1.

• Oysters (you should factor about a bushel of oysters for every 5 or 6 people)
• Large burlap sack (any large, thick, un-precious towel will also do)
• Water Source
• Flat, heat-proof surface such as sheet metal
• Cinder blocks, for raising the cook surface above the fire
• Oyster Shuckers
• Sturdy oyster-shucking gloves or a thick kitchen towel
• A large, clean metal shovel, for transferring cooked oysters
• Your favorite fireside beer, for drinking

1.

Build a pit: arrange masonry cinder blocks around a fire pit. On these blocks, place a flat, heat-proof surface such as a piece of sheet metal (we’d recommend 4 feet by 4 feet—if you can find a “rimmed” sheet of metal to keep oysters from sliding off or the burlap from tumbling over the edge, all the better!)

1.

Rinse oysters well

2.

Set up a fire close with proximate access to a water source, arrange cinder blocks in four corners and place sheet metal overtop when the fire begins to die down. As soon as the metal is hot enough, add the oysters and cover with a wet burlap sack, re-wetting it and repeating the process as needed.

3.

When oysters begin to open, use a large, clean shovel to remove the oysters and transfer them to a table lined with plastic, newspaper, or butcher paper, letting the sheet metal reheat and repeating the process as needed.

1.

Keep the burlap wet—this is what creates steam and creates the moist, smoky environment that ensures the oysters are cooked evenly.