Smoked Lobster Tails
These smoked lobster tails are about as simple as fancy food gets. You cut the shells, lift the meat up over the top, hit it with lemon pepper, and let the tails ride low and slow on the smoker while you baste them with a garlic herb butter. Tender, smoky, dripping with butter, and done in about an hour.
Author’s Notes
Lobster Cooks Fast, So Stay Close
Lobster cooks really quick, so I just gotta be careful not to overcook it, cause the meat will turn tough on you. You want it nice and tender, and that’s the whole game with this cook.
Make sure your lobster tails are a medium size too. If you go with too big of a lobster, that usually means tougher meat. 6 to 8 ounces is the way to go.
This one makes a perfect dinner if you’re into seafood. And lemon pepper is just a really good all around seafood seasoning, it earns its spot on these tails.
Miguel
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Lobster tails | Four medium tails, 6 to 8 ounces each. I cooked seven when I made these, so scale up easy if you’re feeding a crowd. |
| Lemon pepper seasoning | The only seasoning on the meat. |
| Unsalted butter | 8 ounces, which is two sticks. It sounds like a lot until you taste it. |
| Garlic, lemon paste, Italian seasoning | These go into the butter. About four minced cloves, a teaspoon of zesty lemon paste, and a shake or two of Italian seasoning. |
| Fresh lemon | Optional squeeze at the end. |
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
How I Made These Smoked Lobster Tails
Here’s the whole cook. The temps and details live in the recipe card.
- I cut through the top of each shell with kitchen shears, going from the opening down toward the tail. Go easy here, the shells are sharp and so are the shears.
- I lifted the meat up and out of the shell, kept it attached at the tail, and draped it right over the top of the shell so it sits up there like a crown.
- Seasoned the meat with lemon pepper. That’s the whole prep.
- While the smoker came up to temp, I melted the butter in a small pot with the garlic, lemon paste, and Italian seasoning, and let it all get to know each other over low heat.
- The tails went on the smoker low and slow, and I hit them with that garlic herb butter about every 10 minutes.
- When they hit temp, I pulled them, let them rest a few minutes, and served them with more of that butter for dipping and a squeeze of fresh lemon over the top.
Why Low and Slow Works for Smoked Lobster Tails
Lobster is delicate. Blast it with high heat and the window between perfect and rubbery is about a minute wide. Running the smoker at a gentle temperature stretches that window way out, so you’ve got time to baste, check temps, and pull the tails right when they’re done instead of two minutes after. The smoke is the bonus. It settles into that exposed meat the whole time, and the butter basting keeps everything glossy and rich while it happens.
Make-Ahead and Butter Notes
The garlic herb butter can be made ahead, just refrigerate it and warm it back up until it’s melted before you cook. Save whatever’s left in the pot after basting and pour it into little dishes for dipping at the table, cause nobody’s ever complained about extra garlic butter. Leftover smoked lobster tails are rare around here, but if it happens, chop the meat cold into a lobster roll instead of reheating it.
Miguel’s Tips
- Sharp kitchen shears make the shell cut easy. Dull ones make it a wrestling match.
- Baste every 10 minutes or so. Every pass builds another layer of that garlic herb flavor.
- Pull at 145 and not a minute later. Overcooked lobster turns tough, and there’s no bringing it back.
- Skip the sweet rubs on this one. Lemon pepper and butter is the lane.
Smoked Lobster Tails FAQ
What temperature do you smoke lobster tails at?
250 degrees F, until the thickest part of the meat reaches 145 degrees F internal. For medium 6 to 8 ounce tails that usually lands somewhere under an hour, but go by the thermometer, not the clock.
Can I make these without a smoker?
Yes. A grill set up for indirect heat or an oven at the same 250 degrees F will cook them just as gently, and the butter basting works the same. You give up some of the smoke flavor, and everything else holds.
What can I use instead of lemon paste?
Fresh lemon zest with a small squeeze of juice gets you close. The paste is more concentrated, so a zested lemon plus a teaspoon of juice in the butter covers the same ground.
Related Recipes
More seafood off the fire: my Cajun Honey Grilled Lobster Tails take the tails hot and sweet instead, the Butter Lemon Pepper Shrimp runs this same flavor combo on a faster cook, the Smoked Garlic Butter Shrimp brings the smoke and the butter together too, and the Hot Honey Lobster Rolls are where leftover lobster wants to end up.
Smoked Lobster Tails with Garlic Herb Butter
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Using kitchen shears, carefully cut through the top of each lobster shell from the opening toward the tail. Be careful, the shell edges can be sharp.
- Gently pull the shell apart and lift the lobster meat up and out while keeping it attached at the tail. Drape the meat over the top of the shell so it sits on top.
- Season the lobster meat generously with lemon pepper seasoning.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the minced garlic, lemon paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir together and let it gently warm so the garlic and herbs infuse. Use right away, or refrigerate and warm back up until melted before serving.
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
- Place the lobster tails on the smoker with the meat sitting on top of the shell. Cook low and slow, basting with the garlic herb butter about every 10 minutes.
- Continue cooking until the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Go by the thermometer rather than the clock, since lobster overcooks quickly.
- Remove from the smoker and let the tails rest for a few minutes. Serve with your favorite sides, plenty of garlic herb butter for dipping, and a squeeze of fresh lemon over the top if you like.
Notes
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