Seems Easy But................

[larryhorne]

Ok its been many years since I steamed a bushel of crabs.........actually it was my Father doing the steaming so it must have been over 30 years now. So I have the standard blue 2 piece steamer pot and the bushel of crabs. What is the mixture for the bottom pot? He use to use water, vinager and beer I think. Do you bring to boil then add the crabs and steam until pink/red.

Thanks for helping.

Lar

[night nurse]

Yup you got it. Water vinager and a beer. bring to a boil with the lid on and the strainer inside the pot. Add crabs quickly season with old every layer or so. Replace the lid and set the timer for 18-20 min. When they are done dump them on some newspaper to cool.
You will get many methods of the same thing different time, spice, ect. Try one and move on to the next untill you find one or a mix of several to call your own recipe.
GOOD LUCK

TED

[bigd9116]

not sure how big your pot is but for me i use 4 cups of water, 4 cups cider vinegar and 1 beer.. add all the crabs and seasoning let them get to a steam and as soon as the crabs turn red reduce heat to medium and steam for 20 minutes.. i steam them a lot this way and they turn out great. i may also suggest adding some corn chopped red potatoes and chicken wing s to the mix it all comes out cooked to perfection

[Coan Ranger]

Same as night nurse but find it easier, and less messy, to put basket in sink as water heats. Add crabs and season each layer while still in sink.

[rj]

1. start with a quality crab, heavy ,rusty #1 if at all possible.
light or "white" crabs do not have much meat in them and will retain water or condensation in them.
2. use only enough water in pot to steam without boiling dry
, some water will come from the crabs, I use about 2" in the botton of a pot that is big enough to steam
1 bu,, in a smaller pot you can use less water ,,vinegar is ok too but most places use only plain water.
Do not use beer-it has a tendency to foam up in the pot and soak the crabs-drink the beer
4.. Steam on HIGH HEAT, just long enough for crabs to be done
A full bu will take me about 30 mins from the time I light the burner, which will give about 20-25 mins of steaming time, any less than a bu will take less time,,
Do not reduce the heat!! You want a good strong boil with plenty of steam
!!
5. when crabs are done, remove them from pot immediatly or remove the lid from pot and let steam and heat escape for at least several minutes,do not just turn off heat and leave lid on pot, steam has to escape

This is my formula , and it has worked well for me
Hope it helps
RJ

[27 sailfish]

One tip I got from the TF crabbing site is to use aluminum foil between the lower and upper pots.I tore 2 inch wide strips and made a gasket where the pots meet.This prevents steam from escaping on the side and really helped cook the crabs .