Smoked Rack of Lamb?

[archerystud]

Was thinking of trying something different this weekend.

Anyone ever smoke a rack of lamb before. Just curious to what did and did not work if you tried it. Thanks.

[thirdeye]

I haven't done racks it in the traditional way you would smoke a pork butt or brisket, like low and slow. But I have grilled them a lot using flavor wood for that bump of flavor. Your choices will be imported and domestic. I prefer domestic, but when I can't find it I go for imported. The first thing you will need to do is remove the membrane, they have one just like pork ribs do.

The next thing is that a lot of stronger flavor is in the fat, so if you want to reduce that, just trim accordingly.

I prefer to grill them whole with a raised grate. Then if anyone wants a more done chop, I cut them and toss them back on.

I do all kinds of seasonings, a simple dry rub, or several marinades. I even do a Korean marinade that is really good especially if anyone is a little shy of the lamb flavor.

Here are some shots of a domestic rack I got to sample at a cooking festival. It had a Greek marinade for a day or two. They cooked it whole with smoke chips for flavor, then sliced and returned the slices to the cooker for a couple of minutes.

[Chef]

Conventional wisdom with strong flavored Red Meat ,such as Lamb is that the flavor itself stands on its own and Smoking will lend that flavor as too strong of a combination for most. If you haven't seen "tried and true" recipes for smoked Lamb, I'd stick with what works and just grill it Med. Rare.

[PartyWhine]

Wow ..... that looks really good.

[thirdeye]

When doing something new, I think going with a tried and true technique or recipe is good advice, and any meats other than chicken, beef and pork have a distinct flavor.... and sometimes folks don't always like it.

That said, for many years I've been one of the cooks at a Rodeo Week barbecue and we always do lamb, briskets, and butts to serve around 150. A lot of the guests are ranchers that raise lamb, and they love it off a smoker. As you can see by the size of the quarters, these are actually yearlings which tend to be a bit stronger than lambs. I make a simple mop and we use a basic dry rub, then it is cooked for about 12 or 14 hours. I can't tell you the last time I've done lamb in an oven.

[reinhard1]

do you even own a oven. . the pictures are incredible. thanks good luck.

[archerystud]

Thanks for the input guys and great pictures.

I think I'll try grilling them first. I had some lamb chops for the first time last week and really liked them.

Maybe smoke some lamb after I can grill it decently first.