This method is for a small 1-1/2 pound live lobster. Increase cooking times for larger lobsters.

Fill a pot with water. Place aromatics (such as lemon, bay leaf, onion, corn cob, etc) into the water. Bring the water to a low boil.

Place the lobster onto a clean surface.

Leave the bands on the claws until they are cooked.

Remove the claws from the lobster. Make sure to leave the knuckle attached. This can be achieved by twisting the claw away from the body.

Place the claws into the pot first. They take longer to cook than the tail meat, so you will want to give them a head start.

After 4 minutes have passed, place the rest of the lobster into the pot. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the claws to a bowl of ice water.

Also remove the body to a bowl of ice water. The tail of the lobster should be curled. If it is not, continue cooking the lobster. If it never curls, the lobster should be discarded.

Allow the lobster to cool in the ice water until it can be handled.

Hold the body of the lobster in one hand and the tail in the other.

Twist the tail gently apart from the body.

Cut the bands from the claws.

To prepare the shell for stock making, pull the center of the body from the outer shell.

Cut the center in half.

The other shells for the stock will yield meat. You can see how to obtain those by looking at the "Cleaning a Lobster" pictorial.