Smokey New England Clam Chowder

[Charley Langer]

I might be a little ambitious on the prep time. I like to putter!! I try to think, "Ok, if I was completely organized and had impeccable technique, how long would it take?" 😂 Add a half hour for normal bbq husbands. Still, it’s a pretty quick recipe... compared to something like chili...

[Charley Langer]

Thanks for the pic and validation. I just made it again last weekend. It is a family fave!!

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So I've tried my hand at a few smoked soups now and haven't run into anything yet that can't take at least some smoke except maybe raw carrots. Potato and Leek was the most recent, you could smell the smoke but not really taste it because so many other things were going on. I started a French onion tonight I'll post later this weekend. Did the bones for the beef stock, the cheeses, and garlic so they can rest and mellow the smoke a bit. Will do the onions tomorrow or sat when I make the soup.

[VideoWolf88]

Looks sooo good!

[Alabama Smoke]

Made me hungry! Man if you can prep that recipe in the 15 minutes you indicate, you must be the Flash! On the other hand, I sense that you have done this many times and really have it down. I would not walk a mile for a camel but I'd fly a thousand miles to eat that, when can I come, lol?

[w12x40]

I tried this one compared to my usual and it was damn good. I got lazy - I didn't fire up the Primo for slow and low for just 50 littlenecks when I didn't have the time to put on a shoulder or ribs.

Instead, I steamed the clams until they just opened and then shucked them.

Thanks for sharing this one!

[Charley Langer]

I totally get that! 😂 But, I use a pellet smoker, so it only added about a half hour because I was busy doing prep during startup and smoking. I’m a slow chopper and measurer! Honestly, the reason I use the smoker sometimes is just to satisfy my desire to smell the smoke... sometimes the food on it is almost an afterthought!

[Charley Langer]

I’m honored!

[Charley Langer]

You’re welcome. The onions seemed safe to smoke. I decided against the potatoes and celery because my gut told me not to. Part of the texture of chowder is from the potatoes cooking in the soup, and I thought it might mess that up.

BTW, I use a pellet smoker. I was reasonably confident I wouldn’t over-smoke stuff. I was kind of proud of myself for thinking to smoke the shells. It did add to the flavor without overdoing it.

[Charley Langer]

Sounds fantastic. Love Smokey cream and seafood.

is this your recipe? Are the clamshells are for plating purposes? Why do you chop the onion after the smoke?

Man, I’m getting hungry.

Thank you for the post.

The basic recipe is not very original.

I cut the onions in slices so they wouldn’t fall through the grates and there was a decent amount of surface area exposed to the smoke.

As for the clamshells, it was a lot of shucking for only a small bowl of clams. There was still some meat on the shells and I wanted every bit of clam flavor in that pot! And the smoke on the shells adds to the smokey flavor. And they look nice in the bowl.

[tbob4]

Every time someone suggests liquid smoke I laugh, not at the suggestion but at my ineptitude. I'm the guy who tries a little, it doesn't work and then I add more and make the smokiest mess out of a meal.

[ofelles]

CaptainMike Why wait for the snow?

[mountainsmoker]

To save time I will use liquid smoke. Just a little adds a great flavor to the chowder.

[Skip]

Be sure to let know the date you plan to make it. I'll bring the crackers and a loaf of bread.

[Troutman]

I absolutely love this recipe, thanks so much for posting. Going on the list of things to cook immediately.