How do you like your lobster? With champagne? Barbecued?

For Ralph Hiscock, the only certainties in this world are death, taxes, and a feed of lobster at Jack's Pond every May 24th weekend.

"We wouldn't miss it for anything," he says. "Even when I had cancer eight years ago. When I got out, my buddy drove my trailer out for me and we had our lobster boil, as usual."

Tradition goes back to the '60s

The tradition dates back to the early 1960s, when Hiscock was a boy in Buchans. There was no Trans-Canada Highway in those days. So the family trip to Jack's Pond Park, near Arnold's Cove, took two days.

"We would leave Buchans and go as far as Buchans Junction, get a barge across Mary March River, drive to Bishop's Falls, get the ferry across Exploits River, travel to Gambo and put our car on the flatbed, get our car off the flatbed in Goobies, and go as far as Jack's Pond."

The journey is less arduous now. But the lobster cooking method hasn't changed.

Hiscock begins by putting them to sleep.

"Stand them on their heads, and rub their back down toward the tail five times. By that time, your lobster will be asleep.

"Occasionally you'll get a stubborn one who's not sleepy, and you might have to do it two or three more times."

Steamed lobsters, not boiled

And you won't find any boiling lobsters at the Hiscock lobster boil.

"They're not submerged. I put about three inches of water in the pot, and two handfuls of salt. It''s the steam that cooks them. And make sure you take the rubber bands off first," he said.

"When I take them out I've got a bowl of cold water with ice cubes, and I just dip them in that. Then they're fit for a king or queen."

Hiscock was among those who responded to a call for lobster tips and tales on CBC Radio's The Broadcast.

He's far from the only one with a special technique.

Dwayne Cull of St. Anthony wrote that his lobsters are boiled for twenty minutes. Then he turns off the burner.

Let the lobsters cool

"Turn off the heat and leave them there for half an hour, an hour, whatever it takes for the water to cool down and you can handle them by hand."

"They become tender and flavorful like you wouldn't believe."

Not all experiments pan out so well.

Vivian Randell of St. John's will never forget the day she invited a friend over for barbecued lobster.

Following instructions from a coworker, she cracked the spines, placed the lobsters on the grill, and lowered the lid.  

"Almost immediately, the barbecue lid began banging up and down, and we could almost hear the squeals of the lobsters begging for release."  

"We were completely traumatised by the experience. My friend still cringes when I bring up the story."

The time-honoured serving tradition remains popular: Fresh from the shell, squirting and dripping, and dipped in melted butter.

Broadcast listeners also raved about lobster sandwiches, cakes, and salads.

Serve with champagne — the cheaper the better

For Brian Pevlin of St. John's, no meal is complete without a visit to the bargain bin at the liquor store.

"Lobster and champagne is like fish and chips. It doesn't need to be expensive. The cheaper the better."

All lobster lovers savour the perfect morsels offered up at the crack of a claw or tail. The body, with its colourful mix of roe, fat, and guts, usually has fewer takers.

For Ralph Hiscock, that just means more for him.

"Most of my family just like the tail and the claws. But I keep the bodies. Then for lunch the next day I eat maybe seven or eight bodies."