How to Roast an Oyster Roast at Home

The quintessential oyster roast likely originated in the southeast as a Native American tradition: roasting shellfish, including oysters, with a crowd, over an open fire. Today, you’ll find southern oyster roasts are still very much a social activity and frequently an indicator of celebrations and reunions. They are especially popular around Thanksgiving, throughout the holidays, and into the New Year, when the rationale to roast oysters over an open fire has always been tied closely to place and time; fall and winter in the southeast means celebrations of food, friends, and family in increasingly cooler months.

If you live in the Lowcountry, you’ve probably attended your fair share of oyster roasts and may even have a good idea of what’s needed to host one. Hosting an oyster roast not only gives us an excuse to ingest briny bivalves in large quantities, but also to share the distinctive merroir (nothing affects the flavor of an oyster more than its habitat) and cultural lore of the Lowcountry, one oyster at a time.

If you’ve never hosted an oyster roast, take this advice: Do it.

Here in the Lowcountry we are blessed with native oysters that are considered by many to be the best in the world. No need to do Maine selects, Virginia points, or other such things. Down here, the oysters are from Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort, Charleston, or “maybe” North Carolina.

An oyster roast is also a good excuse to stand around a fire, eat, drink, and look up through the trees with deep gratitude. The process is fairly simple, but does require attention and preparation.

Planning Your Oyster Roast

How Many Oysters Are Needed and Where to Get Them

You will most likely order your oysters by the bushel. The number will vary with the size of the oyster, but generally figure between 100-125 oysters. If available, get them muddy in a burlap bag. Mud means fresh. Look for a nice rounded shape that yields a medium-to-large oyster since they lose volume as they cook.

If your guests are oyster fans, plan on one bushel for every 5 people. If your guests are mostly novices, or you are serving other dishes, you’ll be fine with one bushel for every 6-8 adult guests.

If you’re not harvesting your own oysters, local seafood purveyors, farmers markets, and large grocers are good places to find your oysters. Better yet, buy your fresh oysters directly from the source. Many oyster farmers offer pickup, delivery, and other shopping options. If you are in the Lowcountry, simply Google “oyster business near me”.

Be sure to plan in advance. Regardless of where you plan to source your oysters, call at least a couple of weeks ahead to find out how much time they need, especially if you are trying to plan your event on or near a holiday.

Schedule pick-up of your oysters no more than a day ahead, or even the morning of the roast if you can. Take a large cooler or plastic container with a secure closure to transport your cargo and have the market shovel as much ice on the oysters as possible. As long as they are on ice and covered, they’ll stay fresh.

What You Need

Large burlap sack – any large, thick, un-precious towel will also do
Water Source – to soak the burlap
Flat, heat-proof surface – such as sheet metal
Cinder blocks – for raising the cook surface above the fire
Oyster Knives – Go to the local ACE hardware or Walmart and get some white-handled Dexter oyster knives. They are cheap and will last forever. (Yes some of your guests will show up with custom William Knives oyster shuckers or Damascus steel knives, but most will come without.)
Sturdy oyster – shucking gloves or a thick kitchen towel
A large, clean metal shovel – for transferring cooked oysters
Outdoor Table – A traditional Lowcountry oyster roast takes place outside, so a long table, preferably bar or counter height, is ideal for allowing people to gather around and shuck oysters. On top of the table should be several oyster knives, gloves, paper towels, and accouterments. Cover the tables with newspaper or butcher paper.
Two Coolers – One to transport the oysters and store them in until cooking, and one 1 to keep beer and plenty of ice
Accouterments – cocktail sauce, hot sauce, horseradish, saltine crackers, pimento cheese, coleslaw, etc.
Trash Can – place a trash can lined with a heavy-duty plastic trash bag nearby to dispose of the spent shells

Build a Roasting Pit

Build a shallow pit. Arrange masonry cinder blocks around the fire. (Some people prefer a burner and propane tank in lieu of a wood fire.) On these blocks, place a flat, heat-proof surface such as a piece of sheet metal (we’d recommend 4 feet x 4 feet). If you can find a “rimmed” sheet of metal to keep the oysters from sliding off or the burlap from tumbling over the edge, all the better.

