Recipe: One Pot Clambake (charcoal or gas grill)

One-Pot Clambake

"In an ideal world, clambakes include a beach and a sunset, but you don't need a stretch of coast or a fire pit in the sand to enjoy the quintessential summer feast of sausage, clams, potatoes, corn, and butter."



"The key to this cooking process is layering the ingredients so the heftier sausage and potatoes are on the bottom to diffuse the direct heat and avoid over-cooking the clams."

2 cups (180g) wood chips (preferably fruitwood or hickory)
1 pound (450g) andouille sausage, cut into 2-inch (5cm) lengths
2 pounds (900g) small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and unpeeled
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
4 fresh bay leaves
Two 12 ounce (355m!) beers or 3 cups (710ml) water
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
4 ears corn, shucked and cut into quarters
4 pounds (1.8kg) littleneck clams, scrubbed
Melted butter
Lemon halves

Soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes.

Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking and build a medium-high fire, or heat a gas grill to high. Carefully wipe the preheated grill grates with a lightly oiled paper towel. Using a grill brush, scrape the grill grates clean, then carefully wipe with a lightly oiled towel again.

Line a roasting pan (or a wide pot that fits inside the closed grill) with the sausage, potatoes, fennel, garlic, parsley, and bay leaves and just enough beer or water (or a combination of the two) to cover the ingredients. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil - don't make a tight seal, because you want the smoky flavor of the fire to be absorbed.

Drain the wood chips and scatter them over the coals. If using a gas grill, put them in a perforated aluminum foil packet or smoker box and place directly over the flames. Carefully place the pan on the grate over direct heat, close the lid, and allow the mixture to come to a lively simmer. (You can also put the pot right in the coals.) Continue to simmer, checking on the strength of the simmer and adjusting vents or rotating the pan as needed for even cooking, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the Old Bay over the potatoes, top with the corn and clams, cover the grill, and cook until the clams open wide and the corn is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the clambake onto newspaper-lined tables and serve with melted butter and lemon halves.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Food52 Any Night Grilling: 60 ways to fire up dinner (and more) by Paula Disbrowe