If you are within 500 miles of Augusta, Georgia, do not make these Old Bay peel ‘N eat shrimp. Instead, get in your car and drive to Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar and order a batch of their spicy boiled shrimp. If you’re like me and a drive to Rhinehart’s is a bit out of the question, make these shrimp. They’re mighty close to tasting like the ones at Rhinehart’s, but for the real deal, you need to make the journey.
Perfect For My Shrimp Addiction
I could eat these Old Bay Peel ‘N Eat Shrimp all day long. Hot or cold, it doesn’t matter to me. With cocktail sauce. With clarified butter. Or by themselves. I don’t care, just get me a basket of shrimp.
I recommend that you not be shy with the Old Bay when you sprinkle the cooked shrimp just before serving. If you’re a big fan of Old Bay like I am you’ll want as much of that great flavor on your shrimp as you can get. I go nuts with it. There’s no such thing as too much of it for me.
I could eat these Old Bay Peel ‘N Eat Shrimp all day long. Hot or cold, it doesn’t matter to me. With cocktail sauce. With clarified butter. Or by themselves. I don’t care, just get me a basket of shrimp.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!
My wife and I recently spent a few days in lovely Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while attending a conference. I made sure I had my ‘to-eat’ list down before leaving, because one thing you can be sure of finding in Pittsburgh: good food. At the top of my list was dry chicken wings. No, not dry like ‘ewww, this meat is dry’. Dry as in the wings aren’t tossed in sauce after being cooked. Instead they are dusted with seasoning. The end result is almost like roasted chicken, but with much more pronounced flavors. Now that we are back home, I had to make some of the favorites that I devoured in Pittsburgh, like these Old Bay wings, which are just flat-out incredible.
It’s really hard to beat crispy chicken wings that have the great crab-boil flavor of Old Bay seasoning. I ate these wings like I hadn’t had anything to eat in weeks. They disappeared so fast your head would spin. They are fantastic.
I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these Old Bay wings, but seriously, you can eat them dry, as-is, with no sauce. There’s no need to drown them in sauce, the flavor stands on its own.
It’s really hard to beat crispy chicken wings that have the great crab-boil flavor of Old Bay seasoning. I ate these wings like I hadn’t had anything to eat in weeks. They disappeared so fast your head would spin. They are fantastic.
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.
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.
If you’re looking for a fantastic salad to take to your next pitch-in, this crab pasta salad is it. I never before thought about combining them, but coleslaw and pasta really go together really well. You have the creaminess of the pasta contrasted by the crunch and bite of the slaw. Add in crab, and you have something fantastic. And of course, the Old Bay seasoning really kicks it up with a nice spicy flavor.
A Combination That Actually Works
I was very pleasantly surprised with this crab pasta salad. I didn’t really expect the slaw to work so well in this dish. It really got me to thinking about adding slaw in with any cold pasta salad.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
If you’re looking for a fantastic salad to take to your next pitch-in, this crab pasta salad is it. I never before thought about combining them, but cole slaw and pasta really go together really well.
I’m a huge fan of crab boil seasoning, and in particular, Old Bay. I use it in a lot things, not just crab boils. As a steak rub. Or on popcorn! Crab boil popcorn is a great snack. It combines fresh popped popcorn, crunchy oyster crackers, and of course, Old Bay seasoning. The result is perfectly-seasoned and perfectly yummy and I ate a whole lot of it!
It’s Different. And Good.
If you don’t have oyster crackers, you can substitute goldfish crackers and keep the ‘nautical’ theme still going with this Crab Boil popcorn.
I pop my popcorn in a West Bend Stir Crazy Electric Popcorn Popper. It’s the easiest thing in the world for making a big batch of popcorn but it’s a classic and hard to find. There’s a newer model available on Amazon.
Crab boil popcorn is a great snack. It combines fresh popped popcorn, crunchy oyster crackers, and of course, Old Bay seasoning. The result is perfectly-seasoned and perfectly yummy and I ate a whole lot of it!
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 could not be more delighted with this Ragin’ Cajun Beer can chicken that I made on the Char-Broil Big Easy. I’ve made tons (literally) of chicken on my Big Easy, the best poultry cooker around. But for some reason I’ve neglected to try beer can chicken on it. Well, let me tell you, this is flat-out great. Crazy moist. Even moister than the Big Easy usually does, which is pretty darned moist. And flavor? Incredible. Just incredible. And crunchy skin. A big bonus!
The holder
I picked up a Char-Broil folding chicken roaster to help make this Ragin’ Cajun beer can chicken and am I ever glad I did. It made making beer can chicken an absolute breeze. You simply insert a standard 12 ounce beer can (along with any flavorings you want) into the center of the holder then fold up the ‘arms’. The can is locked into place, which is a great thing if you’ve ever made beer can chicken before. The cans can be flimsy and crush or spill. This holder solves that problem and then some. The chicken then slides down over the holder and beer can. Easy. Very easy.
I used a turkey basket (which has a door for easy access), but the basket that comes with your Big Easy works just fine too. You can see the can sticking out of the bottom of the chicken in the picture above.
Rinse the chicken in cold water. Transfer to a resealable bag or container.
Whisk together 1 can of beer and the liquid smoke. Add to the container of chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to marinade the chicken.
Fire up your Big Easy.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
Rub the chicken down with a bit of oil, getting in every nook and cranny.
Combine the Old Bay and Cajun seasonings.
Rub half of the seasonings all over the outside and inside of the chicken.
Open the remaining beer and take a few good swigs. Then add the remaining rub to the beer can. Put your finger over the opening and shake a bit to combine.
Place the beer can in the holder, if using. Latch it in.
Carefully slide the chicken over the beer can.
Transfer the chicken to a Char-Broil Big Easy basket and lower into the cooker.
Cook until the chicken is done, reading 175 F in multiple places using an instant-read thermometer.
Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
You’ll want to use a Char-Broil folding roasterto make this even easier. Place inside a Big Easy basket (NOT directly on the bottom of the cooker!) and get to cooking!
Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!
A few weeks ago I made a beer-can chicken recipe that used a 50/50 combination of Cajun seasoning and Old Bay seasoning. I instantly fell in love with the combination. A little heat, a little sweet, cloves, allspice, paprika… just about all you could imagine. I knew right then and there that I wanted to use the same mix on chicken wings. And so my Cajun Bay chicken wings were born. And oh how good they were. I served them dry, not sauced. Just that great combination of Cajun and Old Bay seasonings, with a little Ranch dressing on the side for dipping. The flavor combination was fantastic, and one you will see here again soon.
Once the wings are cooked, you can dust them with more of the Cajun and Old Bay mix if you want even more pronounced flavors. I skipped it since my wife isn’t quite the fan of Old Bay as I am. She doesn’t like cloves or allspice so much. That’s one nice thing about this mix. You still get those flavors, but they are toned down a bit because of the addition of the Cajun seasoning.
If you want to add more seasoning to the wings after they are cooked make another batch using 1/2 tablespoon each of the Cajun and Old Bay seasonings. Sprinkle the cooked wings with the mix just before serving.
