Buffalo Lobster Rolls are the perfect marriage of zesty Buffalo sauce, smoked lobster, and a savory buttermilk ranch dressing. Enjoy this flavor sensation, freshly grilled on a Kamado Joe Kettle Joe - you won't believe how delicious it is!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The lobster shell becomes its own smoking dish. Cutting the shell open and propping the tail meat on top rather than removing it entirely lets the meat smoke directly in its own shell, picking up flavor while staying protected from direct heat.
- A splash of beer in the skillet adds gentle steam. Pouring just enough beer to cover the bottom of the cast iron before smoking keeps the environment around the lobster humid, helping it stay tender instead of drying out over 30-40 minutes of smoke.
- Charring the green onions directly on the coals is a small step with a big payoff. Letting them blacken right on the charcoal before mincing adds a smoky bitterness that a stovetop char could never fully replicate.
- Buffalo sauce goes in the meat, not just on top. Mixing it directly into the diced lobster along with celery, blue cheese, and charred onion means the classic buffalo flavor is distributed through every bite of the salad, not concentrated in a drizzle.
Buffalo Lobster Rolls
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
840
Buffalo Lobster Rolls are a match made in heaven. Chef Tom combines tangy, buttery Buffalo sauce with smoked lobster, loads it all on a brioche bun and tops it with a buttermilk ranch dressing. Grilled on the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe, this recipe is an explosion of flavor that must be tasted to be believed.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lobster tails
-
Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub
- 1/2 cup beer
- 4 each green onions, charred on coals, then minced
- 1/4 cup celery, minced
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola blue cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
- Top split brioche rolls
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- Fresh chives, minced, for garnish
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
-
1 bottle Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp cayenne
-
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub
-
1/2 tsp Bear & Burton’s Fireshire Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp buttermilk
- 1/4 cup parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp chives, green only, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
-
Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Seasoning, to taste
Buffalo Sauce:
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing: (12 servings)
Directions
- To make the ranch dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk well. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- To make the Buffalo Sauce, combine all ingredients in a Lodge 8” Steel Skillet. Bring to a simmer. Whisk. Cook for one minute. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature. The butter may separate, so whisk again until all ingredients are distributed.
- Build a bed of hot charcoal in your Kamado Joe Kettle Joe and set the grill up for smoking. Stabilize the temperature at 275ºF.
- Place your green onions directly on the coals and let char, turning to char evenly. Remove before entirely burnt and mince.
- Cut down the top side of the lobster shell from the fat end of the tail down to the end of the tail. Pry open the shell. Separate the tail meat from the bottom of the shell, leaving it attached at the end of the tail. Prop the tail meat up on top of the shell.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce into a small bowl. Brush the tail meat with the buffalo sauce. Season the tail meat with Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub.
- Place the tail in a Lodge 8” Cast Iron Skillet. Pour just enough beer into the skillet to cover the bottom.
- Add a chunk of smoking wood to you hot coals. Replace the diffuser plate and grates, then set the cast iron skillet on the grates. Smoke the lobster until it reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF, about 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the tail meat from the shell and dice into small pieces. Place in a mixing bowl with the charred green onions, minced celery, blue cheese and buffalo sauce. Mix well.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt one tablespoon of butter per roll. Toast each roll on top and bottom. Remove from the skillet. Open up the top cut. Load each roll with about 1/2 cup of the buffalo lobster salad. Top with ranch dressing, chives and crumbles of blue cheese.
- This recipe yields 4 servings of the Buffalo Lobster Rolls, and 12 servings of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why prop the lobster tail meat on top of its own shell instead of removing it?
Keeping the meat attached at the tail end and propping it up lets the lobster smoke directly in its shell, which helps protect it from drying out while still exposing it to smoke and heat.
Why char the green onions directly on the coals?
Direct contact with hot charcoal blackens the onions in a way a stovetop pan can't replicate, adding a deeper, smokier bitterness that balances the richness of the buffalo lobster salad.
Why add beer to the skillet before smoking the lobster?
A thin layer of beer in the bottom of the cast iron creates gentle steam as it heats, which helps keep the lobster tail from drying out during the 30-40 minute smoke.
What internal temperature should the lobster reach?
145°F, which matches the FDA's standard minimum for seafood and shellfish — this recipe gets that number right.
Why mix the buffalo sauce into the diced lobster instead of serving it on the side?
Folding the sauce directly into the meat along with the celery, blue cheese, and charred onion distributes the buffalo flavor through every bite, rather than concentrating it only where it's drizzled on top.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the sauces and salad assembly work fine indoors, but smoking the lobster and charring the onions over live coals is central to the flavor here and doesn't translate well to a stovetop.
Recipe Highlights
Propping the tail on its own shell: This setup lets the lobster smoke while staying partially shielded by its shell, helping it stay moist through the longer cook time.
Direct-coal charring for the green onions: Blackening them right on the charcoal builds a smoky bitterness that balances the richness of the finished lobster salad.
Beer as a steaming agent: A thin layer in the skillet keeps the smoking environment humid, protecting the lobster from drying out over the extended cook.
Mixing sauce into the meat, not just on top: Folding the buffalo sauce into the diced lobster along with celery and blue cheese means the flavor is consistent through the whole roll, not just concentrated at the surface.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 roll
- per serving
- Calories
- 840
- Fat
- 65 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 40 grams
- Cholesterol
- 415 milligrams
- Sodium
- 2367 milligrams
- Carbs
- 27 grams
- Fiber
- 1 grams
- Sugar
- 5 grams
- Protein
- 34 grams
