# smoked lobster



## croketpotmeathead

is it possible and who has done it?


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## coyote

grilled yes, smoked no. I would imagine that a smoked lobster would not taste as good to me as a grilled one. good luck..


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## chisoxjim

I imagine you are talking about smoking a lobster that is already cooked right?  

I have smoked pre cooked crab legs a few times,  thy dont need long, and turn out pretty good.


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## miamirick

funny you should ask, i'm doing a couple this weekend so i will post the pics to watch,  lobster is always good


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## croketpotmeathead

yea precooked any ideas


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## miamirick

dont precook, just heat em up on the smoker, cook em too long they get like a shrimp, kinda rubbery


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## croketpotmeathead

ok cool thanks man


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## john3198

I haven't smoked them, but when I grill them I split them lengthwise (still alive) and grill shell side down with tarragon butter baste. Super. Should be great smoked. Will have to try that next tiem they are on sale around here.

Course - you need to clean them before the grill.......


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## twinfallsid

When I lived on my 35' yawl in San Diego Bay, I had a stainless grill attached to the aft rail.  I would sail out 60 miles to San Clemente Island and anchor off the south end.

We would scuba dive for lobsters at night, their eyes reflect back the flashlight and they are all over the sea grasss on the bottom, not hiding in crevices.  We would grab the daily limit, bag them and head back to the sailboat.

I'd start a fire in the grill with mesquite chunk charcoal.  It makes a really hot and flavorful fire.

Then I'd take a knife and push it forward and across, under the joint between the top of the body and the tail, to cut free the long muscles there, and pull the tail off.  The head, body and legs were tossed into the sea as fish food.

I would take scissors and cut a 1/2" wide strip of shell from the center of the bottom of the tail, and put them bottom-down on the grill for 3-5 minutes with the grill cover on to hold in the smoke, then flip them over and put a nice pat of butter in the cut strip.

Then cover the grill again and let the butter melt into the cupped shell and cook for another few minutes.

This is an awesome way to grill/smoke lobster.


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## harvfish

I've done lobster in my Lang a few times.  Being from Maine I kind of have to! The trick is the steam/moisture. I line my grates with seaweed (4"), pile the lobsters on top, add more seaweed on top and cook for an hour at 275-300'.  I also add steamers and crabs to the mix then add corn on the cob on top of it all. (soak in water for a few hours and leave the husks on)  Doesn't taste smokey at all and is good and juicy.  Of course it helps that I live near the coast and can get the seaweed myself.  Good luck


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## mballi3011

Now I do like grilled lobster alot but I'm not real sure about smoked. How would you tell if it done??? On the smoker maybe it would be better to re-heat it in the smoker but then how long would it take??? I think I'll stick to the regular way and grill mine just take the rubber bands off. You don't want to know what happens if you don't. I know it's not good.


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## deltadude

Where I live Lobster is too expensive to risk smoking and ruining that wonderful delicate flavor.  Grilling absolutely, that is how I would cook them.  If you get just a few wafts of dark smoke the meat can be ruined with acidish creosote flavors.  IMHO


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## scubadoo97

I too would be afraid of masking the delicate flavor with smoke.  But that's just me.


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## harvfish

I cook them in my Lang all the time..the key is seaweed.   Layer 4-5 inces of seaweed, lay lobsters on top, add steamers around them, cover in more seaweed and cook 1 hr at 300....awesome, juicy, and no smoke flavor (they're in a shell).  When from Maine, you need to cook em alot!

Harvey's Sebago Lake Smokehouse
Lang 24' Tandem 84 deluxe
Maine-ah


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## john3198

Here are a couple of Googled ideas.......

http://www.ehow.com/how_2163413_smok...ter-tails.html


Short on details about smoking, but this looks real intersting!

http://www.lobsterfrommaine.com/avoc...tro-12078.aspx


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## deltadude

harvey, thats sounds great, you really are not smoking your steaming them.  It the uptown way of doing a sand pit with seaweed, just no sand.


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## fired up

The best lobster you will ever have is a lobster slowly poached in clarified butter.


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## scubadoo97

I have no doubt about that


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## harvfish

You're right about steaming them Delta, It's just done in the smoker.  If I cooked them any other way it would be tails split on the grill with a butter dill/lemon brushing.  The claws and body would then be steamed in a collander for extra eats.


