SLOW-COOKED COFFEE-RUBBED BRISKET Notes from the Cooker, Traveler, Master Gardener and Serious Sipper of Creative Cocktails
THE PERFECT LOBSTER ROLL Our annual BOYZ weekend at my house is over, and it was a huge success. No small factor in that success was the food we all brought to the table. I made my lobster rolls, and got thumbs-up from all who tried them. Last year, I was having dinner at The Boat House restaurant in Tiverton, RI, with my buddy, Lee, who lives in Maine half the year, and we started talking about what makes the perfect lobster roll. Often, when you go to a restaurant and order one, they’ll first ask if you want it cold with mayonnaise or warm with butter. (A warm lobster roll with melted butter, we were told by our bartender, Cayce, is called “Connecticut style.”) The three of us discussed the mayonnaise-to-lobster ratio, and other significant factors. The final conclusion was that everyone likes their lobster roll a little differently. It’s certainly easy to go to a clam shack or seafood restaurant to get one, but nothing beats making one yourself.
One of our favorite restaurants here in Rhode Island is Fluke Newport in…well…Newport. We’ve dined there for years, but big changes happened last summer when they hired a new chef. We met Chef Eddie Montalvo just after he had arrived at Fluke, and we were impressed with his new menu. We came back for another visit just over a month ago, and meeting Eddie again, we thought we would invite him and his family to our home someday for a visit. Well, that “someday” is tomorrow, and the reality that I’m going to be cooking for a real chef for the first time in my life is making me a bit nervous!
When I make my own lobster rolls, freshness is key. I always start with live lobsters. I get them from my lobster man I went to Twitter for some help. Since I follow a number of chefs, I asked the question: buddy, Gary, just down the street at his dock in Tiverton, cooking 3 tablespoons brown sugar RI. Gary’s brother runs the Sakonnet LobsterI’m Company onfor a real chef for the first time. What’s the #1 tip you can give me? Only one chef answered, but it was none other than Andrew Zimmern, and he said simply: “Be Sakonnet Point in Little 1 tablespoon Kosher salt Compton, RI. yourself.” Be myself? think can removed fake that!!!! AfterYeah…I the lobsters haveIbeen from the pot and have cooled for a few minutes, I 1 tablespoon (use your the next step is to Once you’veground bought coffee your live lobster, get to work: cracking the claws and tail and removing every bit of beautiful meat I can cook it right. Some people steam and some people boil. I’vethinking…Chef find. Lobster lovers will tell you that the legs have meat in them andthat. that the tomalfavorite) So I started Eddie works with seafood all some day at Fluke. Skip He’s always been a boiler myself. I fill a large pot half-way with ley (the green liver and pancreas) and roe (eggs) are delicacies not to be missed. For the Italian and makes amazing homemade pasta. Skip that. What do I love to cook and do 1 teaspoon water andgranulated add sea salt.garlic I bring it to a rolling boil before the purpose of making lobster salad, I don’t use these parts. But I do save the tomalley and pretty well…? Barbecue! lobsters go in. And then I do the math… roe for a separate treat…and I save all the legs and cleaned empty shells for lobster stock. 1 teaspoon granulated onion
Ingredients:
I boil my unsweetened lobsters for 10 minutes 3 1 teaspoon cocoa for the first Ipound. have Ia add beautiful grass-fed Angus New Zealand in my freezer. That’s whatthem Cleaning lobster legs beef is easy: simply removebrisket all the legs from the body and place minutes per pound for each additional poundIthereafter. on a cutting board. Grab ameal. rolling Barbecued pin, and one at a time, roll the pin over sweet the lobster need to For make! flat A simple, comfort-food brisket…twice-baked powder example, a 2-pound lobster should boil for 13 minutes and
legs,salad…and starting at theasclaw and working your wayrecipe up. Like tube of toothpaste, potatoes…a big old an end appetizer: my no-fail foraOysters Rock-a- the a 1 1/2-pound lobster should boil for 11 1/2 minutes. And if meat will squeeze right out of the leg! (OK,3 I had to get a little seafood in there.) I’m boiling more than one lobster, the same Fellow! rule applies: 2-lb. lobsters = 6 pounds. So 10 minutes for the first pound, Now for the important stuff. What goes in a lobster roll, and more importantly, what When smoke xmy brisket in my Idoesn’t… use a coffee that I developed a couple of years ago. It gives a plus 3 Iminutes 5 for each low-and-slow extra pound (that’s 15) smoker, for a I havesteak very rub strong opinions in this matter. total of 25 crust minutes. times are is forjust hardfantastic. shell lobsters. deep, rich to (These the meat that I reduce the boiling time by 3 minutes if I’m cooking softFirst, there should NEVER be anything green in a lobster roll! No celery, no pickle, shell lobsters.) it certainly shouldn’t be sitting on a bed of lettuce! Nothing should be crunchy in a Depending on the size of the brisket, you might need to and double the recipe. lobster roll! The magic is in the texture of the perfectly cooked lobster meat. Don’t mess Remember, you’re going by total weight of all the lobsters, with it! Ifbecause the brisket is frozen, I like thawitittakes a couple of days the more you have, theto longer the water to ahead of cooking it, rubbing it down with the coffee rub, and placing it in the fridge forboil about hours to rest. hour before smoking, to let the meatof come back room temperature, return to the once24 you put them in. I bring it out about an NO paprika or Old Bay seasoning! A pinch celery salt?to Yes!
and then I place it in the smoker for about 12 hours at 225 degrees, smoking it with hickory wood.
A larger lobster is not always better. My uncle used to buy Mayonnaise? Only Hellman’s! White pepper, not black, and just a touch. the largest lobster he could find, and it was impressive when When it’s done, I remove it from the smoker, and wrap in foil and let it rest at least 30 minutes before slicing diagonally against he placed at the center of the dinner table. But the meat was Salt? A pinch of Fleur de Sel or other fine finishing salt. the thepersonally, meat. If I’m right away, likegrain rubber.ofAnd I feltnot bad serving for the oldit lobster that I place the wrapped brisket in the oven at the lowest setting, about 150 degrees, justfar to in keep warm. made it that life.itHis last days should’ve been in the And the secret weapon to bring out all the flavors: the tiniest squeeze of fresh lemon ocean, not on a plate. juice…not enough to give it lemon flavor…just to brighten the taste.
When I’m ready to serve, I always slice the brisket on the bias, against the grain of the meat. My maximum lobster size is 2 lbs. But at 1 1/2 pounds, you have the perfect ratio of meat-to-shell…with lots of delicious meat that is still sweet and tender. It’s perfect.
14 Shop In RI
As for the roll, you can’t go wrong with Martin’s potato long rolls: soft and squishy straight out of the bag, or to take a page from the Connecticut-style lobster roll lovers: lightly grill the rolls and brush them with a little melted butter!
