GRILLED OYSTERS THREE WAYS

Grilled Oysters Three Ways image

Making oysters for a crowd is a whole lot easier with this quick shucking hack. Simply grill the oysters for a few minutes to open the shells, just enough for a knife to easily fit inside. Once the oysters are shucked, you can serve them raw on the half shell with mignonette and lemon wedges, or grill them up with Bourbon BBQ sauce, bacon and chives, or with a flavor-packed garlic, herb and white wine scampi butter. Using a foil roasting pan filled with some coarse sea salt helps keep the oysters from spilling and makes it easy to get them on and off the grill.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 55m

Yield 36 oysters

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1/2 medium shallot, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 slices bacon (1 ounce), cooked and finely chopped
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium shallot, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarse sea salt
36 oysters in the shell, scrubbed

Steps:

For the mignonette: Stir together the red wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, shallots and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the bourbon BBQ sauce: Stir together the barbecue sauce and bourbon in a small bowl. Set aside.
For the scampi butter: Mash to combine the butter, white wine, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Side aside.
For the oysters: Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Add the coarse sea salt in mounds to a large 9-by-13-inch aluminum roasting pan.
Cooking in batches if necessary, put the oysters with their cupped side down in the roasting pan, nestling them in the salt so the flat side is facing up and they do not tip. Put the roasting pan on the hottest part of the grill and close the lid. Cook until the shells open slightly (wide enough to slide a knife in), 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the oysters.
Carefully remove the roasting pan from the grill. Insert the tip of an oyster knife or small sharp paring knife in the shell opening and run the knife along the inside of the top shell to release the oyster; remove the top shell. Run the knife under the oyster meat in the bottom shell to release the oyster, keeping the oyster and juices in the shell. Repeat with the remaining oysters, placing 12 of them on a platter and the remainder back in the pan. Serve the oysters on the platter immediately with the mignonette, or refrigerate until ready to serve. (See Cook's Note.)
Spoon the bourbon BBQ sauce over 12 of the remaining oysters in the roasting pan (about 1 teaspoon each). Top each with some of the bacon and chives.
Put a dollop of the scampi butter over the 12 remaining oysters in the roasting pan (about 1 teaspoon each).
Return the roasting pan to the grill, close the lid and cook until the oyster fillings are just starting to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and transfer to a serving platter.
Sprinkle the scampi butter oysters with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and serve immediately.