You want your fire to have a steady, low-and-slow burn, so tend to it accordingly throughout the day.

Wash Up

If you’re lucky enough to harvest your own oysters, give them a good rinse with a water hose to remove any mud. Oysters from a purveyor or seafood shack most likely have already been washed (though we recommend that you tell your purveyor to leave the mud on as it is our opinion that it keeps your oysters fresh).

There’s nothing like seeing the coloring of a fresh oyster sprayed clean. Grey and ivory, pewter and sea green. Beautiful! We recommend spraying about a half bushel at a time, roughly 50 to 60 oysters, and leaving the rest in the sack on ice, well covered.

Have a large bucket with ice in the bottom to put your clean oysters in and cover them. If the sun’s out, keep them in the shade and always covered until it’s time to make magic on the fire.

Create the Steam

Contrary to the name, the traditional way to “roast” oysters is actually to steam them over a fire.

Wait for the metal to heat up. Test it by splashing water on it and listen for a sizzle (sizzle sound means you’re ready to go). Once your metal is ready, scatter a few dozen oysters onto the metal with your shovel. Spread them out in a single layer (do not stack them) so they will cook evenly as a group. Cover them with wetted burlap and cook for 8-10 minutes. When ready, the shells will open about ¼ inch to ½ inch. Keep them out of direct flame so they don’t char too quickly. If you prefer lightly steamed oysters, stick to the lower end of the time range.

Pro Tip: Keep in mind that the wider the oyster cracks open, the less juicy they will be. Since the oysters’ briny juice makes for the delicious eating, you definitely don’t want to overcook them.

When the oysters begin to open, use your clean shovel to remove the oysters and transfer them to your table lined with newspaper or butcher paper.

Remove the burlap and return it to your water source for the next round. Allow the metal to reheat, making sure you add more wood as needed.

Shucking and Eating at an Oyster Roast

Wearing gloves, pry open the oysters by sliding an oyster knife into the small opening and popping open the oyster. Run the knife under the oyster meat to release it, discarding the empty half shells.

Have your guests open their oysters with gloves and an oyster knife. Everyone around the table shucking their own is a big part of the casual fun that unfolds at an oyster roast. Serve over saltines or straight out of the shell. Garnish with a dash of hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon, or a dollop of cocktail sauce. Slurp and repeat!

What Do You Drink at an Oyster Roast?

Beer! Lots of iced cold beer. No need to get fancy here either. This is a casual party, y’all.

Most oyster roasts will have a table with Bloody Mary Fixings, and those ingredients do double duty for oyster shooters (an oyster, a splash of bloody mary mix, and vodka). Then each guest can add hot sauce, horseradish, or celery according to their taste.

Should I Throw the Shells From My Roast In the Trash?

No! Oyster shells are very recyclable, and play a critical role in environmental restoration efforts. Old shells are taken back to existing oyster beds and added back in again as they are the building blocks of new oyster beds. The shells are also natural break-waters and provide vital habitats for other marine life.

Many communities, especially in the Lowcountry, have recycling programs. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources oversees the South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement (SCORE) program, which obtains oyster shells from citizens through shell drop-off centers, then quarantines and recycles them through the creation of new reefs.

The Playlist

There’s no rule book outlining the best music to play on a day like this, but one thing’s for sure: great music makes an oyster roast a much fuller experience.

To each his own, but we lean to country, 70’s rock, swamp, pop, and some down-home swing. Think Marshall Tucker, Dr. John, Neville Brother, Doobies, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Allman Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, Creedence Clearwater, and the Atlanta Rhythm Section. And throw in some Hank Williams and George Strait.

The End

An oyster roast never really ends. It kind of just winds down or leads to another party, or another outdoor activity, or a ballgame on TV. This casual approach to entertaining just feels right. It’s simple to host, and your guests are actively engaged in making a festive day of it. And cleanup is a breeze given all you really used was newspaper, paper towels, and a recycling bin. In the end, it’s easy to see why an oyster roast will forever be a Lowcountry and American classic.

Lest We Forget

A host gift is a must in the Lowcountry. However, don’t fret over it too much. A bottle of wine, a fifth of your favorite bourbon, a pie, or a knick-knack you picked up on your last visit to Charleston is fine. But don’t come without one.