Lamb cooked on a grill can make a joyous spring meal
Some things just aggravate me about spring.
Take that hour of sleep I lost for Daylight Saving Time.
And let’s look at pencil-thin asparagus. While I really love the concept, I believe it has little taste and cooks too quickly to develop a great asparagus flavor.
Finally, there’s the fact that many of you still bypass lamb.
OK, I kind of get the lamb thing. I came late to my enjoyment of lamb. I was in my 20s when it first crossed my palate.
My father was stationed with a bomber group in England during World War II and had to endure a steady diet of mutton, which is older lamb. Heck, by that time it’s really a sheep. It was just too much for a country boy raised on pork. Mutton is strong in flavor, stringy, overly gamey and just not very good. He forbade any form of lamb from seeing our dinner table.
It took an Easter dinner at my future in-laws for me to see lamb for what it really is: a delicious protein that adapts well to many flavors from Southern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
There are few smells that send me over the edge like lamb being cooked on a grill. When I was traveling back and forth to New York, I would always plan to be there on Greek Orthodox Easter where the borough of Queens, a Greek enclave, was alive with the smell of spit roasting whole lamb. If you’ve seen “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” then you can picture the celebration. The smell is almost intoxicating. The herbs and the fat combining and dripping into the fire creates a fluidity of sensations.
And the recipe below will do the same.
Granted, this is a splurge recipe, but the simplicity of so few ingredients that combine into a joyous meal is worth the dollars. Rack of lamb is easily found from Costco to Harris Teeter to Whole Foods Markets this time of year, and I urge you to visit our local farmers’ markets to seek out lamb raised and butchered locally.
So, Fred, what does it really taste like? If you cook it rare to medium rare, it will be milder that you think – meaty flesh that is touched with the grasses the animal fed from, and with the kiss of flame tying everything into a perfect culinary package. I’m not really doing the flavor justice in words. How about this? it’s just awesome.
If roasting the lamb scares you, then cut the rack into single chops, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh chopped rosemary and oregano. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour, then grill like a steak. They will cook quickly, about 3 minutes a side. The Italians call this “burnt bones,” and not only does it make a great meal this way, but it’s a beautiful addition to a heavy appetizer party.
Convinced? I hope so. While not an everyday thing, lamb should brighten your palate throughout the year.
Fred Thompson is a Raleigh cookbook author and publisher of Edible Piedmont magazine. Reach him at fdtfx1@earthlink.net.
How to eat it
Serve with: Mint jelly is the usual go-to for a sauce, but try a tapenade or eggplant relish instead. There are plenty of good prepared ones on the market. I need mashed potatoes with lamb. Add a side of grilled asparagus or spring green peas for a perfect meal.
To drink: I tend to enjoy a Californian “old vines” Zinfandel with any form of lamb.
Simple Grilled Rack of Lamb
2 racks of lamb (8 chops each, each about 1 3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Trim the lamb, if necessary, and rub both sides of the rack with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper, rubbing them into the meatiest parts of the racks.
Oil the grill racks. Preheat your grill using all burners set on high and with the lid closed for 10-12 minutes. For a charcoal grill, set up the grill for indirect cooking.
When the gas grill is hot, cut off the center or back burner and adjust your heat to medium-high.
Grill the racks – over the live burners or directly over the charcoal – meat side down, for 4 or 5 minutes, or until the temperature of the meatiest part reaches 100 degrees. Move the lamb to the edge of the grill where the burners are off, or the indirect side of the charcoal grill, away from the hottest part of the fire, and cook, with the grill covered, for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the temperature reaches 130 degrees for rare to medium rare.
Remove the racks from the grill and let them rest for about 5 minutes. During this time, the temperature will rise another 5 degrees. Cut between the ribs for individual chops.
Yield: 6-8 servings
This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Lamb cooked on a grill can make a joyous spring meal."