Smoking clams

[Enticer11]

Hello everyone,
I have a box of clam mantle that a friend gave me. It came off a factory freezer trawler so it is al package and pre cooked.
I am fairly new at smoking however I love anything smoked!
My question is; what's the best approach? I was going to smoke them for a few hours on low heat and maybe in a bath of olive oil. I also want to bottle the clams afterwards. Is it safe to put them in bottles of olive oil and boil them to seal the Madison jars? Please help. Thank you.
Robert

[devo]

This is right off the bradley site  :o :o :o wow I am surprised I found a recipe there for smoked clams  ;D ;D   Can't help you out on the jarring of them after.
http://www.north-america.bradleysmoker.com/recipe/smoked-clams/

[Salmonsmoker]

Hello everyone,
I have a box of clam mantle that a friend gave me. It came off a factory freezer trawler so it is al package and pre cooked.
I am fairly new at smoking however I love anything smoked!
My question is; what's the best approach? I was going to smoke them for a few hours on low heat and maybe in a bath of olive oil. I also want to bottle the clams afterwards. Is it safe to put them in bottles of olive oil and boil them to seal the Madison jars? Please help. Thank you.
Robert

Enticer,
You can't preserve clams by using the hot water bath method. The temperature isn't high enough to kill food borne toxins. They have to be canned in a pressure cooker for a specified time and pressure.

[Habanero Smoker]

Since they are already cooked, I would be careful not to cook them any further, or the texture will be quite rubbery. I would follow the reheating instructions and see if you can modify those instructions for use in the Bradley.

You may want to package them in a way that dsmiley does when he smokes mussels. I have used this recipe, and the freezing doesn't change the texture of the meat. The only thing I would change with his storage method, is to use plastic containers with screw on lids. It is less likely that the top will come off when you are moving things around in the freezer.

If you can't cook the calms any further, then you may want to try making smoke infused oil, using a neutral oil such as canola. Pour the amount of oil you plan to use in a low sided pan. Use as large of a pan you can fit into the smoker. You want to create a large oil surface that will have direct contact with the smoke. Apply 2 - 4 hours of you favorite smoke, at a cabinet temperature of around 100°F, stirring the oil every 30 minutes or so. Pour the oil into a container and let it sit at room temperature for a few days. If after a few days the smoke flavor is too strong jus add more oil. Use can also use olive oil, peanut oil, or oil that have been infused with other flavors such as chili peppers. After you pack the clams in the oil, those flavors will permeate into the clams.

[Enticer11]

Thanks a lot for the advise. I am going to try to smoke them Wednesday.
Habanero, It make sense what you're saying. I'll give it a try and revert! Thanks again,
RB

[Salmonsmoker]

Sorry Enticer, I missed the part where they were precooked. Habs is right, you don't want to cook them any more or they'll get rubbery. However, if you ever get fresh clams and do want to can them, the canning process doen't make them rubbery.

[Enticer11]

I will not be canning them but instead bottling them in sealed glass mason jars. That should work hey?
I had intended to smoke them as well as the oil and the put them in the bottles and boil the bottles just to seal the lids. This should take approximately 30 mins to seal the jars.
As I said, I really don't have any idea what I'm doing...I'm just going to experiment. Thanks again.
Robert

[Habanero Smoker]

I will not be canning them but instead bottling them in sealed glass mason jars. That should work hey?
I had intended to smoke them as well as the oil and the put them in the bottles and boil the bottles just to seal the lids. This should take approximately 30 mins to seal the jars.
As I said, I really don't have any idea what I'm doing...I'm just going to experiment. Thanks again.
Robert

I would refer back to what Salmonsmoker stated. A hot water bath is not safe for long term storage. You would need to can them using a pressure cooker, and using the proper canning times.

[Salmonsmoker]

I will not be canning them but instead bottling them in sealed glass mason jars. That should work hey?
I had intended to smoke them as well as the oil and the put them in the bottles and boil the bottles just to seal the lids. This should take approximately 30 mins to seal the jars.
As I said, I really don't have any idea what I'm doing...I'm just going to experiment. Thanks again.
Robert

I would refer back to what Salmonsmoker stated. A hot water bath is not safe for long term storage. You would need to can them using a pressure cooker, and using the proper canning times.

Once the clams have been exposed to the air while you smoke and process them they're no longer "safe" for long term storage as Habs stated. They would need to be processed again. For your future reference re: canning, the only foods that can be processed with a hot water bath are those with high enough acid content.  Search info on canning and you'll find a list on foods that can be processed with a hot water bath and those that need to be canned under pressure.