New England Clambake from America’s Test Kitchen

Chef Julia Collin Davison ready a New England Clambake to characterize Massachusetts on the brand new America’s Test Kitchen: America’s Potluck sequence.

In conventional clambakes, shellfish, and greens are layered with seaweed and piled on prime of white-hot rocks in a large sandpit. The meals then steams beneath a moist tarp till it’s achieved. This feast normally takes greater than a day to arrange and cook dinner. We wished to make it quicker and extra approachable by translating it to the grill. The largest problem was that our grill was solely large enough to deal with half the elements at a time. Since charcoal dies down because it burns, we needed to resolve which objects would wish the warmer temperature of the primary spherical of grilling however might additionally sit the longest earlier than serving. We selected to steer off with the corn, sausage, and potatoes, adopted by the lobsters and clams. We additionally gave the potatoes a jump-start within the microwave and skewered them to make them extra manageable. This grilled clambake captured all of the smoky taste of the normal model—with no shovel required.

Note: Look for potatoes which can be 1 to 2 inches in diameter; in case your potatoes are bigger, quarter them and improve the microwaving time as wanted in step 2. Because the skewers go into the microwave, use wood, not metallic, skewers.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup desk salt, for brining
• 4 ears corn, husks and silk eliminated
• ½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 pound small purple potatoes, unpeeled, halved
• 3 (12-inch) wood skewer 
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus further for serving
• ¾ teaspoon desk salt, divided
• 2 (1¼- to 1½-pound) dwell lobsters 
• 1 pound kielbasa 
• 2 kilos littleneck clams, scrubbed
• Lemon wedges

TO PREPARE

STEP ONE: Dissolve ½ cup salt in 4 quarts chilly water in giant pot. Add 4 ears corn, husks, and silk eliminated, and soak for no less than half-hour or as much as 8 hours. Before grilling, take away corn from water, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon pepper.

STEP TWO: Skewer 1 pound halved small purple potatoes, then lay them in single layer on giant plate. Brush with 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Microwave till potatoes start to melt, about 6 minutes, flipping them midway by microwaving. Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

STEP THREE: Split 2 (1¼ to 1½-pound) dwell lobsters in half lengthwise, eradicating inner organs. Using again of chef’s knife, whack 1 facet of every claw to crack shell. Brush tail meat with 1 tablespoon melted butter, and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

STEP FOUR:
FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open backside vent fully. Light giant chimney starter crammed with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When prime coals are partially coated with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cowl, and open lid vent fully. Heat grill till sizzling, about 5 minutes.
FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to excessive, cowl, and warmth grill till sizzling, about quarter-hour. Adjust burners as wanted to take care of grill temperature at 325 levels.

STEP FIVE: Clean and oil cooking grate. Place 1 pound kielbasa, corn, and skewered potatoes on grill. Cook till kielbasa is seared and sizzling all through, corn is evenly charred, and potatoes are brown and tender, 10 to 16 minutes, turning as wanted. Transfer greens and sausage as they end cooking to serving platter, and tent with aluminum foil.

STEP SIX: Lay lobsters, flesh facet down, and 2 kilos littleneck clams on grill. Cook till clams have opened and lobsters are cooked by, 8 to 14 minutes, flipping lobsters and brushing lobster tail meat with remaining 1 tablespoon butter midway by grilling. As lobsters and clams end cooking, switch them to serving platter with greens and sausage, preserving any juices which have accrued inside their shells.

STEP SEVEN: Slice kielbasa into 1-inch items and take away skewers from potatoes. Serve with lemon wedges and additional melted butter. Use lobster picks to achieve meat inside claws and knuckles.