Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire oyster shucking

Any suggestions? I always fight them. Just watched a couple videos that might help. Wish I'd gotten a special knife by now, last time I used an automotive gasket scraper. Any good substitutes for a tool?

We've got 2 bushels coming in today from the Chesapeake Bay. Looking forward to the eating, not so much the work to get to 'em.

Screwdriver with a little work to the tip will work

Buy a knife you cheap bastard.

How did 'ya know?

Buying one or even making one is doable. Remembering to do before next time it is the hard part.

My brother uses a wood chisel and starts it with a hammer..

Whatever that's worth to you.

Been there with the hammer. Too many chunks.

I use a screwdriver if a shucking knife ain’t available. Use a kitchen towel so you don’t stab yourself. Start at the narrow hinged end. Once you get the tip in, give it a twist.

Thanks Mad, I didn't know till today with the video which end to start. At least 2 guys in the crowd have a handle on it, but I want to help & up production a bit. Sounds like the gasket scraper I've got might be better than I thought. I have kevlar gloves for piece of mind.

Making a note to get the proper tool for next time.

Maintain firm pressure with the tip of the shucker as you deliberately ease into the hinge with an ultra low frequency wiggle.

Wish I had that problem.

Almost lost a big toe to an oyster

Find a shucking knife or make something like one if you can't find a real one, a conventional pointed knife is not your friend. Doable, but putting one 3/4 of the way through the palm of my hand a long time ago made using the proper tool make a lot of sense all the sudden.

Throw them on the barbeque, shells and all. They'll pop open when steamed in their own juices.

We plan to steam some, that's the easy button. But love 'em raw, & we'll have Rockefeller also. That of course requires shucking too.

Appreciate the info guys, we only do this about once a year. Hard to stay on top of the skills, & it's not something we grew up doing for sure.

How many have you broke like that? Now try to get them open..


I have flat shucked some oysters and I can tell you, that is NOT the way to do it. It works in a pinch, but not as standard M.O.





Sage advice.

I meant what I said about firm pressure and a slow deliberate twist and slight wiggle. You don’t want to force it. Just find the weak spot and ease it in.

You may break some of the flaky crust off the out side, but the blade should go in clean without breaking the shell.

Playing stickball with oyster shells as a kid. Swung at one breaking inside and took it on the thumb.

Man that fugger got swollen and infected quick. They had me juiced up on ALL the antibiotics!

Wear the kevlar gloves. Especially, if this is your first time. Think about holding your hand out flat, like you are a member of the recipient class.

Then, with your fingers cupped on one side of the oyster and your thumb doing the same on the other side, if you accidentally push your shucker tool through the oyster, you'll have a good chance it goes out into air between your fingers and your thumb, instead of into your hand.

Ask me why I know.

Most Walmarts sell oyster knives.

Dear Penthouse.......

Then buy a knife later.

Walmart can surprise, but in a town of 6K in the middle of Ky. I'm more than skeptical.

Think I'll drop by there on the way.

Figuring If I'm shucking, I'll get to eat more of them.

I fire up the bbq and toss a few on. Just a couple minutes and they start to open and spit a bit.

Makes for easy shucking and the half steamed warmed up oyster is a nice balance to the icy cold ones you’re shucking.

I keep a bit of hot sauce and a bag of limes on hand as well.

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/2O2s-ZxiHt8

Usually have one person opening em with a similar homemade tool, then others shucking em with oyster knives. Makes it pretty easy!

I don’t eat em, but help shuck while drinking beer and bs’ing with buds.

I like to hinge them, if I can. Get the tip of your knife/screwdriver into the little hook at the hinge, dig in and twist. Fat side down, run your knife along the flat shell to sever that attachment, remove the shell, scoop down under the oyster in the round side, to sever that one. Oyster knife works a lot better than a screwdriver. If you do use a screwdriver to open, you'll need some kind of knife to cut the muscle. Really, as some have said, the easiest way is to get them popped open on a grill...

A thick cotton towel and any good oyster knife. Some are better than others, but I have been using one for a number of years and it is damned near worn down to the numb. It still works. Order one they are generally cheap.

I tried a little t handle corkscrew once and was surprised how well it worked

Get an oyster knife and oyster lead.

It all went great. A lot of supplies this time around, about 5 knives & several pairs of kevlar. We took turns shucking, steaming & frying. Steamers went into the house & became Oysters Rockefeller. I used different types of knives & know what I want for my own personal tools. Will pick them up soon so I won't forget.
The supplier was gonna bring 200+. We thought 150 would do it. He brought over 300. Not too many left. I pulled my weight & still managed to eat 3 or 4 dozen & wash em down with 8 or 10 beers.
Not bad for country folk.

Thanks again to folks here. Between this thread & some you tube this AM, I went in with a plan & was way more proficient at the end. I have a new skill, & it helps feed me, way cool.

