wilburpan Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 We made a rack of lamb for Easter dinner. It was a classic preparation. Start with a rack of lamb. I made a rub by combining fresh chopped garlic, salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and a little bit of red pepper flakes. I made it into a paste by mashing it in a mortar and pestle. I also added a little olive oil. I can’t emphasize how good this technique is. You’ll extract much more flavor from your herbs and aromatics with this technique compared to a food processor. And it’s way easier to clean. I spread the paste on the fat side of the rack, and found that I didn’t make enough. So I made more. I put the rack in Smaug, indirect at 300ºF. I left it there until the internal temperature hit 125ºF. Then I took out the deflector, put the searing grate in, let the fire get real hot, and direct grilled the rack along with some asparagus. Note that I put the bones over the asparagus. This was to keep them from burning, without having to go through wrapping the bones with foil. This is the part where I had a near disaster. I tried grilling with the fat side down, and then the rosemary/thyme/garlic crust started peeling off. I managed to salvage most of it. Here are the money shots. My wife made mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower. It was delicious. I actually think I could have let the IT go to 130ºF. I like beef medium rare, but I think lamb is a bit better if cooked to medium. For next time, I could use any tips for getting the paste to stay on the fat side better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 That looks great. How about cooking only indirect but at 425f, that should keep the crust intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 How about a forward sear, pull the rack, spread the paste then finish it off in the 350* range. This way you're also keeping the paste from burning. I prefer the forward sear anyway. . Either way delicious looking meal. . Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 Averted disaster dinner looks extra tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 (edited) Wilbur , your lamb looks very good. I made rack of lamb as well, sorry had a big group and no time for pics. However I did the lamb sous-vide first, rubbed with a mixture of olive oil, parsley, white wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, dry mustard, salt and pepper. To finish the lamb I seared it on a very hot, 550° grill. It came out wonderfully and everyone enjoyed it. Edited March 31, 2016 by kjs My daughter's boyfriend did take a photo, so I decided to update my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 Wilbur, you could always diamond score the fat and rub the paste into the slits. Nice job anyways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted March 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 I did score the fat a little bit, but I could have scored it a lot more than I did. I’ll make sure the score marks are deeper next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
