Mistake :(

So I made the mistake of buying two 5# lobsters and they were way to tough. We had a dinner for four and I decided to go for huge presentation instead of normal 2# guys. That was a bad idea the shells on the claw were way to thick and the timing was way off too since the meat was so thick. Taste wise it was ok but not as tender.

tl;dr Buy 1-2# lobsters.

5 lbs isn't that much, you must've just cooked them too long or something...were they live?

Yeah they were live. The claw shell was super thick which I think allowed them to overretain the heat. A 5# lobster is pretty big, while its not to big to eat I still prefer the smaller ones as I think they are more tender and sweeter.

The rest of the meal was good: Mussel appetizer, green beans, potatoes, and steak. I just thought the lobster wasn't up to the same level as the other dishes and I'm pretty good at cooking seafood.

You will lose a lot of sweetness of the meat, as well as you mentioned, they will get a bit tougher as they get older - when I was in PEI (lobster central!) the fisherman told me not to go much over 2lb and you will be good to go.

no0t sure how you cooked em - but my preference is to parboil them for a minute or two - then cut em down the middle and grill those bad boys up, some clarified garlic/herb butter to baste - grill marks + lobster + butter = amazing

You will lose a lot of sweetness of the meat, as well as you mentioned, they will get a bit tougher as they get older - when I was in PEI (lobster central!) the fisherman told me not to go much over 2lb and you will be good to go.

no0t sure how you cooked em - but my preference is to parboil them for a minute or two - then cut em down the middle and grill those bad boys up, some clarified garlic/herb butter to baste - grill marks + lobster + butter = amazing
How do you gauge doneness on the grill? For boiling you can basically have it down to a science of x minutes for a given size lobster. It seems like it's guesswork on the grill since temperature control isn't as simple.

the important thing here is, how are you at cooking BACON????

I actually much prefer my lobster under done than over - typically when it goes from a translucent color to nice char marks and a more white'ish color, it is ready to be eatn - no more than 3 minutes per side on fairly hot grill.

Badmofo I bought a pound of BACON today and I will post pics of my BACON in the BACON thread.
I actually much prefer my lobster under done than over - typically when it goes from a translucent color to nice char marks and a more white'ish color, it is ready to be eatn - no more than 3 minutes per side on fairly hot grill.
I figured with lobster (as with most seafood) you go from translucent goo to perfectly done to overcooked in a very short window.

That is true - thats why I would take it under done vs. over.

As well, if you buy your lobster fresh/live - you can eat it a bit in the center, in fact, thats how most top chefs will prepare it more times than not.

That is true - thats why I would take it under done vs. over.

As well, if you buy your lobster fresh/live - you can eat it a bit in the center, in fact, thats how most top chefs will prepare it more times than not.

The green stuff? My family loves the green stuff, but I've never gotten the courage to try it

Yeah they were live. The claw shell was super thick which I think allowed them to overretain the heat. A 5# lobster is pretty big, while its not to big to eat I still prefer the smaller ones as I think they are more tender and sweeter.

you didn't dunk them in ice water to stop the cooking process?

you didn't dunk them in ice water to stop the cooking process?

Nope missed that step. I had a bunch of other things going and I fucked up my mise and didn't have the ice bath ready. The head and tail weren't overcooked since the tommally (green stuff) was still runnyish, just the claws got a bit overdone for my liking. Next time I'll just get the 1.25-2# guys and will probably wait to get the Spiny Lobsters.

You will lose a lot of sweetness of the meat, as well as you mentioned, they will get a bit tougher as they get older - when I was in PEI (lobster central!) the fisherman told me not to go much over 2lb and you will be good to go.

no0t sure how you cooked em - but my preference is to parboil them for a minute or two - then cut em down the middle and grill those bad boys up, some clarified garlic/herb butter to baste - grill marks + lobster + butter = amazing


That is where I grew up and that is certainly the rule of thumb...The problem is one day you will have a 5LB lobster & will be the greatest thing you have ever eaten, but the next time it is tough as hell...It is really hard to tell, so usually you stick around 2LB or less.