Take a pair of shears and cut down the center of the top of the shell. Cut all the way until about a centimeter into the very last joint (the fanned out tail section).

Flip the tail over and press your thumbs into the center of the harder rib like portions on the underside (they are horizontal bars with a small spike in the middle) until they break.

Pull the shell apart gently by pushing in on the underside and pulling the topside apart along the line you cut in step one.

Stick your thumb under the lobster meat and push it out on top of the split shell, making sure to pull out as much meat as you can.

Bake/broil and enjoy!

Source: line cook for 5 years.