Cooking Lobster on the BBQ, from the Grocery Store to the Grill

When it's lobster time, you can't miss it. It's delicious and... it's even more delicious cooked on the BBQ, so we take advantage of it. 😉

If you're reading this article, it's probably because you're about to head to the grocery store to pick out some beautiful lobsters and you want to prepare them in the best way. Here, I'm going to talk more about live lobsters, but know that I also touch on "cooking" pre-cooked lobsters at the very end. If this is your first time cooking them, there's no need to worry; I'm here to give you all my tips and secrets to make sure everything goes well. 😊

We start with the basics, choosing your lobster .

The first thing I have to say about this is to take one that is alive. If there is a small mountain of lobster, I like to take the one that had to work its way to get to the top. If, in addition, it makes little waves with its claws when I look at it, I know that I have found my champion. 😎

Well... I'm exaggerating, but it's definitely important that you choose one that's alive. 😜 If you pick it up and it's very agitated and often lifts and folds its tail under its body for example, it's a good one.

The weight of the lobster is also important. I suggest you take one that weighs about 500 grams. For one person, this is a good amount. So, if you have several guests for dinner, plan on about 500 grams of lobster per person (you have a little math to do, but it's not a very complicated calculation 😉).

As for the gender, you can choose a male or female lobster. The difference in taste is not very pronounced, but some people have a preference for females because they have eggs in addition to the meat. It is also said that they have more meat and that it is finer, but in the end, it is really a matter of taste because both males and females are equally delicious.

To determine the sex of your lobster, turn it over on its back and look at the two small "hooks" located between the thorax and the tail. A female's are thin, soft and flexible, and a male's are quite hard, pointed and whitish. While the lobsters are of equal size, the female's tail is also wider than the male's, which is narrower.

Prepare the lobster

Once you have your lobster in hand, you will then need to cook it to eat it. And there are several ways to do this to prepare it for cooking.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the boiling technique because I find that the lobster loses its flavor when cooked this way. I recommend instead that you prepare it using one of the methods I'll discuss here; two methods that I use myself.

What I do is either cut off his head with a knife in one swift motion to separate it from the rest of his body, or I split him in half lengthwise, starting with the tip of my knife in the middle of his head. Either way, it's quick and effective.

If you prefer, you can put your lobster in the freezer for about ten minutes beforehand to put it to sleep, or even stun it, to make it easier.

Be careful though, you must do this step just before cooking . This is very important, because lobsters have harmful bacteria in their flesh. So if you wait too long, the bacteria will tend to multiply and release toxins that are not destroyed during cooking.

Sauces and seasonings

The best spice blends to pair with lobster in my opinion are theCaribbean BBQ Quebec dry rub and the California BBQ Quebec dry rub . Caribbean for its sweet and lemony mix that gives a perfect taste and California for its freshness.

On the sauce side, I think of the Samuraï BBQ Québec sauce with its fruity pineapple taste which is very interesting if you are a fan of Asian sauce (personally, I would serve it as a cold dip, next to cooked lobster). Otherwise, it is not a sauce, but melted butter, it is always phenomenal with lobster. 💯

And, if you're looking for the ultimate "sauce" for your lobster, I have it right here. 😎👇

We agree that the classic with lobster is, as I said, melted butter. BUT! There are usually two melted butter teams. The one that opts for garlic butter, and the one that prefers lemon butter. I say that garlic AND lemon butter, that's the dream. It's seriously delicious, especially with garlic and grilled lemon. Mmmm. 🤤

If you're interested in trying this too, here's how to make this heavenly butter:

Ingredients :

• 1 lemon
• 1 bulb of garlic
• ¼ lb salted butter
• California BBQ Quebec dry marinade, to taste

Preparation :

1. Preheat the BBQ to 500°F with a direct cooking zone.
2. Slice the lemon in half, then place the lemon halves on the grill, flesh side down. Grill the lemons for about 5 minutes, or until they have nice scoring lines.
3. Meanwhile, place the garlic bulb on the grill rack, and let it grill whole for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to blacken.
4. Remove ingredients from the BBQ when ready and let cool.
5. Melt the butter in a barbecue-safe container (the BBQ Québec Basting Kit is perfect for this 😉).
6. Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and add them to the melted butter. Then squeeze the lemon halves over the container to collect the juice, then sprinkle the California dry marinade over the preparation.
7. Mix and serve with the lobster.

BBQ cooking

Now that you know the basics, you are now ready to take action and cook lobster. And, since I have given you two ways to kill lobster, I will also give you a proper cooking technique for each of them.

Lobster with severed head

First, know that you will not eat the head side of the lobster, so you can simply discard it when you start cooking.

As for the body, here is how I suggest you prepare it:

1. Preheat the BBQ to 500°F with a direct cooking zone.
2. Prepare the garlic and lemon butter sauce (see above), then pass it through a sieve while it is still hot so that it does not contain large or hard pieces.
3. “Draw” the sauce into an injection syringe , then inject the mixture into the lobster’s tail and claws, inserting the needle into the thinnest areas (I recommend doing this under the tail and into the claw junction).
4. Once the lobster is well-filled with delicious butter, cook it on the BBQ, on its back, with its tail extended and its claws spread for about 8 minutes. Then turn it over and cook it for another 8 minutes on the grill, making sure to always extend its tail and claws well. When the lobster is nice and red and its flesh is firm and puffy and has an internal temperature of 145 °F or more (take the temperature by poking through the tail), remove the lobster from the barbecue.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Lobster split in two

If, on the other hand, you have cut your lobster in half lengthwise, here is what I suggest you do:

1. Preheat the BBQ to 500°F with a direct cooking zone. (If you are working with a charcoal or pellet grill, I recommend using maple charcoal or maple wood pellets. It will give a nice little smoky touch to your lobster too. 👌)
2. Prepare the garlic and lemon butter sauce (see above) and set aside.
3. Sprinkle the Caribbean dry marinade over the flesh of the lobster halves (optional).
4. Place the lobster pieces on the barbecue grill, flesh side up, then cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Brush the lobster halves with butter sauce, then grill, flesh side down, for about 2 minutes, or until the meat is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 145°F or higher.
6. Remove the lobster halves from the grill, place them flesh side up on a plate, then brush their flesh one last time with butter sauce.
7. Serve and enjoy!

In both cases, of course, you can also serve the lobster with Samurai sauce on the side, as I mentioned above if you want to vary the taste of your bites.

Oh! I would also like to mention that if you ever preferred to buy a lobster that was already cooked , you only have to reheat it on the barbecue, in the indirect cooking zone, for about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the piece you are working with (whether the lobster is whole or you only have the tail). Once the meat has an internal temperature of 145 °F or more, it is ready. You can then serve it all with the garlic and lemon butter "sauce" on the side on the plate.

And… that’s it!

Whichever method you use to enjoy your succulent lobster, I'm sure you'll freak out because it's so good. 😉

Happy BBQ! 🔥