Perfect, Simple Rack of Lamb

Riverslea Farm lamb - a must try!

Grilled rack of lamb: incredibly tender and juicy, perfect for creating a rich crust, and it takes no time to french the rack (aka, trim and expose the bones, which your butcher can always do) and cook.   Pick some of your favorite herbs, then finely chop and add some olive oil, and you've got a delicious paste to flavor your rack with.  Serve alongside your favorite summer veggies and celebrate good, slow, local cooking!  Or a special someone's birthday.  :)

Total prep time: ~20min for frenching rack; plus ~30min for prepping coals
Total cooking time, depending on size of rack: ~20min
Resting time: 8-10 minutes

Most racks easily serve 4.

This dish, save for the olive oil and seasonings, was made from foods grown/produced within 15 miles of our home: Riverslea Farm lamb; Applecrest Farm green beans; Meadow's Mirth new baby potatoes; McKenzie's Farm cherry tomatoes (40 miles from home, but still a NH farm...); New Roots Farm garlic; and, rosemary, thyme and mint from our garden. 

 A hardwood-charcoal grill was used for this recipe, but a gas grill would work just as well as long as you're able to create a cool area from a hot area.  Follow these tips for ensuring a pleasingly successful rack of lamb:

Two important prep tips:

Some racks, not all, come with a fat cap on them. Pare this away, being careful to leave a thin strip of fat between the loin and bones.  And, if appearance is up your alley, french your rack, i.e., cut out the meat and fat and gently scrape off the sinew between the rib bones with the tip of your knife.  Think "lollipop handle."  Fine Cooking has a decent video for this technique.

If you choose to use a charcoal grill, coal preparation is important.  For a 2lb rack, plan on enough coals for ~30 minutes worth of cooking (about 60-70 hardwood briquettes).  (A coal chimney is well worth purchasing!)  Once the coals are ready (~20-30 minutes), divide them evenly alongside an aluminum pan placed in the center of your grill (to catch rendering fat which prevents flare-ups).

Rub the rack with evoo and season with salt & pepper.  Place the rack bone-side up over the aluminum pan in the center of grill and cook with grilltop on for 8-10 minutes, rendering fat and garnering light grill marks.

Meanwhile, prep your herb paste: finely chop fresh rosemary (~2-3 Tbsp), thyme (~1-2 Tbsp) and mint (~1 Tbsp).  Mix with 2 cloves pressed garlic and 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Set aside.

After those first 8-10 minutes, flip the rack and place directly over coals.  Brush the exposed side with half of the paste, and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes.

Flip the rack back to the first side, brush with remaining paste, and cook, again directly over the coals, for another 3-4 minutes, or until thickest center of meat registers 120-125 on an instant-read thermometer (med. rare to med.), being careful not to touch bone when inserting probe.

After resting meat, slice through each chop.  So good!!!

A quick brush of olive oil is all the skewered cherry toms wanted before grilling!  Rice pilaf makes for a perfect and traditional side.  Enjoy!