crab legs Archives - Life's A Tomato

Old Bay Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.

I can eat a scary amount of crab legs. Fortunately, I don’t have to tell you just how much a ‘scary amount’ is, but when the crab legs are as great as these Old Bay crab legs cooked on my Char-Broil Big Easy, I cannot control myself. From the moment they go into cooker the aroma hits you and your stomach will start growling. In just minutes you too can be enjoying nice big ole meaty crab legs covered in Old Bay seasoning. For dipping, I made a bit of clarified butter, which is also something I cannot control myself around. This was a bonus meal for sure!

Old Bay Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Great Snow Crab Legs Too!

You can make Old Bay snow crab legs too, if you wish, but you’ll probably want to cut back on the heating time. It doesn’t take long to re-heat the already-steamed thawed crab legs.

If you prefer to grill your crab legs, try my grilled Old Bay crab legs. Also try my garlic lobster tails and snow crab legs also cooked up perfectly on the Big Easy.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

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5 from 1 vote

Old Bay Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword Big Easy, Char-Broil, crab legs

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 45

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 1009kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds King crab legs pre-cooked, defrosted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Old Bay seasoning

For the clarified butter

½ pound unsalted butter

Instructions

Fire up your Big Easy.
Break the crab legs at the joints if necessary so that they fit into the Big Easy basket.
Take a pair of kitchen scissors and make a cut along the full length of the bottoms of the legs.
Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a small saucepan and add Old Bay to taste. Stir. Brush butter mixture over the legs. Don’t be afraid to separate the cuts you made a bit to get some of the butter inside.
Place legs into the Big Easy basket and lower into the cooker.
Heat for 6-8 minutes. Heat less if using snow crab or smaller legs, more for bigger legs. Remember the legs are already cooked, you’re just re-heating them.

For the clarified butter

Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted reduce the heat to the lowest setting possible and then increase to maintain a very slight boil. Heat for 45 minutes.
Scoop out the top clear portion of melted butter and run thru a fine sieve. Discard the solids that remain at the bottom of the pan.
Serve hot.

Notes

The clarified butter takes longer to make than do the crab legs, so you’ll want to start that first. You can also make the clarified butter ahead of time and just warm it for serving.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

Char-Broil The Big Easy 22-Piece Turkey Fryer Accessory Kit, Chrome

Char-Broil Big Easy Rib Hooks

Grilled Old Bay Crab Legs

I don’t make crab legs often, but when I do, I don’t mess around. These grilled Old Bay crab legs were definitely some of the best I’ve ever had. The flavor was just incredible. I hint of smoke from the grill, that great Old Bay flavoring, a little citrus from the lemon, and of course, butter. The liquid for basting the legs as they cook is also great as a dipping sauce. Packed with flavor, you could just drink it right out of the bowl.

Fast. And Delicious.

The grilled Old Bay crab legs are cooked over indirect heat, around 350 F. I used my Weber Performer charcoal grill. You don’t want to overcook them, so keep an eye on them. I rotated the pan after 10 minutes to make sure the legs got cooked evenly. And don’t forget to baste them. Not only will the legs taste better but the butter sauce will absorb more of that great crab flavor too.

9Pcs Seafood Tools Set Crab Lobster Crackers Stainless Steel Forks Opener Shellfish Lobster Crab Leg Sheller Nut Crackers

Also try my drunken steamed crab legs and my Old Bay peel’n eat shrimp!

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3 from 2 votes

Grilled Old Bay Crab Legs

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword crab legs, grilled, Old Bay

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 499kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Traeger Grills

Ingredients

3 pounds crab legs
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 lemon quartered

Instructions

Fire up your grill for indirect cooking at 350 F.
Place crab legs in a disposable aluminum pan. If the legs are too long you may have to cut them at the joints to make them fit.
Melt the butter.
Add the garlic.
Stir in the lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour mixture over the crab legs.
Sprinkle with the Old Bay and toss to coat.
Transfer to the grill and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the crab is done, basting occasionally.
Grill the lemon quarters while you are cooking the crab legs and then transfer to the pan with the crab.
Remove crab legs to a platter and transfer any remaining drippings to a bowl for dipping.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Weber 6493 21-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush

Weber Grill Brush Scrubber – Heavy Duty Grate Cleaner – With 3 Replaceable Pads

Snow Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Oh, how I dream back to the day that I cooked Alaskan King Crab legs on my Char-Broil Big Easy. Wow, that was great eatin’. I don’t ever need an excuse to chow down on some crab legs, so as I was wandering through the grocery store the other day and came upon a big ole package of Canadian wild-caught snow crab legs, I grabbed them.

No-Fuss Deliciousness

The beauty of cooking snow crab legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy besides the fact that they taste fantastic is that they cook (well, warm up… they are already cooked) in absolutely no time at all, with no fuss at all. In no time you are devouring crab meat. Oh, and grab a bib if you’re as messy as I am when you eat crab legs.

