Written by: Drew Baumgartner.

This is a quick how to on tailing and cleaning your lobster when you are ready. Some people cook their lobster whole so you won't need this info. For those of us that don't here it is.

When you are ready to take the tail off your lobster it is an easy step to do so. Most people kill the lobster first by running a knife in between the eyes so the lobster is easier to control. If not their tails can deliver a serious blow and the spikes can easily be driven to the bone if you get a finger in there.

Take the lobster body in one hand and the tail in the other. Then twist the tail 1/2 turn one way then the same going the other way.

The membrane inside will pop and some fluid will come out. This fluid will congeal in to a jelly that will stick to anything so make sure you use old cloths. If you killed the lobster first then that fluid will have all ready come out from the initial strike.

Now the tail can be pulled off just by pulling down and forward of the body. This will leave some meat in the body but Joey, Flipper and I came up with a way to clean more meat out of the body. With the tail hanging down take a knife and push it up in the body but pointing just slightly down. You can cut a lot of meat out this way.

Now flip over the lobster and do the same to the underside.

When all the meat is cut away from the body then the tail will just come out. It helps to have two people but one can do it with some practice. If done right the body should look like this.

Then a tail with more meat....

Take one of the lobsters antena and break it off at the same diameter as the lobster's anus.

Use the antena with the spikes pointing away from the lobster tail and insert it in the lobsters anus.

Push it in about 1/2 inch or so and then pull it just a little way out. It shouldn't come out because the spikes will dig into the colon if you have the size right. Now turn the antenna about 3 or 4 times in one direction. This should break the colon away from the anus and then pull it out. The colon should start coming out. If it isn't then put it back in and turn it some more. Keep checking until the colon starts to come out.

Then just pull the whole thing out.

That is it. Some times when you tail the lobster there is some stuff left in the top part of the tail once the colon is out. You can take the other antenna off and use it to clean out anything left in the inside of the tail. That way it is completely clean. The spikes on the antenna only point one way and act like barbs to hook stuff. Just make sure it isn't you.

Wash the tail off and refrigerate it. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge 3 tops if it is really cold but I wouldn't push it.