Smoked Oysters

These are so much better than the smoked oysters in cans. They are super snacks with beer or white wine. Serve them on crostini (page 350), crackers, or toast with cream cheese, or in chowder. They beg for pasta. We have even wrapped them in puffed pastry.

Makes 1 dozen smoked oysters

Takes about 40 minutes

• 1 dozen fresh oysters, cleaned and purged (see page 336)

1. Prep. Open the oysters with an oyster knife (see page 337). Discard the shells. Save and freeze the liquor for use in chowder or a pasta dish.

2. Fire up. Set up the grill in a two-zone configuration and get the indirect zone up to about 225°F, or get the smoker started and pegged at 225°F. The meat can easily slip through the grates, so set a grill topper over the indirect zone if you are on a grill. If you don’t have one, use a sheet of foil on top of the grates and poke a lot of holes in it.

3. Cook. Get a lot of smoke rolling. On a grill you might even place a pan of sawdust over the direct heat. Close the lid and smoke the oysters with indirect heat for about 20 minutes, or until the oysters have a mahogany tint and have firmed up a bit.

4. Serve. Remove from the fire and serve warm or at room temperature, use as an ingredient, or chill until you are ready to eat.