I really like lobster. Lobster tails, lobster rolls (butter, no mayo), lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese...I think you get my point. But, despite my admiration of this crustacean, I have never tackled cooking lobster at home.
I often spend Saturday and Sunday mornings thinking about what to cook while lying in bed. That process includes looking through recipes I saved earlier in the week, reading or watching videos on the NYT Food page, or indulging in new addiction, the HowToBBQRight YouTube channel. I don't know what it is about Malcolm Reed, or his food, but there is something endearing about him. I started reading his recipes and watching his videos when we first bought the Green Egg, but a year in, something about his food keeps me coming back.
So, when I came across Malcolm's Grilled Lobster Tail video, my worlds collided! Lobster on the grill? My time had come!
As you can see, our lobster dinner turned into surf and turf night. The lobster itself was easier than I thought to make, but the timing of the lobster and the steak was hard using one grill. We solved that problem by firing up both the Big Green Egg and our Weber Performer grill.
For the Surf
We followed the Grilled Lobster Tail recipe exactly, using the Weber Performer grill. I bought lobsters that were flash frozen from Whole Foods and ran them under cold water for about 10 minutes to completely defrost them. The most important step in Malcom's video is to cut down the shell of the lobster to exposure the flesh. No matter what size lobsters you get, do not skip this step. You need to expose the flesh for cooking and you need to be able to get the flesh out of the shel after it is cooked. This step makes sure that both happen!
We cooked the lobster at 375 degrees, indirect. The cooking times in the video are spot on. Adjust the amount of butter you use in the butter basting sauce based on the amount of lobster you are cooking. I cooked two 4-ounce tails and only used one stick of butter, with plenty of the butter basting sauce left over.
For the Turf
Malcolm was the inspiration here, once again! We followed his Grilled Filet Mignon on the Big Green Egg recipe, using two 4-ounce filets. We rubbed them in olive oil, salt and pepper while the Green Egg was getting hot. The cooking time was the easy part - two minutes each side on direct heat (grill was at 650-700 degrees) - then shut off the heat and let the steak sit for 3-4 minutes in the grill and another 10 minutes off the grill, covered in foil.
Malcom made a compound butter, but my advice is to make the butter recipe your own. I only used one stick of softened, unsalted butter, one head of roasted garlic, one shallot, salt and pepper, and a mix of fresh parsley, rosemary and thyme. I threw all of the ingredients in a bowl and mashed it together, although as you will see, my butter was a little chunkier than Malcolm's. My knife wasn't super sharp and I wasn't in the mood to totally mince everything perfectly, so you will see some small chunks of shallot and garlic in there. It still tasted great and to me, that is what mattered!
If you are crazy enough to have two grills, or if you have an easier time controlling your temperature on one, make sure to cook your steaks first. While the steaks are resting for 10 minutes, cook your lobster. Timing wise, this should work out perfectly. Once you pull those lobsters off the grill, you are ready to eat, so get everyone to the table toot sweet!
One last thing, this meal has a lot of butter. I did use less than what was in Malcom's recipe, including the dollop of butter I put on our steak. A small amount goes a long way. And, you won't need extra butter to dip that lobster meat in. The butter bath that you give it on the grill is more than enough.
Serve this with a red wine that is super juicy and has a lot of fruit. We had a 2014 Syrah from Kobler Estate Winery that was amazing! It cut through the butter and just brought out the succulence of both the lobster and filet. It was the perfect pairing!
This meal seems like a lot of steps, but it sounds more involved than it is. When you are in the mood to indulge, try this meal. I promise you that it will be worth it!