Rack of Lamb


 
K

Kurtis Felker

New member
Hi, I am planning to do a couple of racks of lamb this weekend. As this will only be my third time using my WSM, I would greatly appreciate any tips, advice, mistakes to avoid, etc.. I am planning to use apple as the smoke wood.
 
I do lamb racks at a cooktemp of ~350-375. I rub, sear direct, then smoke/roast till just rare, remove from the cooker and allow to rest ~7 min which will allow the rack to reach med-rare before slicing between the bones. Total cook time including the rest is about 25-30 min.

Most often I do racks on a kettle but I have used the WSM when the krttle was occupied. You can skip the searing if you wish but I like searing first. Dump your lit into the charcoal bowl and place your cooking grate directly on the coal ring. Oil the grate quickly and place the rack on the grate. Sear each side til nicely and evenly browned. Remove the cook grate, add the wood (apple is good--make the chunks small), assemble the smoker with an empty waterpan, place the grate with the lamb rack on, cover and cook.

Mistake to avoid: overcooking.
 
You certainly can if you wish; either. I burned out on mint jelly with lamb when I was a kid--though I still sometimes flavor a sauce with a little fresh or dried mint. Some sauces in which I include rosemary I might augment with a little mint as it boosts the natural mintiness present in rosemary, but I just do this from time to time. I do like a lemon-mint-honey sauce with lamb racks though.

I am quite fond of rosemary with lamb and will often base a sauce on pureed roasted garlic and will include rosemary in that (no mint here). I also like sauces based on or that include pomegranate molasses (nice with sweated shallot and/or garlic, and thyme and parsley); and sauces based on on wine reduced with shallot and finished with lemon juice, parsley and capers (a little mint can work well here). Greek-style sauces with lemon, garlic and oregano are good too, and I also like sauces that include reconstituted dried sour cherries or apricots. What I decide to make often depends on the sides.
 
Kurtis,
Rack of lamb is a gift from the Gods. When I prepare one I score the fat side and put olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper over night. It can be done on the grill and turns out very good, just watch the internal temp. Just because it looks done on the outside it probaly is raw inside. Another method is to cut it into chops and cook them that way, nice outer char and rare-med-rare inside.
We usually serve it w/ a Yogurt, garlic and spice side sauce. Another sauce it some fresh horseradish, sour cream, a dash of Worchestershire sauce and some pepper. Too bad not more Americans like lamb-but more for us that do like it.
 
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