Crab?

[stillsmoking]

Hello all, planning on doing some crab and scallops in a few hours.  Have a good idea what we want to do with the scallops but have not tried or read about the crab before.  We have a nice fresh Dungeness crab, all cleaned and good to cook.  My thought is to brine it like the scallops and then just smoke at 200 or so until done.  Any thoughts on time, temp, type of smoke or anything?  The brine we are using is a brine we found in the forum for smoked shrimp.  Water, salt, Brown sugar and pepper, simple but worked real well on shrimp.

[Smoking Duck]

Can't help with the crab but I'd sure like to hear how it turns out.  Good luck!

SD

[Buck36]

We eat Dungeness Crab quite a bit but have never smoked it. Your method sounds great and I am eager to hear how it works out for you!

We haven't had much luck with a brine since ours are already cooked. They tend to get water logged and then get mushy when we steam them. Using fresh and in the smoker may be perfect combination to solve those problems. Nice little steam bath. Excited to hear the results.

[FLBentRider]

F R E S H Dungeness ?

what is the address ??

Never had it not frozen - tough to get this far away. I'm not sure if it would make it to my smoker, a steamer with some old bay is how I would do it...

Let us know how it turns out with Pics!

[stillsmoking]

I'll let you know what happens, I have mixed up a brine using:
3 quarts water
1/2 C salt
1/4 cup garlic salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tblsp black pepper
1 1/2 Tblsp lemon pepper without salt

Will put the crab in there for half an hour or so and then into the smoker at around 200 until it looks done.  Haven't tried this before but something about the sound and thought of smoked crab has my juices flowing.

[westexasmoker]

SS this sounds great, the wife loves crab, well mainly crab legs.  I want to hear a full report!!  I've done the scallops and shrimp...yummy good stuff!

C

[stillsmoking]

FRESH is the word, it was wiggling a few hours back.  For the adress head north, come on up the inside passage and stop in Southeast Alaska.  I am pretty sure we can fix you up with some fine fresh crab no matter where you stop.  I'll scoop up a few extra for tomorrow and leave the light on, who ever shows up will be welcome!

We have tried cooking crab and freezing it for later use, maybe we are just spoiled but I pretty much have to have the fresh stuff.  What we froze was mushy and waterlogged as you mention, good in egg fu yung or egg rolls but that was bout it.

Will let you all know how the experiment goes.

[Buck36]

First Kummok is pulling in halibut weighing more than a small pond fishing boat.

Then SS is pulling in fresh dungeness crab.



....I am ready to move.

[stillsmoking]

Buck36, not to hurt your feeling but fresh sockeye and king salmon was on the menu yesterday, shrimp tomorrow!

[westexasmoker]

Man I'm with Buck...its time to move, I wouldn't know what a body of water is if I saw it!
But then again we get brisket for 87 cents a pound can't complain about that....and ya know seafood is very good with mesquite!  ;D

C

[Buck36]

SS,

Information like that could make Smoking Duck not giggle anymore.

[stillsmoking]

All good fun.  Lots of trade offs involved with living on a small island in a large state.  We like it though and yes, fresh seafood is not a problem.  Saw Kummocks pictures too.  Nice, we try to put some halibut in the freezer every year, along with the salmon that is.  Looking at the water as I write this, buoys on the crab pots in view, eagle squawking and would not be unheard of to see of of our hormone driven scaled friends jump out to take a look at what I am doing to his brother.  Getting ready to fire that smoker up, nice finish to a good day!

[FLBentRider]

It's about 3300 miles as the crow flies. I ain't never seen a crow fly that far.

to drive... ~5162 miles ~ 3days 19 hours 40 minutes, 59 seconds - without a stop.... 245 gallons of diesel fuel...$1177. thats one way....

UGH!


F R E S H Dungeness.... Hmmm.....

[West Coast Kansan]

I have not tried crab but would be afraid a small dab of smoke would do it... may be too strong  ??? let us know - may be a new treat I was just to scare to try.   :D

[stillsmoking]

FLBentRider, Nice message, Math Major?  Don't know what to say, we make the trip south to see family and friends from time to time, it's a long way, it's expensive, it's time consuming on the other hand I can't remember ever sending anybody home unhappy or fishless.....

To play devil's advocate though, in the words of a friend;

"I used to tell everybody about my trips to Alaska, how much fun we had, how many fish we caught, how many animals we saw close up and unafraid, how unspoiled and beautiful we found it.  Then I started to think about that, I don't tell anybody anymore."

It's worth the trip.