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Smoked Lobster Tail Recipe: How to Make Smoked Lobster Tail

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Dec 25, 2023 • 3 min read

When it comes to seafood recipes, smoked lobster tails are a simple yet decadent dish that will please even the most difficult of dinner guests. Read on for a step-by-step recipe for making succulent lobster tails.

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What Is Smoked Lobster Tail?

Smoked lobster tail is a BBQ-inspired dish that involves cooking the tails of this popular crustacean in a smoker. Commercial fishers catch and sell whole lobsters for the prized morsels of tender meat beneath their hard shells. The meaty lobster tail is where the bulk of the lobster meat resides; female lobsters tend to have larger tails, which means more meat.

Boiling lobster tails is the most common method of cooking them, but smoking this delicate shellfish over indirect heat results in a tender dish infused with a smoky flavor.

4 Tips for Smoked Lobster Tail

Whether you’re a pellet smoker pro or just starting to experiment with the art of meat smoking, follow these tips to make a perfectly smoked lobster tail.

  1. 1. Experiment with seasonings. Customize any smoked lobster recipe to incorporate the seasonings of your choice. Brighten up your herb butter with add-ins like Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and fresh lemon juice.
  2. 2. Switch up the wood chips. Experiment with different wood chips in your smoker to achieve variations in smoke flavor. Subtler, fruitier woods, like applewood and cherrywood, will infuse the meat with a mild flavor. Hickory, pecan, and mesquite result in a more intense smoky taste. Learn more about wood chips.
  3. 3. Cook the lobster correctly. Overcooking these delicate crustaceans is easy to do, but it will yield an unpleasantly chewy dish. Use a high-quality meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the lobster tail as it smokes. Remove the tails from the smoker when they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature will continue to rise by a few degrees once you remove the tails from the heat.
  4. 4. Store properly. It’s ideal to enjoy cooked lobster immediately, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For long-term storage, remove the smoked lobster meat from its shell and store it in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the meat to cool to room temperature before storing it in your freezer in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat your lobster tails, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Homemade Smoked Lobster Tail Recipe

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12 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

4 lobster tails

prep time

15 min

total time

35 min

cook time

20 min

Ingredients

Note: Total time does not include 5 minutes of inactive time.

  1. 1

    Preheat a smoker to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. 2

    Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, carefully cut a line down the center of the top of one of the lobster tail shells to expose the meat. Hook your fingers under the shell to gently pry it open, and pull the meat out, so it sits on top of the shell, leaving it attached at the base of the tail. Repeat this process with each lobster tail.

  3. 3

    In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

  4. 4

    Add the minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to the melted butter, and remove the pan from the heat.

  5. 5

    Using a pastry brush, baste the garlic butter over the lobster tail meat. Save about a ¼ of the garlic butter mixture to apply at the end of smoking.

  6. 6

    Place the lobster tails on the smoker grill grates over indirect heat, and cook them until the meat is opaque and the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit, about 15–20 minutes.

  7. 7

    Transfer the tails to a plate and brush them with the remaining garlic herb butter. Allow the lobster to cool for 5 minutes before serving it with additional melted butter sauce for dipping.

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