is just barely open and has not lost any of
the juices.” He is willing to accommodate
guests who are not such seasoned oyster eaters,
allowing the oysters to continue to roast
until medium, about five minutes, or even
“well done, so they bounce off the ground.”
When it comes to side dishes, the Ellises
are much less concerned with their preparation.
“When you have an oyster roast,
the oysters are the focal point and everything
else is in the periphery,” Phil says.
However, he does enjoy preparing a special
hot sauce garnish, a concoction of Texas
Pete, mignon sauce and apple cider vinegar.
After many years of roasting and consuming
oysters, the Ellises are still thinking
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WBM november 2011
of different ways to enjoy them. Phil
says for a special treat he would love to
sauté spinach beforehand to make oysters
Rockefeller at their next roast.
There are countless ways to eat and prepare
oysters, and it seems that each method
has its own following of people who are
convinced theirs is the best.
What you will need for a
backyard oyster roast
• Gas or
charcoal grill
• Lemon wedges
and saltine crackers
Heat the grill to 500 degrees. Place enough
oysters on the grill to cover the cooking area
and cover with the grill lid, or a burlap sack
soaked in water. Some but not all of the oysters
will open when done.
An indoor oyster roast is as easy as
heating the oven to 475 degrees, filling up a
roasting pan with a third of an inch of water,
placing as many oysters as possible in the pan
and roasting them for about seven minutes.
Shuck, slurp and savor!
• Work gloves
• Oyster knives
• Live oysters in
shell, scrubbed
under running
water (around 12
per person)
• Condiments of
choice, such as a
cocktail sauce, hot
sauce or a peppery
vinegar
Become a roast master
Phil Ellis serves friends
Haywood Newkirk,
Dana and Ray Sito and
Steve and Bonnie Wells
around the custom ECU
Pirate table that helps
keep condiments from
getting messy with a
shell hole in the middle
for discards.