Lobster

[hawaii22]

Recently I tried cooking lobster, and it didn't turn out well. The meat was chewy and didn't taste real good. I had simply filled a pot with water and added salt, let it come to a boil, and put in the lobsters and timed it for 15 minutes.

Is there a better way to do this. Also, is there much difference between steaming and boiling lobsters?

 

[auntdot]

The amount of time to boil a lobster depends upon the size of the beast.

Don't know what the size of your lobsters were, but they may have been overcooked.

To me, for example, a one pound lobster I would boil for no longer than ten minutes or so.

 

[hawaii22]

i think they were a little over a pound each. there were two.

any opinion on whether boiling or steaming is better

 

[GB]

You should not notice a difference between boiled and steamed although a lot of people won't agree with me on that. I saw a show once that took place in Maine. They had people as well as local chefs taste both boiled and steamed lobsters and not a single person was able to tell which was which.

My preference is for steamed for one simple reason. When you crack open a steamed lobster there is a lot less water that comes pouring out.

 

[hawaii22]

i did notice alot of water came out ... that wasn't good. sounds like steaming may be the way to go. how long are they steamed for

 

[GB]

I think the last time I did it my lobsters were around 1.25 lbs and I steamed them for about 15 minutes or so. It might have even been a few minutes longer than that.

Make sure when you steam them that they are raised above the water somehow. If you can get your hands on seaweed then that is a great way to do it.

 

[Poppinfresh]

I tend to avoid water entirely when I do lobster. I prefer mine either broiled or smoked.

 

[hawaii22]

how do go about smoking them?

 

[ironchef]

Although it's not exactly economical, poaching lobster in either a butter/herb or olive oil/herb mixture gives it the best flavor IMO. Make sure you have a calibrated chef's thermometer to control the heat in the poaching liquid. It should be between 175-180.

 

[mish]

Pardon a stupid question, but we're talking dead lobster, right? I ask because, I didn't think Live lobsters would sit still long enough for steam. My friend brought them home live from a scuba diving trip. I know he put them in a pot of boiling water, but when he asked for a wire hanger, I left the kitchen. They were tasty though. Sorry, I'm probably not being much help -- but boiled tasted as good as, if not better than, eating lobster at a restaurant, imho.

 

[GB]

I don't even want to know what he did with the hanger

My lobsters go into the steam live.

 

[mish]

I don't even want to know what he did with the hanger

My lobsters go into the steam live.

Me neither, GB I think there is a membrane o remove. Don't want to think about it. Thanks for letting me know they can be steamed live. (Did they try to escape? lol)

The other thing that came to mind about the taste...

During the summer people sell bags of frozen small lobsters? langostino? or tails? near the Beach here -- any hew, they did not taste half as good as a Live cooked lobster. Hawaii, that might have something to do with the taste as well.

 

[Poppinfresh]

how do go about smoking them?

Pretty easily. I use a combination of apple and cherry chips whenever I do. Ya get the temperature to about 220 degrees, cut the membrane off the tails, and put them in the smoker shell side down, cook them for 5-10 minutes. Then you baste them with whatever (I usually use a pernod butter), flip em over and smoke them for another 25 minutes or so. You'll know they're done when the tail meat isn't transluscent anymore and the meat gets firm.

DISCLAIMER: This is assuming the lobster has already been parboiled. Where I live, live lobster is a pipe dream so the only way we get them is when they've already been processed/parboiled. If your lobster isn't bright red, you'll need to do this step

 

[jennyema]

Usually lobsters are tough because they are overlooked or very large.

Yours cooked for the right amount of time and weren't very big, so ????

It is important to know how heavy your lobsters are pretty exactly in order to guage cooking time, but for 1.25 lb. 12-15 min is the norm, and if you cooked them together, that would have been 15 min +.

I am a boiler because I am lazy and can't tell the difference bewteen boiled and steamed. And I don't like broiled or grilled because I love the taste of the lobster meat without the carmelization of the meat that direct heat brings on. Plus, I am lazy.

DONT COOK A DEAD LOBSTER unless you kill it immediately before cooking.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I'm a boiled lobster fan all the way. Have had too many steamed & broiled ones where the meat was dry. Steaming in particularly seems to end up with the meat adhering to the shell.

I usually buy lobsters between 1-1/4 & 2 pounds & cook them for 15 minutes - timed from when I put them into the boiling unsalted water, NOT from when the water comes back to a boil. I then remove them & let them rest, bottom side down, on a platter, which allows any excess water to drain out. Have yet to have any come out tough, underdone, or overdone.

 

[auntdot]

Am totally with GB on this.

Lived through too many lobster boils when we lived in New England, and you would have a sodden boiled lobster. Yech.

Own prefernce is baked stuffed.

Yes, one has to be careful how long to cook the critters, but if done right, don't believe there is anything better.

But will steam them.

Thanks for reminding me. Have not had lobster in a long time.

Time to go out and get a brace.