Smoked Blue Crab Recipe
I had some blue crab shipped all the way to Memphis – because they make an excellent side for any BBQ. Eating crabs is a social thing, so there is no better time to get some than when you are having a backyard BBQ – these Smoked Blue Crab give a whole, new meaning to surf and turf! There are actually several companies out there shipping crab all across the world. They catch these blue crabs, boil them – and ship them overnight in a cooler. I used Boilerplate Crab & Co. out of Virginia and I couldn’t be more impressed with the blue crabs they sent my way. When these blue crab showed up, they were fully cooked but ice cold. Of course there were directions on how to bring them back in a large steam pot – but I threw those away because I wanted to steam these blue crabs on the smoker.
By using my smoker I was able to warm the blue crabs fully, get some extra seasonings and butter on them – and even add an extra layer of smoke flavor.
Smoked Blue Crab Recipe:
First I started with about 2 dozen seasoned and steamed Blue Crabs from Boilerplate Crab & Co.
There is not much prep you need to do, just get your grill setup for indirect smoking – and get a little wood rolling. For this cook I used pecan, but you can use any wood you like.
I also placed a food service pan (I used a full size pan but you could easily use a half size as well depending on smoker size) filled ½ full with water in the smoker. I let it warm up while the smoker came up to temp. The goal here is to let the water pan add moisture to the smoker and work to steam these blue crabs.
Once the smoker was up to temp at around 250 – 275, I put the smoked blue crabs directly on the grate, closed the lid and let the smoker do it’s job.
I mixed up a “mopping butter” for these smoked blue crabs that consisted of 1 stick of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub. At the 15 minute mark, I opened the smoker and basted the top of each crab.
I let the crabs continue to smoke for another 10 – 15 minutes – and then I took them off. No need to rest these smoked blue crabs – as soon as they come off the pit they are ready to eat. Just dive right on it!
I like to have a few accompaniments for these smoked blue crab… drawn butter of course… but I also like to have my version of a seafood vinegar sauce (recipe below) and BBQ Rub for dipping.
A cold drink and a couple friends to help you eat and you are in business! You can see these smoked blue crabs didn’t stand a chance around my house…
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Smoked Blue Crab Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Dozen Blue Crabs Seasoned and Steamed
- 1 Stick Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub
For the Vinegar Sauce
- ½ cup Champagne Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped Sweet Vidalia Onion
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
- Mix the above ingredients together and store in refrigerator a couple hours before serving.
Instructions
- Prepare Smoker for indirect cooking at 250-275⁰ with pecan wood for flavor.
- Place Full Size Aluminum Pan filled half way with water on lower cooking grate. Water Pan should be between cooking grate and heat source for steam.
- Arrange Steamed Blue Crab on cooking grate and smoke for 15 Minutes.
- Melt Butter and add Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub, stir to combine
- Baste Blue Crab with butter mixture after 15 minutes cook time.
- Continue to smoke until crabs are thoroughly heated about 30 minutes total cook time.
- Serve with additional BBQ Rub, Drawn Butter, and Vinegar Dipping Sauce*
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Question: if what they are steamed doesn’t then smoking them overcook them?
you have to reheat them somehow….
hey Malcom! I stumbled on your website trying to learn how to smoke some ribs on my gas grill. I am now in love with all your recipes! I would like to try this recipe but, being less than a mile from the Texas gulf coast, I would catch my blue crabs fresh. Do you have any pointers on doing this recipe with fresh crabs or do I need to steam them and then throw them on the grill? Thank you for all the inspirations!
no, I’ve only ever steamed them