(cheerful music) - In some areas of the country,
they fight over barbecue or whether to put beans
in a bowl of chili. Well, here in New England,
we bring out the dukes and we hash it out over lobster rolls. Do you like it hot? Do you like your lobster roll cold? Well, Ashley's here and she's bringing the
hot debate with her. - I am. So I grew up here in New
England, so we are really lucky because lobsters are readily available and because of that,
they're really affordable. So we were able to eat
lobsters quite often. So today we're gonna make some
hot buttered lobster rolls. And I'm gonna start with
three 1 1/2 pound lobsters. But if you can't find live
lobsters, which we do prefer, go ahead and get the frozen lobster tails. You're gonna use about eight
4-5 ounce lobster tails, and you can find that recipe for reducing the cooking
time on our website. You're gonna notice I have a
larger stock pot over here. And this is important because in order to get
the full amount of lobsters we need for this recipe,
you need the tall stock pot. Otherwise you can't fit the
three 1 1/2 pounders in there. - Okay, so it's three 1 1/2
pounders makes four rolls? - Yep, four lobster rolls. And they are pretty on the hefty side. - Yeah, I've met a few
skimpy lobster rolls. - I know, no time for those! So again, six quarts of water boiling. I have three tablespoons of table salt So you'll notice they're
not moving around too much. I just stuck them in the
freezer just for a bit, just to help them go to sleep. And I'm gonna put them claw side down. Cover is on. I'm gonna reduce the
heat down to medium-low and I'm gonna cook the
lobsters for 10 minutes. It's not a lot of time. - It is not a lot of time. - And that's on purpose. - You'll have the answer. (Ashley laughs) (cheerful music) - Okay, it's been 10 minutes. I am going to take the
lobsters out of the stockpot. They aren't fully cooked at this point, and that is intentional. - [Bridget] All right. - I'm gonna let these hang out here on the rimmed baking sheet
for about 10 minutes. And when you go to those lobster pounds, they have those beautifully,
lightly browned, toasted, buttery buns. Now, I have a couple tablespoons of butter and I'm just going to
brush the butter evenly on the outside. - [Bridget] These are not hot dog buns. - You're right, they're split tops. And then I'm just going to toast them in the non-stick skillet. - [Bridget] Okay! - Okay, so I'm just gonna let these go until lightly browned on both sides. All right, we have our lobsters that have been cooling
for about 10 minutes. I like to start by
twisting the tail first. - [Bridget] Oh, you're a tail
and thorax twister, are you? - I'm a tail thorax kind of girl. And then I go for a claw,
give a little twist, and then these, these are the gateway to
learning to love lobster. If you have any friends,
family, kids that are just like, "what is that," this is how you get those mouths to enjoy. You can use a rolling pin and roll out the entire piece of meat. So let's get the knuckles. - [Bridget] Yes. - Twist, all right. And right now I'm gonna
use the kitchen shears. You also could use those lobster
crackers if you have those, but this does a really great job, 'cause, as I said, it's a
little bit cleaner and safer than using the back of
a sharp chef's knife. - Yeah, I've done that. I've used the back of
a sharp chef's knife. - All right! Okay, this is kind of my show off moment. - (gasps) All right! - I'm gonna pretend I'm a chiropractor and I'm gonna put the tail on its side and then put a little pressure
with the palm of your hand and now use those shears again. If you have shrimp shearers,
you could use 'em here, but we've already dirtied
our kitchen shearers, so I'm gonna keep going. Cut right down that soft cartilage. All right! - I'm gonna show you my way. I've always done the
scissors on either side. Kinda like taking a chicken back out. - [Ashley] Yeah, that's exactly, yeah. - [Bridget] Just wiggle it out! - [Ashley] Yeah! - [Bridget] There we are! - Ta-da! And now I'm gonna cut the
lobster meat into 3/4" pieces. - [Bridget] Okay! - All right, running my
knife right down the center of the tail. 3/4" pieces. I'm gonna finish cutting the lobster and then we can finish cooking it. We are gonna put the hot butter back in lobster roll right now. So I've got six tablespoons
of butter melting on the medium-low and I'm gonna add one
small minced shallot. And we're only gonna cook this
just until heated through, 'cause I'm also gonna add
the lobster meat from earlier and 1/4 teaspoon of some salt. So I'm gonna cook the lobster right now along with the shallot
for about two minutes, just until it's heated through and that is gonna finish
cooking the lobster. - [Bridget] That's why you undercooked it. - And that is why I undercooked it. When you're in Maine,
you order a lobster roll, the last thing you want is
an overcooked lobster roll, so this is gonna ensure
that it's not overcooked. Two minutes on this and then
we're gonna fill the buns. I'm gonna transfer evenly the lobster meat into our toasted buns. Oh my goodness! - [Bridget] I'm really
looking forward to this. I do have to say that I'm an equal opportunity
lobster roll lover. - I like the cold with the mayonnaise, but hot buttered lobster roll... It's like you get all the
glory of ordering a lobster. without the work because you did it all. - [Ashley] Right! All right, I'm gonna load these babies up. Oh my goodness! Let's just... Oh my goodness. So I have two teaspoons
of some minced chives. - [Bridget] Beautiful. - [Ashley] And we have lemon wedges. - [Bridget] Come to me. - [Ashley] Cheers. - [Bridget] Cheers to you! - Mm! - [Bridget] That lobster
meat is perfectly cooked. This is so juicy and tender. - [Ashley] Tender, yeah. Just melts in your mouth. - [Bridget] And all of that butter. - Oh, the butter! And the shallot! It does, it adds that
little bit of sweetness and it's just in the background. It's not overwhelming. - It's a perfect lobster roll. - So good. - This is incredible. Thanks, Ash. - You're welcome! - Well, wherever you live, you can enjoy this amazing
New England sandwich at home. And it starts with slightly
undercooking the lobsters in boiling water. Finish cooking the lobster
meat gently in a skillet with butter and shallots and then pile that lobster meat high on buttered toasted rolls. So from Cook's Country,
the supreme sandwich. It beats them all. Hot buttered lobster rolls. Thanks for watching Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen. So what'd you think? - Leave a comment and let us know which recipes
you're excited to make, or just say hi. - Now, you can find links to
today's recipes and reviews in the video description. - And don't forget to
subscribe to our channel. - See you later. - Alligator. (Bridget laughs)
