Grilled Lobster Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 (2 lb) whole lobsters


• Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt


• 1/2 large red onion, sliced into 1/2” slabs


• 1/4 cup minced chives


• Lemon wedges, for serving


• 4-6 top split sandwich/hot dog rolls, toasted

For the spread:

• 3 parts mayonnaise


• 1 part Kozlik’s Dijon Classique Mustard

For the compound butter:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature


• 1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning


• 1 tsp Killer Hogs Hot Sauce


• Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

To make the compound butter, combine the unsalted butter, Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning, Killer Hogs Hot Sauce and lemon zest in a small bowl and mix well. Keep at room temperature.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water (1/4 cup salt per gallon of water) with the Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt.

To dispatch the lobsters, place the tip of a butcher knife on top of the head of the lobster, directly on the crease down the center of the head, with the blade side of the knife toward the front of the lobster’s head. Plunge the knife straight down through the lobster’s head and slice down through the head to the front of the lobster.

Drop the lobsters into the boiling water, head first. Let boil for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, lift each lobster up and hook its curled tail over the edge of the pot, so that the tail is out of the water, but the claws are still submerged. Boil the claws and additional 3 minutes.

Remove the lobsters from the pot of boiling water and immediately submerge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Let chill for about 10 minutes.

Remove the tail by twisting from the base of the tail and pulling. Slice the tail in half through the bottom of the tail, but do not slice all the way though. Leave the top of the tail intact. Pop open the tail, exposing the meat. Remove any dark matter from the digestive tract.

Remove the claws and knuckles. Use kitchen shears to cut them open and remove the meat. Dice the claw and knuckle meat into large bite sized pieces.

Remove the legs with the shears. Snip the ends of the legs. Using a rolling pin (or wine bottle), press down on the end of a leg and roll toward the opposite end. This should squeeze the meat out the end of the leg shell. Repeat with all legs.

Light two chimneys of charcoal in the bed of your Yoder Smokers Flat Top Adjustable Charcoal Grill. When the charcoal is ready, dump and spread the coals out. Keep the charcoal close to the grate (highest level).

Brush the meat of the split tails with a layer of the compound butter. Grill over direct heat, meat side down, until lightly charred. Remove the tails from the grill. Remove the meat from the shell. Dice into large bite sized pieces.

Place the slabs of red onion on the grill, as well. Grill until lightly charred and slightly softened. Remove and dice.

You might also enjoy: Grilled Lobster Tails

Place a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Griddle over the coals. Add 4-6 tbsp of the compound butter to the skillet. Add the diced claw, knuckle meat and leg meat to the skillet, as well as the grilled tail meat. Toss to coat and warm in the butter. Leave just long enough to warm and coat.

Mix together the dijon-mayo. Spread this inside of the bun with the mixture. Fill the buns with the butter dressed lobster and top with the grilled onion and minced chives. Serve the Grilled Lobster Rolls immediately.