Lamb Grilled the Sauce Queen U.S.A. Way!

The End Of Grilling Season

Labor Day weekend is here at last and whether you celebrate the labor movement, or you just love BBQ-ing, your last three-day weekend for a while should be spent making good food. We’ve spent all summer glued to our grills, and while we’ll almost certainly continue to do so as long as the weather allows, Labor Day does mark the unofficial end of grilling season. To commemorate our favorite cooking style, here’s some quick cooking tips on how to grill a rack of Lamb… Because why not?

Grilling Lamb
Grilled lamb is absolutely delicious, and when cooked the right way, results in tender and delicate meat with a rich flavor that is not too overpowering or “gamey”. Marbling is not as important in lamb as it is with beef, but just make sure the fat is evenly distributed. The best cuts of lamb for grilling are going to be the rack/rib chop, loin chop, leg, rump, and shoulder.

Use Seasonings & Flavors That Complement the Meat
Lamb is a rich-flavored meat that, unlike other types of meat, can hold up to bold seasonings, spices, and aromatics. If you want to add some seasoning to the lamb (more than salt and pepper) or use a marinade, some specific ingredients help enhance the natural flavor of the meat. These include:

• Garlic
• Rosemary
• Onion
• Lemon Zest
• Mint
• Lemongrass
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Thyme
• Parsely
• Yellow Curry

Preparation

• Coat the meat with oil before it hits the grill.
• Use a two-zone grill setup — two-zone grilling gives you the versatility to sear the exterior to a deep brown first (without charring) and then grill for longer periods over lower heat without overcooking the meat.
• Ensure your grill reaches a low and medium heat — about 300 degrees on the high side.

Cooking Time and Temperature

• Place the rack of lamb on the grill and cook the chops at a low heat first for 5 minutes, then sear them over high heat for another 5 minutes.
• Close the lid and grill the rack until the chops reach an internal temperature of about 110 degrees.

Carve & Serve
Just like when grilling steak, an important tip for delicious and juicy lamb is to NOT immediately carve it as soon as it comes off the grill. When your lamb is cooked through remove the rack from the grill and let it rest for roughly 5 minutes before carving and serving.

Serve your lamb with some end-of-summer veggies and some sauce! We’re making this Grilled Lamb with Cous Cous, Summer Vegetables and Vine Tomatoes, dressed with a Chimichurri sauce – a lamb dish fit for a Sauce Queen.