Do you know the mussel man? Maybe not, but you’ll know the one from KLAUWE!

Preparations:

Rinse the mussels under cold water. Then leave them in a bowl of cold water. If there are any mussels that do not close after 3 minutes, discard them. These mussels are dead and not suitable for consumption!

Soak the wood chips in a bowl with white wine for about an hour.

What to do with your KLAUWE:

Fire up your KLAUWE and aim for a temperature of around 180 - 200 degrees Celsius to make the smoked mussels. (Make it easy on yourself and use high-quality charcoal like Black Ranch Marabu.)

We’ll be grilling indirectly, so keep that in mind when placing the coals. Place the coals on one side of the fire basket. Alternatively, you can push the coals to one side with a poker once they’re burning.

When lighting your KLAUWE, you need more oxygen, so open the air vents at the front and back fully. (After lighting the fire, close the rear air vent completely.) The front air vent remains open for lighting and then becomes the place where you fine-tune the temperature of your KLAUWE.

If the fire needs a heat boost, you can briefly open the rear air vent again. Keep the air vent in the lid half open. (Of course, this depends on how the temperature behaves. More air means more fire and higher temperature, and vice versa; it’s a matter of playing with oxygen. Once the fire is burning, adjust with the front air vent.)

Leave the lid off the KLAUWE and let the fire do its work.

Moving on with your KLAUWE:

When the coals are glowing well and the tallest flames have subsided, move the fire basket with the lifting hook (and barbecue gloves) to the third (or fourth) level (from the top). We’ll be grilling the mussels indirectly, so make sure the coals are on one side of the fire basket.

Place the grill rack on level 2 (from the top). Then, put the lid on your KLAUWE. (We’re grilling without a water ring and water pan.)

The air vents at the front and back should remain slightly open. Aim for a temperature of around 180 - 200 degrees Celsius. If the temperature exceeds 200 degrees Celsius, adjust the air vents. Close the rear air vent completely. See what happens to the temperature. If it continues to rise, close the front air vent a bit more. Ultimately, you can fine-tune the temperature with the front air vent. If the temperature drops too low, open the front air vent more (and possibly the rear vent too). If it gets too high, close the front air vent a bit.

Take your time with this. The temperature needs to stabilize. Do this with a fitting drink in hand, of course.

On the grill:

Once the temperature is stable, remove the lid from your KLAUWE and place the mussels on the grill rack on the side where the fire is NOT (indirect grilling). Put the lid back on your KLAUWE.

As the mussels lie on the grill rack, they will slowly open. Wait for this moment and sprinkle the mussels with the white wine.

After sprinkling with white wine, give the mussels a good stir. (To sprinkle, cover the bottle's opening with your thumb/finger and shake the wine out of the bottle.) Keep the mussels on the indirect side of the grill. Use good barbecue gloves, like those from Feuermeister. Close the lid.

The final step in this ritual is to add some (not all) smoking wood to the fire (through the rear air vent) and let it smoke well!

When the thickest smoke has subsided, do it again. Repeat this ritual about 3 to 4 times until the mussels have a nice color inside and all the shells are open.

The finishing touch:

These smoked mussels with white wine are delicious with rustic (baguette) bread and possibly the usual sauces.

Serving tip: A red beet salad with watermelon and honey pairs very well with these delicious mussels. How do you make it? Check out Klauwe van de Kok. Your guests will be amazed when they see these mussels!

Bon appétit and don’t forget: Eat with your KLAUWE and Impress Your Friends!