Creamy, smoky, warm-your-bones chowder is exactly what you need to shake off the winter chill. Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Ceramic Charcoal Grill for New England Clam Chowder in a wood-fired bread bowl!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Charring the potatoes, onion, and bell pepper directly on the grill before dicing them builds a smoky base into the chowder that boiling raw vegetables wouldn't develop
- Rendering the bacon first and cooking the vegetables in the reserved fat ties the whole soup back to the same smoky, savory flavor from the start
- Bundling the thyme and bay leaf in kitchen twine lets them infuse the chowder as it simmers while staying easy to fish out and discard before serving
- Combining bottled clam juice with the liquid drained from the canned clams doubles up on briny depth, rather than relying on one source alone
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
489
Warm up with Chef Tom's comforting New England Clam Chowder! Slow-grilled chowder served in a wood-fired bread bowl. This creamy, smoky recipe will satisfy your winter cravings.
Ingredients
- 8 oz thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 lb baby yellow potatoes, halved
- 1 large (1 lb) onion, peeled, halved
- 2-3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
-
Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning
-
1/4 cup Antimo Caputo "00" Pizza Flour
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams, juice drained
- 1 (10 oz) can baby clams, juice drained
- 1 (8oz) jar clam juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 cups heavy cream
Directions
- Build a large hot coal bed in your Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic Grill. Set up the grill for direct grilling, with the grates in the lowest position of the Divide & Conquer system. Leave the air flow wide open.
- Place the potatoes, onion and red bell pepper on the grill. Leave the lid open and grill just to char the surfaces of the veggies, then remove from the grill.
- Close down the air flow to stabilize the grill temperature around 450ºF. Place a Lodge 5 Quart Dutch Oven in the grill to preheat.
- Cook the bacon in the dutch oven. Remove when browned and starting to crisp. Set aside the Pour off all but two tablespoons bacon fat.
- While the bacon cooks, dice the grilled veggies.
- Add the diced onion and celery to the dutch oven and cook until the onions are translucent and starting to soften. Add the potatoes, red bell pepper, garlic and Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning. Cook for about one minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Tie the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme together in a bundle using kitchen twine. Add to the dutch oven. Add the clam juice (from the bottle and drained from canned clams). Add the chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the clams to the soup. Cook another 5 minutes, then remove from the grill. Stir in the cooked bacon. Serve the New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why char the potatoes, onion, and bell pepper on the grill before dicing them into the chowder?
Grilling them with the lid open first builds a smoky char on the surfaces that boiling or sautéing the raw vegetables wouldn't develop, layering that flavor into the chowder from the very first step.
Why cook the bacon first and use the rendered fat for the vegetables?
Browning the bacon and reserving two tablespoons of its fat to cook the onion and celery in ties the whole soup back to that same smoky, savory flavor, rather than starting the vegetables in a neutral oil.
Why bundle the thyme and bay leaf together with kitchen twine instead of adding them loose?
Tying them into a bundle lets the herbs infuse the chowder as it simmers while staying easy to remove and discard before serving, rather than needing to fish out stray leaves and a bay leaf from the finished soup.
Why use both bottled clam juice and the liquid drained from the canned clams?
Combining both sources doubles up on briny depth in the broth, rather than relying on just one and ending up with a thinner-tasting chowder.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the chowder comes together entirely on the stovetop in a dutch oven; a broiler or hot cast iron skillet can char the vegetables in place of the grill.
Recipe Highlights
Grill-charred vegetables: Builds smoky flavor before the vegetables ever hit the pot.
Bacon-fat vegetable base: Ties the soup back to the same smoky, savory flavor.
Tied herb bundle: Infuses the broth without leaving stray leaves behind.
Double clam liquid: Combines bottled juice and drained can liquid for deeper brine.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 13.25 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 489
- Carbs
- 26 grams
- Protein
- 20 grams
- Fat
- 34 grams
- Sodium
- 1231 milligrams
