Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
Elevate your dinner
This tender, rich in flavor, Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb recipe is a show stopper. It’s elegant and upscale but relatively simple to make. It’ll surprise you just how easy this is to make. If you can throw a marinade together, add a dry rub, and use the grill- you can master this Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb recipe!
Lamb might not be the first thing you think of to prepare for dinner; it used to be more of a special occasion meal for me reserved only when out at a restaurant. I was too intimidated to make this on my own at home, until my Father-in-Law served it. He is a certified grill master, so it always turns out wonderful. My daughter, food lover of all the finer foods in life, absolutely loves this Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb. She refers to it as “lollipop meat” since its trimmed on the bone with the meat at the top like a little lollipop.
This typically elegant, upscale meal is actually as casual and approachable as grilling any other piece of meat and should be on your list of next recipes to try!
Rack of Lamb
At the grocery store rack of lamb is typically sold in single racks, which is 8 ribs, and should be about 1-1 and 1/2 lbs. Look for rack of lamb already “Frenched”, this is how its cut so rib bones are exposed-causing that lollipop shape mentioned earlier. You can do this at home, but be sure to look up a video on how to “french” a lamb and trim it.
For cooking temperature, I prefer my lamb done medium-rare, which is around 125 degrees Fahrenheit. (Cook yours longer if you prefer more well done) You can use a meat thermometer
to help get it to that perfect temperature. Don’t forget once you removed the meat from the grill it will rest and raise a few degrees on the meat thermometer.
Preparing and Grilling
This Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb recipe is surprisingly simple but yet yields wonderful results, flavorful herb crusted tender meat. First step is to marinate the lamb in the yogurt and spices, at least 6 hours but ideally overnight. To do this you simply mix together the yogurt and spices then rub all over the rack of lamb, seal in a zip lock bag and place in the fridge to marinate. The yogurt helps tenderize the meat and seal in moisture and lock in flavor.
Once done marinating and ready to cook wipe the extra marinade off, in a separate bowl mix together the dried herbs and spices and coat the rack of lamb with it. You can either sprinkle it over the rack of lamb or dip the rack of lamb on to a plate with the mixed up spices. Either way, what your aiming to achieve is a dry rub that coats the rack of lamb that will crisp up and develop flavor while being cooked on the grill.
Pre-heat the grill to medium high heat, once heated add the rack of lamb and leave it on one side for ~ 5 minutes until nicely browned, flip and cook the other side another ~5 minutes. Cooking at a high heat helps achieve that perfect brown sear and smoky charred texture leaving the inside moist and tender. Turn heat down to low and cook until meat reads 125 degrees for medium rare, or higher temperature if so desired.
As your grill may differ, and sizes of the rack of lamb vary, an instant read thermometer helps get you that perfect temperature your aiming for. These times are just an estimate. Once done cooking let the meat rest for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the rack of lamb with flaky sea salt and dig in!
I hope you like this recipe as much as my family enjoys it. This Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb can be served with whatever side dish you prefer but some go-to’s in my kitchen to serve with this lamb are rice pilaf, quinoa salad, herb seasoned potatoes, grilled vegetables or a simple salad. Lamb is so versatile and can be served in a multitude of ways and compliments a variety of different foods. This will definitely not be the only lamb recipe you see on this blog! I am always inspired by all of the different flavor combinations that food can lend itself to and enjoy mixing things up in the kitchen!
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
Equipment
- 1 grill (gas is used for this recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 Rack of Lamb (Frenched) Approx 1 lb will feed 2-3 people
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt *Plain
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 tbsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tbsp Dried Thyme
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder to 1/2 cup greek yogurt and mix together. Generously season rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Coat the entire rack of lamb with yogurt mixture. Refrigerate and marinate for 6 hours or up to overnight.
- Remove as much marinade as you can from rack of lamb with knife or paper towel. Pre-heat grill to medium high heat.
- Combine 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 2 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp dried thyme, stir to combine.
- Gently coat the rack of lamb with dried spice mixture.
- Cook directly over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes each side until desired sear achieved. Then lower heat and move meat to indirect heat and cook another 5-10 minutes until medium rare, approx 125-130 degrees (or longer for your desired level of doneness)
