by TANNER JOHNSON

For February, I thought I would showcase a Valentine’s Day classic – surf and turf! This will be a meal that will surely impress your significant other and be the perfect way to celebrate the day. This is an elegant meal that you can make at home for about a quarter the cost of going to an expensive steakhouse that you may have forgotten to get reservations for a couple of months in advance.

Ingredients:

• Two 6-8 oz filet mignon steaks
• Two 4-5 oz lobster tails
• S&P or steak seasoning of choice
• ¼ stick of butter (for lobster)
• Fresh parsley (or dried)
• Cajun seasoning (optional)

Instructions:

• First, you’ll season the steak however you like – just salt and pepper is fine; but if you really want some great flavor, Hardcore Carnivore “BLACK” seasoning is amazing on a filet. 
• I always prefer reverse searing the filets. I do this by cooking in the smoker at 225 degrees until an internal temperature of 110 degrees, then searing them on a cast iron pan or a hot grill until and internal temperature of 130 degrees. But, you can also grill them to desired temperature or cook them in a skillet from start to finish.
• After the steaks get to 110 degrees (for medium rare), bring them to 120 degrees (if you want more of a medium/well), pull them out, then crank the smoker/grill or oven to 350 degrees for the lobster tails. 
• Use some kitchen shears to cut a slit down the length of the lobster shell, slide a spoon underneath to separate the shell from the lobster meat and pull the lobster meat up through the shell, leaving the very end of the tail inside the shell to keep everything connected.
• Brush the lobster with a little melted butter, and season with a small amount of salt.
• Throw the lobster tails in, and you’ll keep cooking them until you get to 140 degrees internal temperature. About halfway through, you’ll want to baste the lobster tails with the ¼ stick of butter melted and combined with some cracked black pepper, Cajun seasoning and fresh parsley. You can also just put plain melted butter on the lobster if you prefer that. While the lobster is cooking, you’ll want to sear the steaks to get them up to that final preferred temperature. 
• Plate it all up with maybe a twice baked potato or any kind of carbs that you prefer – you may not even need an additional side!