The steamer 'secret' ain't no secret; They gotta void first (makes me feel better too :rotf2: ). I let em soak in cold water (I add salt - Kosher if you got it) with a couple of slices of the cheapest white bread/rolls you can find and mush the bread up so that it gets the water 'milky' (corn meal works too). I think the yeast makes them 'flush' or else it is just ingesting the bread. I let them flush for about two hours or more (The longer, the better). If you drink heavily the time flies VERY quickly... The only other thing I make sure of is that as little water as possible 'touches' while they steam (for variation you can toss in some onion or squeeze in some lime but I like em 'au natural' ). For dip I like a cup of broth that has a pad of butter melted into it. I could eat about 10 lbs right NOW !!!.

when they are in the pot you put the steamers in an empty pan in the bottom of a pot to keep them out of the water & catch the broth that falls out of them ??

I either have an actual steamer built for this (like an inch of water on the bottom with a 'basket' suspended above it) or I make one by putting water in a big pot and then putting a pie plate on top of the water and the steamers on top of the pie plate. The broth is formed when their juices drip into the boiling water. Either way a lid or a piece of foil on top is a must for trapping the steam.

thanks- i'll be giving it a whirl this weekend......... we'll have to hook up & share a couple pounds in soco when your back from your hiatus.