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## cliffcarter

harvfish;434210 said:
			
		

> I cook them in my Lang all the time..the key is seaweed. Layer 4-5 inces of seaweed, lay lobsters on top, add steamers around them, cover in more seaweed and cook 1 hr at 300....awesome, juicy, and no smoke flavor (they're in a shell). When from Maine, you need to cook em alot!
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> . Best lobster I ever had was cooked by tossing them on the campfire coals.


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## Bearcarver

Yap Yap Yap----Talk is cheap, where are the pictures ?????????

I never smoked a Lobster, or I would post a picture or two.


Bearcarver


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## pignit

I just smoked some crab legs and they were stupid good. If I were gonna smoke lobster I would make sure I have a water pan with hot boilin water in it, smoke with a very light wood like alder... and pull them as soon as they are good and hot. Don't put a lot of smoke to them because a lot of the smoke will reside on the outside of the shell and may flavor the meat more than you want when you eat it. My crab claws were precooked and I'll never fix them any other way again if I have a smoker sittin around.


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## smokinglobsters

Oh yeah I have definitely SMOKED LOBSTER! This is how I did it. First I got two 2lb lobsters from the local market. I started up a pot of boiling water and it has to be a real good rolling boil. Then I boiled each lobster separately for 3 minutes in the pot. After the three minutes was up I put them on ice to stop whatever cooking process had begun. Then I ripped off the tails and claws after they cooled. Then I cut the tails in half long ways and took thumbnail size chunks of shell off the claws and left the meat in the shells.  Then I started up my smoker and let it get to temp then put hickory chunks in the smoker and waited for them to get smoking real good then I stuck all the lobster pieces in the smoker shell side down and poured some garlic butter that I had made on the meat  and smoked them for 1 hour. It was easily the best lobster I had ever had and if there is anyone out there that hasn't tried it you should. If you follow the way I did it you will get a wonderful tasting meal that will be a big hit at the dinner table.


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## markbeer

DownstateSmoker said:


> OK so it's been a bit longer than a day since I said I would post this.... Sorry.
> 
> Here is the recipe:
> 2 C Seafood Stock or Broth (I was lazy and used Chicken Stock)
> 1 C Honey (Clover Suggested)
> 1/2 C White Wine, Dry
> 1 TB Peanut Oil
> 1 TB Kosher Salt
> 1 tsp Stone Ground Mustard
> 2 tsp Thyme, dried and ground
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> Combine ingredients and bring to a boil. Let cool and then brine between 2-4 hours (I marinaded for 4).
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> I used tails and claws, split the tails, crack the claws. I smoked in the shell. took roughly 4 hours at 225. Used a mix of maple and oak. Came out awesome!
> 
> Good luck.


pardon me while I semi-resurrected the other old thread...

when I went shopping for some baby back ribs, I found the lobster tails that were on sale for $9.99/lb (at Sprout's) and got a pair.

not having smoked that stuff before, I did some research on it and found more cons than pros, but I really wanted to give it a try.  after a few more cons on the meats turning rubbery I was about to give up when I came across this above recipe and followed suit.

I set the smoker at 220-240 degrees for 3 hours over pecan wood chunks and a water pan.  then with 10 minutes left, drizzled some garlic butter over the meat in the split open shells and added some asparagus seasoned with peppered bacon salt on the lower rack where the water pan used to be.

end result?













603727_10200524160359941_473839437_n.jpg



__ markbeer
__ Apr 25, 2013






the tails came out AWESOME! I definitely will use that recipe again.


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## bgosnell151

Did you split them before or after brining?  Or did you brine the lobster whole, then cut?


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## baja traveler

Yummy! Lobster season hits us here in October - already have my license and report card. Can't wait to try this!


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## leah elisheva

Hi there! My favorite way to eat lobster is smoked! I smoke it from raw, to cooked. Here's a photo of a 9-pound smoked one, that was smoked with an entire elephant garlic head on the smoker too, and then placed over my black rice & seafood paella. WON-DER-FUL! Cheers!













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__ leah elisheva
__ Sep 19, 2013
__ 2


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## markbeer

bgosnell151 said:


> Did you split them before or after brining?  Or did you brine the lobster whole, then cut?


cut, split then brine


Baja Traveler said:


> Yummy! Lobster season hits us here in October - already have my license and report card. Can't wait to try this!


hope it turns out just as well for you as it did for me!


LeahOceanNotes said:


> Hi there! My favorite way to eat lobster is smoked! I smoke it from raw, to cooked. Here's a photo of a 9-pound smoked one, that was smoked with an entire elephant garlic head on the smoker too, and then placed over my black rice & seafood paella. WON-DER-FUL! Cheers!
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> __ leah elisheva
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that looks great!!  and what a fantastic presentation!


