What’s on the Grill #152

Grilled Rosemary Rubbed Rack of Lamb with a Grilled Onion Vinaigrette!  What is this?  A blog post about food?  Could it be?  Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you.  After too long of a time, I am finally getting back to my mainstay: flesh on fire.  Without a doubt, the beer posts have been easy.  I open a bottle or pour a pint, take a picture, and talk about it.  However, my 3 hour dinner excursions have been a bit trickier to fit in.  But fear not, they are back.

Surprisingly, the last time I blogged about rack of lamb was almost a year ago!  I have had lamb since then, but I guess not a rack.  Too bad, because this is by far my favorite way to prepare this delicate and adorable little creature.

This recipe was essentially a spin on the thyme rack of lamb from the Weber “brown book”.  The only difference being I did not have any shallots and I did not have any thyme.  What I did have was a boatload of onion and a Rosemary plant which has turned into a small bush.

The rack of lamb, which already arrived “frenched”, was rubbed in a mixture of salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary and lightly massaged in olive oil.  I also covered the bones with aluminum foil so they would look “pretty” when the rack was done and not burned to toothpicks as if the lamb was pulled from a fiery car inferno prior to serving.

The rack was seared bone side down over direct medium heat for two minutes and then flipped over for an additional four.  Next, the rack was placed over indirect medium heat and cooked for another 20 minutes.  It is important to serve lamb medium rare, so be careful not to overcook it.  Once done, allow the lamb to sit.  I shot for an internal temperature around 130 degrees and it arrived on the rare side of medium rare. 

The only difference between the shallot vinaigrette and the onion vinaigrette is the onion substitution.  In a pinch, I found it to work quite well.

Besides the meat, I pulled together some smashed rosemary and garlic potatoes (I had a little bit of a theme going…and a very large rosemary bush, remember?!) and some ginger/garlic sautéed kale and red chard.

To me, this is a great and really simple meal.  I’m back to the grill, and it feels good.