You can fit a few pounds of crab legs into the Big Easy. As long as you don’t cram them in the basket really tightly they’ll cook up just fine. I like to add a few lemon slices for squeezing over the cooked legs, and I make a little clarified butter for dipping.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

Also try my Big Easy Old Bay crab legs.

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

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5 from 1 vote

Snow Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword Big Easy, Char-Broil, crab legs

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Total Time 11

Servings

Calories 222kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

4 pounds Snow crab legs and claws, cooked (if frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge first)
Olive oil
2 Lemons 1 juiced, 1 halved
Clarified butter for serving, if desired

Instructions

Fire up your Big Easy.
Squeeze a little lemon juice into some olive oil and brush the legs and claws.
Place legs and claws in the Big Easy basket along with the remaining lemons (halved first).
Place basket in the Big Easy and cook for 6 minutes. Larger legs or more legs might take longer. I pulled a small leg out after 6 minutes for a quick test and found it to be perfect.
Serve hot with the roasted lemons and clarified butter for dipping.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

Char-Broil The Big Easy 22-Piece Turkey Fryer Accessory Kit, Chrome

Char-Broil Big Easy Rib Hooks

Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

I don’t have to have my arm twisted to make and eat crab legs. Ever. I love them. So whenever wild-caught Alaskan king crab is on sale, I grab some legs and claws. My wife’s not such a big fan of crab (well, she is a fan of the crab meat, it’s the sight of the crab appendages that doesn’t appeal to her), so I saved these crab legs made on the Char-Broil Big Easy for my own mid-week lunch.

Fast. And Crazy Good.

You can’t find something easier and more delicious than Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy. The legs from the grocery store were pre-cooked, but frozen, so I let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Cook time on the Big Easy was almost nothing. In no time I was enjoying fabulous roasted crab legs. You can use this same approach with snow crab legs, but expect a much quicker cooking time.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

If you buy just claws you can use the Big Easy bunk bed basket and really load up with a good amount of crab in a single cook.

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Crab Legs on the Char-Broil Big Easy

I don’t have to have my arm twisted to make and eat crab legs. Ever. I love them. So whenever wild-caught Alaskan king crab is on sale, I grab some legs and claws.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword Big Easy, Char-Broil, crab legs

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Total Time 11

Servings

Calories 174kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

3 pounds crab legs and claws, cooked (if frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge first). I used Alaskan King Crab. You can use snow crab too, but you might want to shorten the cooking time.
olive oil
2 lemons one juiced, one halved
clarified butter for serving

Instructions

Note: If your legs are too long to fit in the Big Easy basket, just take a sharp knife and split them.
Fire up your Big Easy.
Squeeze a little lemon juice into some olive oil and brush the legs and claws.
Place legs and claws in the Big Easy basket along with the remaining lemons (halved first).
Place basket in the Big Easy and cook for 6 minutes. Larger legs or more legs might take longer. I pulled a small leg out after 6 minutes for a quick test and found it to be perfect.
Serve hot with the roasted lemons and clarified butter for dipping.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Char-Broil The Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket

Char-Broil The Big Easy 22-Piece Turkey Fryer Accessory Kit, Chrome

Char-Broil Big Easy Rib Hooks

Drunken Steamed Crab Legs

My wife is squeamish about crab legs. When large snow crab legs went on sale here I had to sneak out and get a few pounds of them and hide them in the freezer. I waited to make them for lunch while she was at work. These drunken steamed crab legs take almost no time at all to make and came out absolutely delicious. I could’ve easily eaten more of them.

Your Patience Will Be Rewarded

I don’t find crab legs to be a lot of work to eat. You have to take your time. Crack (using a crab cracker of course!) them in the right place and have a little patience. You’ll be rewarded with one of the best flavors ever. I made drawn butter for dipping, which of course takes these drunken steamed crab legs to the next level, and I added a few grilled lemon slices.

9Pcs Seafood Tools Set Crab Lobster Crackers Stainless Steel Forks Opener Shellfish Lobster Crab Leg Sheller Nut Crackers

Also try my grilled Old Bay crab legs.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Drunken Steamed Crab Legs

These drunken steamed crab legs take almost no time at all to make and came out absolutely delicious. I could’ve easily eaten more of them.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword crab, legs, steamed

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 1071kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

For the crab legs

3 bottles beer I used Michelob Ultra
6 lemons cut in 1/2
1 head garlic split in 1/2
3 pounds crab legs split (thawed if frozen)

For the drawn butter

½ pound unsalted butter

Instructions

For the crab legs

Place a large stockpot with a steamer insert onto your stovetop.
Add the beer, 6 lemon halves and the garlic and bring to a boil.
Add the legs to the steamer and cover and steam for 5 minutes or until the crab legs are done.
Serve with drawn butter and remaining lemon halves.

For the drawn butter

Place the butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and let the butter settle. Do no stir.
Skim off the milk solids from the top.
Remove drawn butter (taking care to not also get the watery liquid that settles below it) to small ramekins or bowls for serving.