Grilled Lamb Pops

Lamb is one of my favorite meats to grill, but it doesn't generally get a lot of attention in America.  I think there are a few reasons for this, mainly I don't think a lot of people have had lamb cooked well.  It's also harder to find than beef, pork, or chicken.  True, it can get a little gamey and tough if it's overdone, but its flavor is well worth it.  I generally don't take lamb past medium rare to avoid the toughness and gamey flavor.  A rack of lamb is the same cut as a ribeye steak so it's going to be juicy and tender which makes it a good choice if you want to give lamb a try.

For this recipe I generally get a Frenched rack of lamb.  That just means the rib bone has been trimmed a bit so it looks a little nicer, but it doesn't really matter.  I'll also slice the rack myself, but usually the butcher at the store will do it for you if you ask them.

I'll typically do this as an appetizer, but you can certainly make more and do it as an entree.  If you can't find a rack of lamb, or it's too expensive you can use the rub on a lamb steak, chops or boneless leg as well.  If I'm using a leg I'll cut it into smaller pieces and butterfly them so they are more manageable on the grill and cook faster.  I don't generally use lamb chops (the lamb version of a t-bone) because they are kind of a pain to eat, but they are certainly tasty.

While I do these on the grill, I've done them on a flat top griddle like a Blackstone, or a cast Iron pan inside as well.  Just make sure they lay flat in the pan so you get good browning on both sides.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Rack of lamb (or more, depending on numbers)
  • Dirty Apron Rosemary and Garlic Rub

Directions:

  1. Fire up the grill, you'll want it to be pretty hot.
  2. Cut the rack of lamb into slices so each one has a rib bone attached, if needed pat them dry.  They should look like a miniature tomahawk ribeye.  These will be our "pops"
  3. Lay them out and sprinkle them with the Rosemary and Garlic Rub on both sides.
  4. Grill them for 2-3 minutes on each side, or to about 130-140 degrees internal temperature.  Lamb is like beef so you can eat it rare up to well done.  I don't cook it past Medium as a rule.  The bones make for easy flipping by hand if you have some good grilling gloves.
  5. Let the "pops" rest for 3 or 4 minutes and serve them.  I usually eat them right off the bone, no silverware required.