Want to impress with an easy lamb recipe? My grilled herb crusted rack of lamb is simple and delicious. Take charge with my tips on how to grill rack of lamb for a fire-kissed crust and perfect pink middle. The garlic marinade is equally good on leg of lamb, chops and more.
Rack of lamb is one of those cuts that seems really fancy, right? If you’ve never made one before, I can understand the intimidation factor, however, once you see how truly simple they are to prepare, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. This easy lamb recipe with garlic marinade, turns out perfect grilled herb crusted rack of lamb every time.
Start by using a very sharp knife to trim away some of the excess fat. At Costco, they sell “frenched rack of lamb,” which simply means the fat, meat and connective tissue have been stripped from the tips of the lamb ribcage — providing a cleaner, more elegant presentation and the diner with a clever little handle for gnawing after the knife and fork have done their best. When the meat is trimmed of excess fat, it’s time for the herb garlic marinade.
What You’ll Need For The Herb Garlic Marinade:
- Garlic
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Oregano
- Fresh Mint
- Lemon Zest
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. The garlic marinade will be thick like a paste. Coat the rack of lamb with the marinade and rub it into the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Didn’t I tell you this was an easy lamb recipe???) Before cooking, remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter for half an hour before transferring it to the grill.
How To Grill Rack Of Lamb
Scott is my grill-master and he was happy to oblige my request on a Saturday to take charge with this herb crusted rack of lamb. According to the master — here’s how to grill rack of lamb…
- Heat the grill to 500° – 525°.
- Place the lamb, fat side down on the grates. Leave the lamb alone for about five minutes to create a good sear (the grill master cautions that you watch for flare-ups and have a spray bottle of water handy for emergencies).
- Flip the meat, reduce the temperature to 425° and continue cooking the lamb for an additional 13-15 minutes – or until an instant read digital thermometer reads 120°.
- Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest 5-8 minutes before carving.
Why Is Resting Time Is Important After Grilling?
- Resting allows the juices to redistribute through the meat. If you cut the meat right after removing from the grill, the juices will run onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
- Be aware of carryover cooking, which can increase the internal temperature of the grilled herb crusted rack of lamb by as much as 5°-8°.
- My grill-master typically cooks his meats to about 5° BELOW the recommended temperatures just to factor in the carryover cooking. (We’ve done that for you here — so if you follow these instructions, they’re accurate.)
- Note: if you prefer a more cooked chop, leave the rack of lamb on the grill until it reaches 125-130° before removing it. Let it rest as described above before carving.
Once you try this easy lamb recipe with the flavorful herb garlic marinade, it’ll go into your regular dinner rotation. The best part is that this recipe is scaleable. If you’re feeding a larger crowd, it’s easy to double, triple or quadruple this grilled herb crusted rack of lamb for as many diners as you have. See? Easy lamb recipe ².
As far as carving goes, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice between the bones of the herb crusted rack of lamb. I recommend double cut chops (meaning two bones per chop). They are thicker, juicier and meatier that way — not to mention, more impressive. Bon(e) Appetit!
Easy Grilled Rack of Lamb
ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 pound rack of lamb trimmed of excess fat
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons rosemary chopped
- 2 teaspoons oregano chopped
- 2 teaspoons mint chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
instructions
FOR THE MARINADE:
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade to form a thick paste.
FOR THE LAMB:
- Spread the marinade over the lamb rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Heat the grill on high (500°-525°). Place the rack of lamb on the grill (fat side down) to sear the meat, about 5 minutes. Stay close to the grill in case of flare ups.
- Reduce heat to 425°. Turn the lamb over and continue to roast an additional 13-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 120° for medium rare. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and tent with aluminum foil. Let the lamb rest for an additional 5-10 minutes. (Lamb will continue to cook as it rests and will achieve temperature of 125-130° off the grill.)
- Cut the lamb into double cut chops. Arrange on a platter and pour any meat juices over the lamb. Scatter with additional fresh herbs and serve.
Nutrition
“Pin” Grilled Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb For Later!
Delicious! Nice ingredients make great flavors. Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe!
Hi! I was wondering can I roast this in the oven?
