How to BBQ a Lobster Tail

Introduction

No meal better captures the savory flavors of summer than a scrumptious barbecue lobster tail. The rich, buttery lobster meat is a perfect compliment to sweet or spicy BBQ sauces and cold beer or a tangy side of creamy coleslaw. Despite its popularity, many seafood lovers find the lingo, tools, and techniques required to prepare lobster more than a little bit intimidating. In reality, learning how to BBQ a lobster tail is straightforward and doesn’t require you to obtain a culinary degree before breaking out your favorite apron and firing up the grill. In fact, lobster can be made within 30-minutes and ready to enjoy.

At Pure Food Fish Market we’ve been helping people discover the joy of cooking quality seafood for over a century. In this post we’ll help you understand exactly how to BBQ a lobster tail with step-by-step instructions, from preparation to cooking and serving a delicious delicious dish that will be reminisced on for years to come. 

Preparing a Lobster Tail

There are several commonly used methods of preparing lobster for cooking. However, because BBQ lobster is almost always grilled (unless you’re making BBQ lobster tails in foil), we recommend the classic, tried-and-true butterfly technique. The butterfly method of preparation is fairly simple and it’s the best way to ensure that the tail meat cooks quickly, thoroughly, and evenly. Additionally, the butterfly method allows you to easily apply a generous coat of your favorite sauce or marinade.

To butterfly a lobster tail just follow the directions below:

1. Rinse your lobster and gently dry.
2. Separate the lobster tail from the 
3. Place the lobster tail on a cutting board and use kitchen shears to cut along the top of the tail, directly down the middle, toward the tail fins.
4. When cutting the shell, you’ll also cut the tail meat - that’s fine! If the meat isn’t cut all of the way through, use a knife to make sure that the tail meat is cut about halfway through along the length of the tail.
5. Pull the two halves of the tail apart, like you’re opening the pages of a book.
6. When you’re finished, the lobster tail meat should be splayed open and fully exposed but not separated. 

How to BBQ a Lobster Tail

Once your lobster tail is neatly butterflied and ready to BBQ, it’s time to prepare your oven, grill, or campfire for cooking. There are several ways to cook BBQ lobster tail, but in this section we’ll review instructions for cooking on a grill, as this is the most popular way to make BBQ lobster tail. 

Brush the exposed tail meat with your favorite marinade or sauce, then place your lobster tail flesh side down on the cooking surface. Let the lobster tail cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until lightly charred. Then, flip the lobster tails shell side down and let them sit for another 5 minutes, allowing the tail to cook through completely.

One of the best parts about lobster is how quickly the perfect dish can come together. On average, lobster only needs to be cooked for about 10 minutes. 

Essential Tools and Tips for BBQing Lobster

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are a few bonus tips to make your BBQ lobster tails even better:

• Before grilling the lobster tail, place two skewers through the full length of the tail. This will keep the tail from contracting when it’s exposed to heat.
• Lobster is a rich meat, so consider serving your BBQ lobster tail with a lighter, more acidic side that will brighten the meal. 
• If you’re cooking on a charcoal grills or simply using the open coals of toasty campfire, you can actually cook BBQ lobster tails in foil. To cook lobster tail this way, simply butterfly the lobster tails then cover the meat with your marinade or sauce. Wrap the tails in tinfoil and in coals or charcoal. Check the tails after about 10 minutes of cooking time. That’s the extent of learning how to BBQ lobster in foil!

Conclusion

We take pride in offering the highest quality seafood to our customers. Our super jumbo colossal lobster tails are a mouthwatering meal that serve up to 4 people per tail! The best part? You can order them online from the comfort of your home without standing in line at the store. Rest assured knowing that you can rely on top-notch service from Pure Food Fish Market. Outstanding customer service has been our goal for 4 generations.