Backyard Lobster Bake

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Show: Easy Entertaining with Michael ChiarelloEpisode: Backyard Lobster

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (16)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(16)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Difficult
Yield:
8 to 10 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 0 min
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 2 hr 15 min

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15 pounds of seaweed (your fish person can get you some)

16 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters*

16 ears corn, shucked

5 pounds red potatoes, parboiled halfway in salted water

10 pounds large clams

1 (750 ml) bottle white wine

2 yards wet burlap

Special equipment: #3 galvanized washtub (easy to find at a local hardware store)

Start the fire 1 hour in advance, making sure the coals are white hot before you begin cooking.

Spread 1/2 of the seaweed on the bottom of the tub to protect the lobsters from burning. Place lobsters on top of seaweed. Place the corn on top of the lobster, and the potatoes on top of the corn. Arrange the raw clams on top of the vegetables and top with the remaining seaweed. Pour the wine into the tub. Place the wet burlap over the food and tuck the edges into the tub to retain the steam inside.

Place the tub on top of the coals. Every 15 minutes, moisten the burlap with water. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Serve the lobster bake strewn out on newspapers, with melted butter, piles of coarse sea salt, and favorite spices as condiments.

*Chef's Notes:

Do not buy lobsters that are over 5 pounds, as the meat tends to get stringy. Look for flexibility in the tail and a healthy sheen when selecting the lobster.

You can do this on a stovetop using the exact same method. Be sure to place the pot overlapping a couple of burners to get the heat you will need.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
Joanne lees summit, MO 10-25-2009
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mmmm....
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

well if they didnt taste so good we wouldn't have to eat them....it's called being at the top of the food chain, sorry mike... from d.c. you should try this recipe... delicous!Read more
recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
Mike Washington, DC 10-08-2009
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Baking a live animal to death is obscene.
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

The living animals die a slow and very painful death while being baked alive. There is no excuse for this kind of cruelty.
recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
Wendy Oregon, IL 08-30-2009
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Living in the Midwest
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

We did this last night as a family and it was so delicious and fun! We were feeding 6 people, and had less food to cook than... the recipe calls for. We used 6 1 1/4 pound lobsters, 6 pounds little neck clams, 3 pounds red potatoes, 8 pieces fresh corn on the cob and a bottle of chardonnay. We used a #2 tub. Because of the post by se from Brookin, ME below about the galvanized tub concerns, we did season our tub earlier in the week by filling it with water and letting it boil for several hours. We felt that would take care of any chemical issues. Seaweed is not available to us in that quantity in the midwest, so we used corn stalk leaves at the suggestion of a Seaweed expert in Maine. They worked perfectly. We followed the rest of the recipe exactly, pulling the tub at 35 minutes and letting it rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, we grilled andouille sausages and I also served eight hard boiled eggs (traditional east coast addition). We also made the bread that Michael did with the Old Bay butter. This was a family project, my husband, his best friend, and our three sons (17, 16,10). Everyone helped out and it was one of the most satisfying things we have ever done as a family. Fun, delicious...thank you Michael for doing a show about the great Lobster Bake!Read more
recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
se brookin, ME 06-21-2009
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Cooking in galvanized tubs
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Looking on some online sources I see information that cooking in galvanized tubs can put off harmful chemicals in the smoke... and possibly affecting the food depending on how things are set up, as the flame heats the tub, some sources say not to cook in any galvanized pot. Is anyone else concerned about this? Read more
recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
robert toledo, OH 10-22-2008
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A couple of questions before I start
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

What type of white wine (dry or sweet) Are the lobsters put in the washtub alive
recipe Backyard Lobster Bake
Talitha Phoenix, AZ 02-06-2007
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SO MUCH FUN!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this entire menu and followed everything to the letter. It came out PERFECT. I dazzled everyone in attendance... including a James Beard award winner! The hardest part was gathering everything. It is a party we plan to throw every year! Thank you Micheal!Read more