say we could be caught up in this pattern for years.