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## leah elisheva

Thank you! This dish is really lovely indeed. I enjoy splitting lobster down the middle if grilling, but found it smoked best when whole. Cheers and Happy Friday!


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## webowabo

LeahOceanNotes said:


> Hi there! My favorite way to eat lobster is smoked! I smoke it from raw, to cooked. Here's a photo of a 9-pound smoked one, that was smoked with an entire elephant garlic head on the smoker too, and then placed over my black rice & seafood paella. WON-DER-FUL! Cheers!
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> __ Sep 19, 2013
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Pictures like this is what im gonna love about you joining SMF....Looks wonderful!


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## waywardswede

That looks incredible, I don't think I've ever seen a lobster that big, I guess I'm not living in the right part of the country for that.  A bit off topic, but back in my youth I ran a family owned swimming pool store, and we had a hot tub on a trailer we would rent out for parties as a side business.  One of our repeat customers was a bar that was part of a small local restaurant chain, and they paid part of the bill with coupons for their restaurants.  By the end of the summer I had a fistful of these things, so I took my girlfriend to there highest end restaurant for a special night out.

When we got there we saw they had a stuffed 6 pound live lobster dinner for 2, it was the most expensive thing on the menu, insanely overpriced. But I had all these coupons, more than enough for the dinner, so that's what we ordered.  We noticed the waitress gave us a funny look when we ordered, but didn't think much about it.  When she brought us the dinner she was just about in tears, and kind of slammed the plates down and stormed away.  We just figured she was having a bad night and went about having our dinner.

A while later a different waiter came out to see how everything was going, and we asked about the other waitress.  Come to find out that lobster had been in their tank for years, and the waitress had more or less adopted it, even gave it a name.  We were eating one of her pets!

Never went back, but I think of it every time I see a big lobster.  Hopefully yours didn't have a name!

David


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## leah elisheva

David - fantastic story! And while naming one's dinner lends some creativity to the table, and admittedly I've titled a few entrees accordingly before, I eat them nonetheless! What a terrific memory and experience though! Very fun. Cheers!


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## eman

Down here they just treat them like crawfish on steroids. Boil them 12 min then let soak in the boil for 25 min.

 I have grilled lobster but never smoked one. After dispatching the lobster split tue shell under the tail w/ kitchen shears and inject the tail w/ garlic butter . You can also inject the claws in the joint . shell side down on a hot grill till the tail meat is done


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## leah elisheva

Sounds great Eman! Happy Friday!! - Leah


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## gringodave

LeahOceanNotes said:


> Hi there! My favorite way to eat lobster is smoked! I smoke it from raw, to cooked. Here's a photo of a 9-pound smoked one, that was smoked with an entire elephant garlic head on the smoker too, and then placed over my black rice & seafood paella. WON-DER-FUL! Cheers!
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> __ leah elisheva
> __ Sep 19, 2013
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Can I get a little more detail about your method on the lobster? We have a great Asian grocery here in Tucson that sells live Maine lobster really cheap. I would love to try this for a special surf and turf. Can you tell me the smoker temp, the length of time and how you can tell when they're ready? Please? I typically do mine sous vide but would love to go paleo on a couple for my babydoll.


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## bama bbq

I've grilled a few in my time with a chunk of smoke wood added but never "smoked".













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__ bama bbq
__ Oct 19, 2013


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## leah elisheva

Hi Gringo Dave! Thanks for your comment on and query on the lobster! I am impressed with your sous vide doings, though must admit that smoked is lovely too! That's sweet that you'll make up a surf/turf fantastic dinner for your sweet gal!

Keep in mind, that unlike these absolute gurus here on this site, (whom I worship and adore and am learning so much from and every day), my "smoker" must seem like a damn little toaster oven by comparison and I will not pretend to have some master rig, or any such thing. (Tiny, all in one, Brinkmann gas-coal-grill-smoke little deal).

HOWEVER, I have prepared more beautiful and healthful meals on this thing - throughout each season ans storm even - and for such, how very grateful am I. Here's to bigger toys at some point down the road!

I share this, as I don't even have a temp gauge on my machine (I know, I know, how primitive right) but figure this is cooking on the "low end of high," if that makes any sense? (It was gas, with apple wood chips and as simple as can be).

Keeping the whole lobster in tact, in it's shell, I'd smoke it between 20-30 minutes depending on size, give or take. That one over the paella was 9 pounds and thus smoked for the longer side of that window, but I've done smaller ones for 20 or so and they are fine.

