Maine Lobster Picnic Made Easy with Portable Propane Steamer

Posted on June 21, 2023

Planning a big outdoor, family picnic with lots of Maine lobster? Make outdoor preparation easy and fast with a portable, propane lobster cooker. Working just like a gas grill, the big lobster pot sits outside on a portable burner with stand. The cooker keeps the heat, water and mess outside and away from the kitchen. And most important, it keeps the lobster close to the picnic tables and guests.

A portable cooker easily allows the chef to deftly pop the lobsters in an out and keep them coming for all the hungry guests. Ranging in size from 30 to 50 gallons, the bigger pots can cook up to ten or more medium sized Maine lobsters at a time.

Two Pound Steamed Maine Lobsters

There are many brands to choose from, but the quality lobster-pot set ups come with a stand, propane burner, aluminum pot with ridges and an internal steamer basket. This gives the cook the option of steaming the lobsters or boiling them. The internal basket is a must if you want to prepare hefty amounts of steamer clams, mussels, crabs or crawfish. The cook can also use the basket to make a clambake by adding, lobster, shellfish, potatoes, onions, corn and more.

Cooking Maine Lobster with Portable Gas Burner

A good quality unit with plenty of BTUs will get the water boiling fast and keep it boiling (Don’t skimp on the BTUs unless you have a lot of patience). Here are a few helpful hints:

Set the unit up away from foot traffic to avoid accidents but close to a water source so you can easily add water as needed.
Make sure to buy fresh Maine lobster and keep them cool right up until you are ready to cook them. A cooler holding just the lobster with plenty of frozen gel packs and wet newspaper is the best solution. Do not use ice or put them in fresh water. The lobsters will perish immediately in fresh water.
Fill the pot about 2/3 of the way and add two tablespoons of sea salt per gallon.
Lobster pot with steamer basket and portable gas burner makes outdoor cooking easy.
Set the burner to high and bring the water to a roiling boil. Place the live lobster head first into the pot one at a time. You may leave the bands on the claws.
Leave enough room in the pot so you can stir the lobsters from top to bottom so they cook evenly.
After the lobster are in the pot, allow the water to return to a roiling boil, cover the pot and start timing. A 1-½ pound lobster will be done in 14 minutes. Do not overcook. When done the lobster will be bright red and will usually float to the top of the pot.
To steam the lobster instead of boiling, add enough water to cover the bottom of the basket. Add salt. Bring water to a boil, add the lobster headfirst and cover. Stir the lobster a couple of times so they cook evenly. A 1-½ pound lobster will steam in 14 minutes.
As the lobster are cooked and removed you can add more to the pot to make it easy to keep them coming. Add water as needed.
Allow the lobsters to drain a minute before serving.

A word of caution, these portable units are built to hold the weight of all that hot water and the lobsters. Don’t go off and try to put a lobster pot on one of those small portable propane burners or stoves you might use to make an omelet on. The water weight alone will crush it.

Traditional Steamed Maine Lobster Recipe

Posted on June 19, 2023

STEAMED MAINE LOBSTER RECIPE

Outdoor cooking season leaves lobster chefs with the decision of either steaming or boiling lobster. The easiest way to cook, serve, and pick clean Maine Lobster is by boiling it. When it comes to steaming, this often gives the best results for eating. With a more gentle process of cooking lobster meat, steaming preserves its flavor and tenderness. This cooking technique makes it difficult to overcook the meat and can be forgiving with timing. Don’t wait to try this traditional steamed Maine lobster recipe.

How Long to Steam Maine Lobster Recipe?

Traditional Lobster Kettle

The first step is to obtain some freshly caught old shell Maine lobster that is available up to 2.5 pounds. Older shell lobsters are usually stronger and healthier with more meat than new shell lobster. When you choose the lobster that’s right for your meal use a big four to five-gallon kettle or pot with a tight lid and a bottom steaming rack. This size pot should be able to easily handle up to eight pounds of lobster. When placing the lobsters in the pot make sure to not crowd to avoid uneven results.

Begin cooking by adding two to three inches of sea water to cover the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have access to the Atlantic Ocean you can use filtered fresh water and add lots of sea salt; one to two tablespoons per quart.

