Cookin’ Clams

Name: Cookin’ Clams
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 to 5 dozen fresh clams, in their shells, cleaned in several changes of cold water; 4 to 5 dozen fresh clams, in their shells, cleaned in several changes of cold water; 4 to 5 dozen fresh clams, in their shells, cleaned in several changes of cold water; Melted garlic butter, Smoked Butter, or Old-Fashioned High-Cholesterol Great-Tasting Southern Sauce (optional); Melted garlic butter, Smoked Butter, or Old-Fashioned High-Cholesterol Great-Tasting Southern Sauce (optional)

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Smoke & Spice

By Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

Published 2014

About

Contrary to some claims, the New England clambake was not the first form of barbecue in the country. A traditional clambake uses a wood fire in a pit for cooking, like barbecue, but the clams are steamed with moisture from seaweed rather than smoked. If you would really rather have barbecue, just leave out the wet seaweed.

Ingredients

4 to 5 dozen fresh clams, in their shells, cleaned in several changes of cold water
Melted garlic butter, Smoked Butter, or Old-Fashioned High-C

Method

Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 180°F to 200°F.
Discard any clams that aren’t tightly closed. Arrange the clams in a single layer on a small grill rack or baking sheet. Depending on the size of your smoker and cooking implements, this may require cooking in more than one batch. Place the clams as far from the fire as possible. Coo