Introduction / Steaming question

[Freebie]

Freebie is my name here, feel free to call me B.

I am new here and am going to try to cook a bushel of # 1 males this weekend. It's my first time and I will take any advice.

We are planning to try steaming them in batches on a turkey fry setup. Any advice is appreciated.

Does anyone suggest steaming or boiling techniques that involve corn, sausage, potatoes, veggies, in addition to the pot just for steaming crabs? We have, in addition to the turkey fry setup, a nice full sized grill with a side burner.

Again, any advice will be appreciated, and feedback will be provided after Saturday's event.

-B

[Seanile]

First up, I'll be moving this topic to Crab recipes, as you'll get more responses there.

I also use a turkey fryer for steaming my crabs with great results. Cider vinegar & beer are my liquids of choice for steaming & I use a 50/50 mix of Old Bay & J.O. for seasoning. Be sure to have a full rolling boil before inserting the basket. I steam for 25 minutes.

I've steamed corn (in the husk) along with the crabs, but prefer to grill the sausage.

Hope this helps, I'm sure you'll get some other tips.

Good luck.

B~~~

[tattoo]

WELCOME

[Crabby chick]

I'm new to this as well. Steamed up 14 crabs this past weekend with a mixture of beer and water and some Old Bay. Brought the steaming liquid to a boil and placed the crabs in live. Sprinkled the crabs vigorously with more Old Bay. I steamed them for 25 min. Placed a dozen ears on top during the last 10 min of steaming. Sprinkled more Old Bay. The doneness (is that even a word?) of the crabs was perfect.  They could have been a little more spicey. The corn was delicious . I was only feeding two people. I just threw the whole dozen corn in because I wanted to cook it before it went bad. Ok a few things I will do different next time, which is this weekend coming up 1. I will add cider vinegar to the steaming liquid. I didn't have any on hand last weekend. 2. I will try to get a hold of some J.O. Seasoning. Maybe add a little Kosher salt 3. Adding in some shrimp because I have more people coming and some are shrimp lovers. 4.Debating on CBC to see if putting the spice directly on the meat helps. I prefer clean while eating but willing to experiment 5. Might throw some kielbasa on the grill. 6. I'm gonna add a whole lemon cut in half to the pot because there are some on here who swear by it. Maybe throw in a onion or two.

[arti0972]

Keep experimenting and eventually you will find what suits your taste and style. Everyone is different in techniques used to catch to cook to clean etc..... You will develop your own habits and become your own pro.

[arti0972]

I personally would put the shrimp in for the last minutes  along with a sliced sweet onion on top of them. I don't like my shrimp to be too chewy.

[discover]

Since you have a grill, in addition to doing some steamed crabs, another member Craigfos shared his grilled crab method with me and after cooking crabs this way I will continue to cook some of my crabs this way. Delicious. Give it a try.

To grill the crabs you first must clean them.  The best way to do this is to ice them down for about a half an hour.  This makes them very docile and easier to clean.  Just beware, some snap out of it real quick and take offense to you trying to remove their shell.  I use a large kitchen knife to pry the upper shell off.  Put the crab face down on a skid resistant surface and place the knife between the upper shell and the body.  Push the knife all the way in and then push the upper shell away from the body.  Clean out the guts.  I also remove the apron and the mouth.

I season the crabs by sprinkling on Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning ( You can also just use other Cajun, or Old Bay or whatever crab seasoning you use).  I place foil on a hot grill and place the crabs on the foil.  I then spoon on butter melted with minced garlic and cayenne pepper.  If you don't like spicy food, be careful with the cayenne.  Cook the crabs for about 20 minutes, until the claws are an orange color.  Some of the legs may become burnt, but this is normal.

If you don't eat all the crabs, you can reheat them on the grill.  I add a dab of butter and heat them for about 10 minutes.
I grill them over direct heat. I normally only light one or two of the six burners on my grill.

[Crabby chick]

Excellent. I've eaten crabs over the years and always loved them. Now I have my own set up. Thanks for the tips!

[Crabcruncher]

Freebie is my name here, feel free to call me B.

I am new here and am going to try to cook a bushel of # 1 males this weekend. It's my first time and I will take any advice.

We are planning to try steaming them in batches on a turkey fry setup. Any advice is appreciated.

Does anyone suggest steaming or boiling techniques that involve corn, sausage, potatoes, veggies, in addition to the pot just for steaming crabs? We have, in addition to the turkey fry setup, a nice full sized grill with a side burner.

Again, any advice will be appreciated, and feedback will be provided after Saturday's event.

-B

Next time do a seafood boil, it has everything you want cooked in the same Turkey fryer pot. So simplistic, and your guests will be asking for recipe.

[Seanile]

....Debating on CBC to see if putting the spice directly on the meat helps.....

Here's a video that illustrates the CBC process:

You won't regret it.