Place the steaming rack inside the pot and use high heat to bring the water to a roiling boil. If you wish, you may remove the rubber lobster claw bands. One at a time, place the live lobster head first into the pot and cover. Start timing the lobster and do not overcook.

Lobster Steaming Times (Old Shell Weight)

1 pound, 8-10 minutes
1 ¼ pounds, 10-12 minutes
1 ½ pounds, 12-14 minutes
1 ¾ pounds, 15-17 minutes
2 pounds, 16-18 minutes
2 ½ pounds, 18-20 minutes
3 pounds, 20-30 minutes
5 pounds, 35-45 (or more) minutes

*If you’re using new shell lobster reduce time by 3 minutes.

Halfway through the allotted cook time, open the lid and move the lobster around in the pot. Shifting is important for an even cook. You may add a little more water if necessary. To determine when the lobsters are fully cooked the lobster shell will be bright red and the meat white.

What’s the best way to tell when the lobsters are done?

Large lobsters’ shell can be red but may not be fully cooked and lobsters on top of the pot may not have cooked as quickly as the ones on the bottom. A great way to see if your lobster is done is to give one of the lobster antennae a pull while in the steamer pot. If the antenna pops off it’s a good indicator of being fully cooked. You can also use tongs to remove one lobster and cut a small slice at the bottom of the tail to see if the meat is fully white.

Allow steamed lobster to drain for a minute since it will continue to cook for a minute even after it’s taken out of the pot. When setting a time keep this in mind to avoid overcooking. You may pierce the body and tail with a knife to help drain the water. Then serve right away with a side of melted butter and a slice of lemon.

Boston and Cape Cod Holidays Lobster

Get the Dad Who Thinks He Already Has Everything Something Really Lively this Fathers Day

Posted on June 18, 2023

Send Dad A Father’s Day Lobster Dinner Gift

Looking for an uber cool gift for Dad this Father’s Day? Whether sharing the day, or sending a gift from afar, what does a good son or daughter gets for a father who thinks he has everything?

Well, think lobster. That’s what thousands of good children do!

Thanks to a Cape Cod lobster online service, Dad can now go over the top on his big day with a big box of live Maine lobster delivered right to his door. Whether in California, Colorado or Kansas City, Dad can receive an entire lobster clambake packed up and complete with jumbo live lobster, homemade chowders and freshly harvested steamer clams. There is even a cook pot available to make the gift complete

A fabulous Fathers Day Lobster Dinner feast

There are several lobster online services that offer up all size live Maine lobster that only hours earlier were swimming in the cool, crisp clean waters off New England. Right from the lobster boats, onto the dock and into the modern shipping facilities, the lobster are carefully inspected prior to travel. Only select grade lobster and freshly harvested clams and oysters are chosen to make the trip.

You don’t have to go to Maine

“Each year we ship lobster clambakes to hundreds and hundreds of dads for Father’s Day. Jumbo Maine lobster – five and six pounds – have been very popular in the last couple of years,” said Wayne Howe, marketing manager for Lobsters-Online.Com. “We take great delight in the idea that perhaps somewhere in New Mexico, a Father may hear his door bell ring and there stands a delivery driver holding a specially prepared travel cooler full of lobster that only hours earlier were swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. What a super surprise.”

Popular Gift Ideas

The New England Lobster Clambake is a tradition older than America itself. According to historical lore, the pilgrims first learned about the lobster from Native Americans. The pilgrims watched Native Americans gather lobster, clams, mussels and fish and prepare them on the beach.

The Fathers Day lobster dinner clambake features live lobster, Ipswich steamer clams, mussels and Cape Cod clam chowder along with an optional enamel steel cooking pot. Jumbo five and six pound lobsters are a treat for Dads who really love their lobster. The 1.5 pound lobster is a favorite for cooking on the grill. Available fresh lobster tails make any party better. Recipes and information on how to steam lobster are free.

All live lobsters are shipped for overnight delivery. The lobster and seafood are carefully placed in special insulated cartons. Individual compartments protect the live lobster from harming one another during their flight. The cooler is packed with gel ice packs and wet seaweed. And best of all, an order placed online by 2:30 p.m. EST can be part of a feast anywhere in the USA the very next day. Saturday delivery is available in most areas.

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