Smoked Lobster Tail Recipe
Skip the rubbery, overcooked lobster and let the smoker do the heavy lifting. A little butter, a little smoke, and suddenly you’ve got juicy, flavorful lobster that tastes way more complicated than it actually is. After years of cooking on my smoker and testing what actually works, my recipe delivers juicy buttery lobster every time!
Servings 2 lobster tails
Calories 182kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lobster tails 5-7 ounces each is standard size.
- 1 ½ tablespoons melted unsalted butter See notes.
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves Minced Minced
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning Feel free to use your favorite seafood seasoning.
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 300 degrees.
- Pat the lobster dry and use kitchen shears to butterfly the lobster tails. Take the shears and slice through the top shell down the middle until you reach the base of the tail (fin). You’ll also cut into the meat, which will butterfly it and cause it to sit better on the shell.
- Then flip the lobster tail over and press down on the ribs until you hear them crack. This will help release the meat when you go to butterfly it.
- Turn the lobster tail over and open up the shell. Remove the vein from the lobster if it hasn't been deveined and wash the tail.
- Press along the edges of the shell on both sides to loosen up the meat. Keep the meat attached to the shell. Lift up the meat from the shell and lay it over the shell.
- Combine the butter, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Brush it over the tails. I like to use half of the butter sauce for when the lobsters go on the smoker and then I drizzle the remaining sauce over the lobster tails once they have finished cooking.The amount of garlic butter you will need will vary based on the size of your lobster tails. Add more if necessary.
- Smoke the lobster tails until they reach an internal temperature of 130-145 degrees. The tail should be completely white with no grey translucent color.
Notes
- Feel free to double the recipe and ingredients. Cook the amount that you need.
- The amount of butter used in this recipe assumes more dipping of butter once the lobster is cooked. Feel free to reduce the ingredients in half or by whatever suits your taste.
- Cook time will vary depending on the size of the lobster you use. You will need to watch it and check on it as it cooks, to avoid overcooking it. If you overcook the lobster it will be rubbery and tough.
- If you’ve never butterflied lobster, it may take some practice. You may not get it right the first or second time.
- Butterflying allows heat from the smoker, to penetrate every piece of the tail’s meat. It allows the lobster tail to cook evenly, so you don’t overcook it.
- I get colossal, large lobster tails from Lobsteranywhere.
Nutrition
Serving: 1lobster tail | Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 8g