Put the lobsters in the freezer for 10 minutes. This slows their metabolism and de-sensitizes them. Make sure your cutting board has juice grooves or place it on a large kitchen towel to catch any liquid. Position the point of a sharp chef’s knife vertically in the center of the head shell, just behind the eyes. In one smooth, quick motion, drive the knife straight down until you hit the cutting board below. This instantly and humanely dispatches the lobster. Any movements from here on out are just reflexes.

Next, place your index finger just under the back of the head shell, where it meets the rest of the body, and gently but firmly pull the shell up to remove it. Trim the antennae off the lobster head shell, and cut off a small portion from each side of the bottom of the head shell so it can sit on a flat surface at a 45° angle (this step ensures it sits nicely on your large serving plate). If you don’t care about presenting the head shell on the plate, skip this step and discard the head shells altogether.

Cut off the mouth portion of the lobster head with a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut or twist off the lobster claws, followed by the smaller legs. Alternatively, you can also leave the legs attached to those lobster head pieces.

Remove and discard the lobster gills, which are inedible. Remove the green mustard and innards. You can discard the mustard, use it in another dish, or include it in this dish. We leave it out, because it has a very strong flavor. Rinse the lobster pieces under cold running water.

Split the lobster lengthwise from the head portion to the end of the tail, so you have two halves, and remove the dark vein running down the center of the tail. Take each half, and cut off the upper section, separating it from the tail portion (there’s actually quite a bit of meat in that piece). Cut each tail half into 3 equal pieces, giving you 6 total tail pieces.

Separate the elbow joint from the claws, and split each claw with a cleaver. Using a mallet with the cleaver can help. Use a good pair of kitchen shears to cut through the shell to split the small elbow piece that connects the claw and body. Gently rinse all the lobster pieces, and drain in a colander. Repeat with the second lobster. At this point, you will want to cook the lobster right away.

Arrange the lobster on a heatproof steaming platter that will fit inside your wok or steamer. Bring water in your steamer or pot/wok with a steamer rack to a boil. Turn off the heat. Carefully place the lobster into the steamer, and cover tightly. Turn the heat back up to a boil. Steam the lobsters for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shells turn bright red and the meat is opaque white.

While the lobster is steaming, heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter (or oil) and garlic. Stir until just starting to sizzle. Add the soy sauce, sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and then turn off the heat.

Once the lobster is done, spoon the mixture evenly over the lobster, distributing the garlic and sauce evenly over the top and serve!