Yes, you can! Preheat the oven to 425°. Heat a large grill pan over the stove until it’s very hot, add a little olive oil to the pan and place the lamb on the pan, fat side down. Sear it for 4-5 minutes, then turn it over and transfer the pan to the hot oven. Cook until you reach your desired doneness.
My sister made rack of lamb for our family as a treat. It’s become a favorite. So I finally had the courage to try it, but using this recipe. And my daughter said, “Don’t tell anyone, but yours is much better.” Now she wants it as her special birthday dinner. Thank you for this delicious, yet oh so simple recipe.
I’m so glad that you and your daughter enjoyed it! I think it’s a great summertime meal.
Thank you for these instructions ! Very helpful!
I have never grilled Rack of Lamb On the BBQ and was hesitant!
Your instructions guided me thru it!
A neighbour did run over with all the smoke from the fatty side of the rack billowing, so thanks for keeping me nearby!
Delicious results! Enjoyed each bite of the lollipops!
Thanks!
Just followed the recipe to the T except cut it short by a day – hey, I was under pressure. It didn’t matter. Grilled in -5C. in Nova Scotia with a heavy snow down and spectacular results. Up here, we call them lollipops. Fantastic recipe. Mind if I hold onto it?
I give you major props for grilling in those temperatures. I’m so glad you liked the lamb!
I’ve never made rack of lamb…..probably too intimidated….but you make it look so easy with step by step clean instructions. That marinade sounds delish, so much flavor and I love the clean ingredient list. You’ve inspired me. I’m going to give it a try.
Hope you enjoy it, Debra!
Everything about this is done impeccably! From the rub to the grill marks to the cook within. I’ve never grilled lamb or even cooked it myself, but this recipe has me thinking I could and should.
Thanks so much, Dana! Lamb is really easy to prepare – I think you’d enjoy it.
What lovely looking lamb! Just look at that sear you got on the rack. Yum. And I love how easy and scaleable your recipe is since lamb is so wonderful for entertaining. I can definitely see putting two or three racks on the grill with hardly more work than one.
Absolutely! Enjoy it!
Oh wow, this is making me drool! I’ve honestly never seen such gorgeous photos of rack of lamb before and I think this needs to be on my dinner table ASAP. You make it sound nice and easy, too 🙂
Let me know how you like it, Sue!
I’ve started falling in love with lamb late last year and have been on the hunt for delicious lamb recipes. I need to try your recipe since I am allll about herb crusted things! Lamb is my boyfriend’s favourite so he’ll def be a happy camper!
I love a good grilled lamb chop (or two). I think grilled lamb is going to be one of the things I miss most when we finally have to retire our grill for the season! I was happy with the Frenched rack of lamb I found this summer at Costco, too. The meat was quite flavorful and tender, and it was so convenient to pick it up there instead of having to head to the specialty butcher, or prep it myself.
We love lamb yet we’ve never made this cut. We are Costco members but they don’t carry the same cuts in all the stores — lamb shanks you can get down south but not in the northern Costco stores. This is just the type of meat we’d love and Hubby is the Grillmaster! I’m pinnning this recipe to make. Looks fantastic!
This looks amazing. We love lamb. What a great Sunday dinner. Lamb on the grill is THE BEST!! This would make a great holiday dinner, but I am not going to wait that long. Putting lamb on my grocery list RIGHT now!!
We’re big lamb proponents here too, Gloria — and while it may look fancy, it’s as easy to make as grilled chicken.
Oh my goodness!!These are perfectly.grilled.. loved the flavors you have going on in this dish!!
YES!!
I think you were my guinea pig for this one….
This is a great holiday meal or when you want an elegant night in.
It seems fancy, but it’s quick and easy — and one rack fed 4 of us for about $4/serving.
I love garlic flavored curries and this marinade surely looks good too!
Thanks, Priya!
Oh, I love lamb. I’m sharing this on Pinterest and I cant wait to give it a go. My whole family will love it!
Oh wow, Lisa! I just showed this to my husband and suggested we do one. His answer was hardily agree! Lamb is his favorite! We’ve never done one on the grill. These look perfectly cooked!
I’m so glad you and your hubs like it! — Our family devoured this one. Enjoy!