Mussels - How do I cook thee?

[David Parrish]

I've got a 5 pound bag of fresh farmed Canadian mussels. I want to cook them using the Slow 'N Sear. What do you guys recommend?

[ecowper]

What I do with clams and mussels is set up the Hasty-Bake for low and slow, get my cook side up to 225-250. Then I add just a little bit of smoke, not a ton, because I don't want the smoke overwhelming the shellfish. Throw it all on there and cook until the shells pop open. Any shell that doesn't pop open, I toss. I really don't do anything fancy. Serve with a nice white wine, preferably a white burgundy or a good Sauvignon Blanc .... crisp and acidic. Or, even better, a decent bottle of sparkling wine. And melted butter. Absolutely melted butter.

[EdF]

Sounds really good (I've got a bunch of oysters in the freezer). How long do you find it taking?

[ecowper]

Ed, for mussels or clams not long at all ..... less than 20 minutes. I normally smoke oysters on the half-shell, but you could do them in the full shell. On the half-shell, I add a touch of butter and hot sauce :-)

[ecowper]

Also, you can do it like folks below do ... in a broth of some sort. I don't find I need to do that, at least not with clams

[ecowper]

Oh, don't forget to pre-rinse those guys for a few hours. Unless you like 'em sandy. :-)

[MBMorgan]

I'd saute some diced bacon and onion in a cast iron skillet over the SnS until both are barely done. Move the skillet to the indirect side and toss in the mussels. Add enough dry sherry to come about 1/2 way up the mussels and let them braise uncovered ... stirring occasionally ... until they're open. Stir in a bit of butter, sprinkle on some fresh parsley, then serve immediately with your favorite wine.

Obviously, you won't be doing a 5 lb. bag in one skillet ... but you might if you have room for two cast iron skillets in that big 26" Weber of yours. Come to think of it, a decent size dutch oven would work well, too.

[W.A.]

White Wine and butter, maybe parsley and garlic, salt pepper

[Henrik]

I'm assuming you've cooked mussels in the kitchen before and are familiar with cleaning them, sorting out the bad ones etc. if so, you should cook them on direct heat, hot n fast. They shouldn't take more than 3-4 minutes. They're done when they open up.

Move them over to a bowl where you have mixed some olive oil, chopped parsley and garlic. Stir well, then serve directly with some bread and a good white wine. The oil+spice mix can easily be swapped out for a good chimichurri also.

Let me know if you want more details on anything. I like the previous suggestions in this thread for flavoring.

If if not on the grill I usually braise them in either beer + bacon or white wine and cooking cream.

[Histrix]

Oh, don't forget to pre-rinse those guys for a few hours. Unless you like 'em sandy. :-)

Farm raised mussels normally don't require any cleaning/purging as they are raised either in nets or vertically on ropes and are not down in the sand like wild mussels. Farm raised mussels are also normally held in tanks of clean water for many hours prior to shipping so they can flush out any grit they may have inside.

[ecowper]

That's probably true. I get most of my mussels, clams and oysters out on Hood Canal rather than the store, though.

[HawkerXP]

As long as wine, butter and garlic are involved your good.

[David Parrish]

OK Sounds like as long as I cook em until the shells open the method can vary. In think I'll go with hot and fast with water in the reservoir at a high boil. Basically I'll steam them on the indirect side.

[David Parrish]

And water, butter, and garlic will be involved

[Steve B]

There's a bbq place around the corner from me that features clams. As an add on you can get them with a garlic, white wine, cream sauce with, and this makes the dish, chunks of smoked pork belly. OH man should I say more.

[Steve B]

Got side tracked when someone mentioned clams. With mussels you could do the same but I would leave out the cream part.

[ecowper]

haha, sorry I mentioned clams .... but damn, I much prefer clams personally

[EdF]

As they say, tastes vary. This is the best way I've made mussels, and it uses cream: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/c...ls-recipe.html

[David Parrish]

It's too late for pork belly but YES you should say more!

Thanks for all the input folks! Pics will happen.

[Mr. Bones]

Good Luck, Pit Boss!

Looking forward to the pics!

[ecowper]

any way you do them will be awesome. The trick to getting them done is the shell popping open. Any shells that don't open get tossed, it's a bad one.

[troymeister]

Here is my recipe.




INGREDIENTS

• • 1 lb fresh mussels
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 cup minced red onion
  • 5 minced garlic cloves
  • 1/2 pinch saffron
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup diced tomatos
  • 1 cup decent white wine
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 8 to 10 oz of light chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup half and half (room temperature)
  • 1 tbsp +/- flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
  • kosher salt to taste
  • pepper to taste.

---

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Scrub, debeard and rinse mussels discarding any mussels with shells that won't close when you squeeze them. If they don'e close it means they are dead and no good.
  2. In a medium sized pot over, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
  3. Add red onions and 1/2 tsp of salt, sweat down until onions are almost soft. (3 to five minutes)
  4. Add garlic and sweat down until onions are translucent and garlic is soft. Be carful not to burn garlic. (another 3 minutes or so.)
  5. Add Italian seasoning, saffron and continue sautéing for another minute or so.
  6. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Sauté until soft. (2 minutes or so)
  7. Add white wine, increase heat to medium high to a high simmer and reduce by half. Be careful not to over boil.
  8. Add chicken stock keeping a high simmer and reduce by a 1/4. Still being careful not to over boil.
  9. Reduce heat to low simmer.
  10. Add half and half and continue to simmer. Add flour to thicken if necessary.
  11. Add mussels and mix them in the sauce. Cover for 3 to 4 minutes.
  12. When shells open, taste one of the larger mussels to make sure they are done. It should be firm and tender and not rubbery.
  13. Garnish with the flat leaf parsley.
  14. Serve with nice garlic bread for dipping,

---

[Steve B]

Awesome troymeister I'm gonna print that recipe for a future try.
David Parrish can't wait to see what you come up with. Good luck.

[troymeister]

Steve B I hope you enjoy! I developed that recipe trying to duplicate a dish from one of our favorite restaurants in the Chicago area.

When you make them let me know how it works out for you.

[Steve B]

Will do.

[David Parrish]

So far things aren't going to plan. Took too long to get them on the grill and my heat is at 247 F. Was wanting over 300 F.

[troymeister]

David Parrish I am very interested.

[Mr. Bones]

Hang in there. Pit Boss!
You got the skills, 'n' the grills, to make this happen!
Maybe tent with foil, if fire is flagging, to concentrate the remaining heat?
Just my thoughts...

[David Parrish]

I ended up adding fully lit charcoal to get the heat back up to 275 F. I'm transferring pics right now. Coming soon!