LOBSTER BACON CARBONARA RECIPE

Ingredients

For the Lobster Bacon

For the Carbonara

3 eggs
½ cup plus 4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp sea salt, plus ½ tsp
5 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb pasta of your choice (fettuccini, tagliatelle, and spaghetti all work well)
2 Tbsp chopped chives
4 lemon wedges
Cracked pepper to taste

Directions for Lobster Bacon:

Light a charcoal grill and set up for indirect grilling, with coals pushed as far over to one side as possible. Let coals burn down to embers with the lid open. If you have wood chips for smoking, soak them in a bowl of water.
Use sharp kitchen shears to slice open the top of each lobster tail, making a straight cut from base to flipper lengthwise down the center of the tail.
Pry open the top of the tails and sprinkle ½ tsp. of BBQ rub in each, working it into the meat with your index finger.
Melt butter in a saucepan or microwave and add the remaining BBQ rub. Reserve butter mixture for basting.
When grill is ready, add wood chips if you have them on top of the coals. Arrange tails on the grill top as far away from the heat as possible, tails facing away from the heat. Close the lid and smoke for about 2 hours, checking periodically to add a coal or two if the embers seem to be close to dying, and to baste with the butter mixture.
When the tails are finished the shells will be bright red and the meat opaque through to the center.
Remove the tails from the heat, pry open the shell, and extract the tail meat with your fingers. Slice each tail in half lengthwise and then chop into ½ inch chunks.

Instructions for Carbonara:

Beat eggs in a small bowl, then add parmesan cheese and ½ tsp. of salt. Set aside.
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a stock pot.
While water is boiling, heat olive oil over medium-low in a large sauté pan. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened and just starting to brown. Add chunks of smoked lobster tail, stir, and let warm for 30 seconds, then remove from heat.
When water reaches a rolling boil, add 1 tbsp. of sea salt, stir to combine, then add pasta. Cook pasta for the time indicated on the pasta you’re using (could range from 5 minutes for fresh pasta to 10+ for certain dried pastas). When al dente, drain the pasta into a colander.
Immediately add hot pasta to the sauté pan with the lobster mixture, stir to combine, then add reserved egg and cheese mixture and stir again. The residual heat of the pan and the pasta will cook the eggs sufficiently.
Spoon your pasta into four bowls. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each bowl, sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and chives over the top, season with pepper to taste, and serve.
Wine pairing: a crisp Provence-style rosé is the perfect foil to the smoky lobster and rich sauce.