They are done when having turned a dark rust-red-brown. Let me see if I can attach another photo, of some others I've done, in various sizes, as to give you an idea of that brick color that says "I'm done."

I hope this helps some, and moreover have fun and enjoy!!! I'm sure it will be fantastic!

And Bama BBQ; your photo of food looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers and warm wishes to all! - Leah













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__ leah elisheva
__ Oct 19, 2013


















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__ leah elisheva
__ Oct 19, 2013


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## gringodave

I am so going to try this! Those look awesome! I guess you just get the hammer and shell cracker to get at the meat? Those smoked shells and un-eaten parts could make for an awesome lobster stock too. 

I found your blog and enjoyed it very much! Thanks for sharing!!!

Bama - yours looks great too! ROLL TIDE!


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## leah elisheva

GringoDave, thank YOU very much! So glad you enjoyed.

And yes, take hammers or whatnot and crack away! You can even freeze that smoked meat in ziplock bags if you do a giant lobster etc., and thaw another day to add into spaghetti and it is wonderful!!!

Have fun!!! I bet it's a big hit!!! Cheers! - Leah


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## backyardboss

LeahOceanNotes said:


> Hi Gringo Dave! Thanks for your comment on and query on the lobster! I am impressed with your sous vide doings, though must admit that smoked is lovely too! That's sweet that you'll make up a surf/turf fantastic dinner for your sweet gal!
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> And Bama BBQ; your photo of food looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers and warm wishes to all! - Leah
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> __ leah elisheva
> __ Oct 19, 2013


Those look absolutely amazing and my wife's favorite food in the world is lobster. This would be a great surprise for an upcoming Anniversary.

Could you provide some further info on your prep for this? Do you pierce the back of the head first to kill the little critter? Certainly they aren't running around inside the smoker, right?

Does 20-30 minutes take these from raw to smoked that quickly? Any idea what kind of temp you're running to cook that fast? Or is this more of a grilled lobster with a chunk of wood for smoke? In other words done on a hot grill with lid?

I'd love to give this a go, but when I'm going to be tossing 30-40 bucks worth of Live lobster on there, I'd like a little better idea what I'm doing!

Thanks in advance!


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## leah elisheva

Thank you Backyardboss! And here's to your upcoming anniversary! That is fantastic!

I smoking the lobster, I don't jab it in the head or anything, and I just smoke it, and it seems fine, and is absolutely delicious. Smoked right in his shell.

If grilling, then I indeed DO splice right through it with a knife, and then grill it in two pieces, shell down. This way, you see the actual meat cook, although I far prefer the flavor and taste of the smoked version.

My little MINI smoker hasn't a temp gauge even, but I throw on apple wood chips, and put it on the lower end of high, and it indeed turns a more rust or brick color, outside, all over, within 25-30 minutes depending on size.

I hope this helps in some way. Enjoy! As that's a wonderful choice for a meal! Cheers! - Leah


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## backyardboss

Thanks Leah, just so I'm clear, these guys are still alive when they hit the smoker, right?

How do you keep them on the rack? Maybe I'm missing something but I can just see them clamoring around like a person in a smoking house.

Thanks for the response, I think this looks fantastic!

Last question- would you hazard a guess as to how hot you have them cooking? My box has  pretty solid range, so it can get to pretty high temps if needed. thx.


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## leah elisheva

Hi there Backyardboss! I'm so glad you like the idea. It's my favorite way to eat lobster, and then grilling is my second favorite way.

But yes, they are alive when placed on my little smoker. I haven't had any run away or clang about to the degree that I noticed, but it's probably good to stand near them initially and just make sure that they don't hop a plane to Madrid or something. I suppose some could be faster than others.

As for heat, oh wow, let's see, maybe 400 would be my guess???

Depending on how big your guy is will determine timing too. My nine pound hard shell one took closer to 30 minutes or a bit more, but the smaller ones a little less.

You'll have fun!!! I took the meat out of one and froze it and used it another day over pasta and it was out of this world, and still tasted smoky and was wonderful!

Cheers to delicious lobsters!!! - Leah


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## TulsaJeff

Smoked lobster tails are amazing.. here in Oklahoma we are lucky to even get ones that are more than 5-6 oz at most and many times they are frozen.

In my experience, they do not dry out and the smoke does not overpower the meat at all.

