Chef Tom is grilling up a delicious treat - Grilled Oysters with Cajun Bacon Butter! Experience the smoky, savory flavor of succulent oysters cooked over charcoal - cooked to perfection and smothered in a heavenly Cajun Bacon Butter!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Charring the green onions before mincing adds smoke to the butter itself. Grilling them lightly first, rather than using them raw, means the Cajun bacon butter carries a smoky note even before the oysters ever hit the coals.
- Bacon and butter combine while both are still workable temperatures. Mixing the crispy bacon into room-temperature butter lets everything blend evenly with a fork, rather than fighting cold, hard butter or melted bacon fat.
- Cooking oysters directly on the coals, not on a grate, maximizes heat transfer. Placing them straight on the hot charcoal lets the shells heat quickly and evenly, cooking the oyster meat and melting the butter together fast.
- A visual cue, not a timer, tells you when they're ready. Watching for the butter and liquid to simmer inside the shell is a more reliable doneness signal than a fixed cook time, since oyster sizes vary.
Grilled Oysters with Cajun Bacon Butter
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Calories
365
Chef Tom fires up the Aaron Franklin Edition PK Grills PK300AF charcoal grill for Grilled Oysters with Cajun Bacon Butter!
Ingredients
-
16 fresh oysters, shells scrubbed & rinsed, shucked
- 4 slices bacon, small dice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 each green onions, charred, minced
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic, fine grated on microplane
-
1 1/2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
- Zest of 1 lemon
Cajun Bacon Butter:
Directions
- Light a chimney full of lump charcoal. When the charcoal is hot, dump in one half of the PK Grills PK300AF.
- Place the diced bacon in a small cast iron pot on the grill. Cook the bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally.
- At the same time, grill the green onions with the lid open, just until lightly charred. Remove from the grill and mince finely.
- To make the Cajun Bacon Butter, combine the room temperature butter with the crispy diced bacon, charred green onion, along with the Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion, lemon juice and zest, garlic and Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce. Mix well with a fork.
- Shuck the oysters, discarding the flat half of the shells.
- Dollop 1-2 tsp room temperature Cajun Bacon Butter on top of each oyster.
- One by one, transfer the oysters to the grill using tongs. Place them directly over the hot coals.
- Cook the oysters until the liquid and butter surrounding the oyster meat is simmering about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the grill.
- Eat the oysters as soon as the shell is cool enough to handle.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why char the green onions before mincing them into the butter?
Grilling them first adds a smoky note to the Cajun bacon butter itself, rather than leaving the onion flavor raw and sharp.
Why mix the bacon into room-temperature butter instead of melted butter?
Room-temperature butter blends evenly with a fork alongside the crispy bacon, whereas melted butter would separate the fat and make for a runnier, less cohesive topping.
Why place the oysters directly on the coals instead of on a grate?
Direct contact with the hot charcoal transfers heat to the shells quickly and evenly, cooking the oyster meat and melting the butter together faster than an elevated grate would.
How do I know when the oysters are done?
Watch for the butter and liquid inside the shell to visibly simmer, typically 3-5 minutes — this is a more reliable cue than a fixed timer since oyster sizes vary.
Can I make the Cajun bacon butter ahead of time?
Yes — it holds well refrigerated; just bring it back to room temperature before dolloping it onto the shucked oysters so it spreads easily.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the butter can be made in any kitchen, but cooking the oysters directly on live coals is central to this recipe and doesn't translate to a stovetop or broiler in the same way.
Recipe Highlights
Charring the green onions: This builds smoky flavor into the butter itself before the oysters are even cooked.
Room-temperature butter blending: Combining it with crispy bacon at the same temperature keeps the mixture cohesive rather than separated.
Direct-coal cooking: Placing the oysters right on the charcoal transfers heat quickly and evenly.
The simmering-butter doneness cue: Watching for this visual signal is more reliable than a fixed cook time across oysters of varying sizes.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 5.34 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 365
- Carbs
- 10 grams
- Protein
- 23 grams
- Fat
- 24 grams
- Sodium
- 598 milligrams