I can skin a buck, run a trot line. And now I can shuck with efficiency. Learned a better way to undress crawfish last year..... next? Never too late.

oh dear god oyster shucking, nothing has made me utter more cuss words than, we need a dozen oysters. When I was a teenager my parents owned a seafood restaurant. Oh course we had oysters, both on the half shell and fried. The fried oysters came in a plastic tub already out of the shells. They are nasty things and I personally would not eat them EVER, but if you do I would not eat them from a restaurant and here is why. seasonally sometimes they just aren't good, Sometimes the restaurant gets a bad batch shipped in. All of them come packed in boxes with mud in them. you HOPE the shucker does a good job of washing off the mud before serving them to you. OR maybe they went to the bathroom wiped their ass and didn't wash their hands. Either way you are eating something that is very much prone to be contaminated.

back to the shucking part, I would scream 4 letter words at least several times every time someone ordered oysters. The best way is we had these mesh gloves that you wear. At least have a mesh glove on to hold the oyster in your left hand if you are right handed. We used special pry knife that looks like a very heavy duty butter knife, basically it has a rounded in that you jamb between the shell halves. of course this slips often off the shell thus why you wear the mesh glove. once you get the knife wedged between the shells you twist it enough to just get the knife into the shell, Then without separating it you cut the tendon both top and bottom. this connect the oyster to the shell. next pop the shell all the way apart place right thumb on oyster and rinse off shell and oyster under running water. way too much PITA for a freaking loogie.

here is link to the knife, ours was more rounded on the end, https://www.amazon.com/Rakuen-Shuck...mp;psc=1&refRID=0JWPBVFDBTYCS4AG8FTC

On a single sit down and to have fried oysters for summer I will shuck 3-4 bushels. Yes a good oyster knife and Kevlar glove but; is easy peasy.

Oyster knife and a claw hammer.

Rap the shell hard on the umbo with the hammer then open with the oyster knife.

I take them out of the bushel or sack and wash with pressure from the hose pipe to remove any mud and crap off of them then rap them and open.

Every time I have witnessed someone try to open an oyster with anything other than an oyster knife or without a glove on their non knife hand it results in a first aid demonstration...... For that reason, I've been one of the designated shuckers around our place since I was old enough to pop one open. There is nothing like a couple dozen ice cold, big ol salty oysters. Especially first thing in the morning when too much libation occurred the night before.

I have used the plain white oyster knives pictured above, but I prefer a style called "Carolina Oyster" knife. It's a stubby little curved blade and the handle has a protective hilt. Works VERY well

Outstanding!

Awesome!

Sounds fun gunzo.

Since you're still learning new tricks get the book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. It's more than a little interesting and will make you the smartest oyster guy in the room at your next oyster party.

What a whiny bitch.

Check carefully when ordering or buying your new oyster knife. I broke an old one a few years ago. Dad went and picked up another one in a pinch. Made in China of course. When I read the fine print on the package it said, "product contains lead, not safe for human consumption". How does something like this even make it to market? Lead in kids toys is bad enough, but an oyster knife? Chicoms feeding us lead one oyster at a time.

I can hear Pops now, " You gonna stand there spouting oyster facts or $*"'&#@ shuck em?"

Sick, I can hock up lung butter than looks more apitizing. Go lick the ole lady’s hoo ha if you need something fatty and salty

Sorry, can't help you. The only oyster shucking I've done is on mountain oysters. And for that, you want a sharp knife.

G23

Stupid AND classy.

It is easy to do with a proper oyster knife. I watched a guy do one once . he handed me the knife and I was doing it easily after opening 2 or 3.

Our gang has had that get together also. We had a ball.

When my brother told me, I laughed until I saw it done (and ate). Simply boil the oysters in water for a few minutes. They open themselves for the most part and the water gets them unbelievably clean.
I figured it would ruin the taste, but doesn't at all.

That is a B&C oyster!

They grow Big and Fat in Pamlico Sound. Not quite as salty as the Cat tongue oysters right near the coastal beaches.

Know the difference between a epileptic oyster opener and a whore with diarrhea ?

The oyster opener shucks between fits.

The,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gunzo: I shucked Oysters for pleasure going on 50 years - the best advice I can give is buy the most expensive Oyster Knife you can find!
I actually prefer and eat most of the Oysters I consume after being baked in an oven or over a big bed of coals!
They indeed do open themselves when prepared thusly.
But on some shores the Oysters must be shucked on the beach and the shells put back about where they came from - here is where the best (most expensive usually!) Oyster Knife you can find will serve you WELL.
Enjoy.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Looking at the various links I've been provided with to the knives. Then it hit me, a big fan of Victorinox for my use & knowing that a lot of professional meat cutters use use the brand also. Could they know a thing about oysters? Well,,,,,, they make 3 different knives for such.

I trust the brand, & for 9 bucks I'll try a few.

The best? I'm not afraid to spend a buck on a good knife, lay it on me.

Secure the proper tool and do a brief study of anatomy.

grind down an old butter knife to a inch and a haft to two inch long you don't need to buy one

I learned how to shuck oysters when I was stationed in Virginia. My deputy Provost Marshal taught a group of us. He also taught us how to eat them with nothing but hot sauce and beer.


Order a roaster at Hooter's and they bring a shucking knife and bar towel to grab them with.