Here's how I do mine and they are to die for:

If frozen, let them thaw naturally in the fridge overnight
Split the shell as shown
Insert a skewer through the lobster to keep it from curling up
Place on a rack or directly on the grate
Smoke at 225 ° for about 45 minutes or until the meat reaches 145 °F
Drizzle melted butter mixed with a little lemon juice and a pinch of ground habanero down into the meat every 15 minutes while it smokes
You will not believe how amazing they are.
If the frozen ones taste this good, I can only imagine how good the fresh ones are!

Here's 4 I did a few weeks ago..













smoked-lobster-tails.jpg



__ TulsaJeff
__ Nov 7, 2013


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## backyardboss

Those do look awesome, maybe I'll do a trial run with Tails first.

Leah, I was wondering that, so you're essentially roasting them, if it's 400 deg. Best lobster i ever had was in a camp ground in Acadia Park and we did them right there on an open grate over a nice roaring fire. Roasted, had a subtle smoke and char to them and with butter, lemon and beer in hand they were phenomenal.

My issue is my smoker is a propane upright box with wide large grates, In other words anything smaller than, say a chicken wing, could fall right through and there is a lot of room in there. I'll have to see if they could squeeze themselves between the side walls and fall down. Haven't checked that yet, haven't had the need!

thanks for answering my questions, if I do this I'll try to remember some pics.


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## leah elisheva

Wonderful story and fond food memory Backyardboss!!! (Acadia Park). Fantastic stuff!

And wow, Jeff's lobster tails look beyond amazing too!!!!

Here's to delicious lobster! Cheers! - Leah


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## leah elisheva

Oh, Backyardboss, if you're looking for a wonderful _wine_  to pair with those special anniversary lobsters, then come join the fun *(and everyone on this thread is most certainly invited too, and any other pals of yours from other threads across this site) *in the new fun "wine group" that I am helping with.

It's a fun place where everyone can go to remember that "life is good again," and to raise a big goblet of gratitude and just find the "good" in every day!

We'll share postings of wine & smoked meal pairings, or wine marinades and brines, or wine wood chips, or anything wine related at all EXCEPT for the other form of "WHINE," as that's just not for upbeat people! Smiles.

So come join the fun, as wine is something better when it's shared. The more the merrier!

Cheers and warm wishes, Leah


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## markbeer

smoked lobsters with wine is a great anniversary dinner!


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## backyardboss

MarkBeer said:


> smoked lobsters with wine is a great anniversary dinner!





> hi ByB, I'd recommend that a little reading through this thread is all you need for that information, but I don't want to be one of those a-holes.
> 
> anyway, it'll take much longer than 30 minutes in the normal temp range of 220-250F. regardless of whether to use a meat probe, a looksee at the lobster once in a while will help better determine when it would be ready.  shells turning red and/or meat turning transulent white.
> 
> hope this helps a bit more.  good luck!


Not so sure where this came from, but I can assure you I read every post in the thread. My questions were simple enough- are the lobsters alive when they go in? Or perhaps steamed or boiled? If alive, what temp would keep them from remaining alive for an extended period of time? 225-250 wouldn't do that, however roasting them at 400 would. If that's made plain in this thread please point it out, I and others would appreciate that.

So I'm thankful that Leah would take the time to politely answer my questions, as they weren't readily answered elsewhere.


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## TulsaJeff

No problem at all Backyardboss.. at SMF, questions are never a bad thing


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## cliffcarter

Backyardboss said:


> Not so sure where this came from, but I can assure you I read every post in the thread. My questions were simple enough-1 are the lobsters alive when they go in? Or perhaps steamed or boiled? 2 If alive, what temp would keep them from remaining alive for an extended period of time? 225-250 wouldn't do that, however 3  roasting them at 400 would. If that's made plain in this thread please point it out, I and others would appreciate that.
> 
> So I'm thankful that Leah would take the time to politely answer my questions, as they weren't readily answered elsewhere.


I am not Leah but I can answer your questions.

1, Yes, they are alive, and there is no need to cook lobster before you cook it
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  , the only other effective way of killing them is to tear them apart, which is a bit messy and simply unnecessary. Contrary to popular belief, lobsters do not feel pain, their central nervous system is not like that of mammals or even other aquatic creatures.

2. 225° will kill them just as quickly as boiling water.

3. IMHO roasting them at 400° is the way to go with lobster, I've done it this way many times on the grill.


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## leah elisheva

You Rock CliffCarter!

Thanks tons for your great input here, and here's to we zany New Englanders who eat a hell of a lot of lobster, and therefore salivate from those out in other parts, who get caribou and fantastic finds like that!

Here's to it all! Cheers! - Leah


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