How to Smoke Razor Clams

Apple trees yield the ideal wood for smoking razor clams.

Smoking razor clams produces a mild smokiness that pairs well with their subtle sweetness, particularly if you use a fruitwood, such as apple. Unlike smoking large cuts of meat, razor clams do best when smoked at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, considerably less than the usual 250 to 325 degree range used for pork and beef. Smoking the clams in the shell prevents them from falling between grill grates, and preserves the desirable shellfish liquor often lost during shucking.

Things You'll Need

• Food-storage container, 1-gallon
• 24 razor clams
• Cold water
• 1 cup fruitwood chips, apple
• 20 charcoal briquettes

Instructions

1. Fill a 1-gallon food-storage container with 24 razor clams and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Purge the clams for 24 hours, refreshing the water every six hours, to remove sediment and other debris from the shells.

2. Soak 1 cup of wood chips in water for one hour. Fill the charcoal tray of the grill with 20 charcoal briquettes and light them.

3. Drain the wood chips and place them on the charcoal. Close the lid and allow the temperature to reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Arrange the clams on the grill in an even layer and cover.

5. Smoke the clams for 15 minutes. Remove and discard any whose shell didn't open.

Tips & Warnings

• Tap the shells of clams prior to cooking to make sure they're alive. A live clam will close its shell as a protective measure when tapped.

• Discard clams with shells that didn't open during cooking. A closed shell indicates the clam was dead when it began cooking, and there isn't a method to tell how long.

• Inspect the clam meat for firmness; fully cooked clams have a firm texture.

References

• "The Professional Chef 8th Edition"; The Culinary Institute of America; 2006

Resources

• Reluctant Gourmet: All About Clams
• Colorado State University: Food Safety During Pregnancy