This Grilled Rack of Lamb is sophisticated and feels special but is so incredibly easy to make. It’s no harder than grilling chicken– if you can make any kind of marinated meat, you can make this recipe!

The combination of the herby board sauce, bright marinade, and the flavorful charred meat is absolute perfection.

You might be intimidated by the thought of preparing lamb at home, but this recipe is truly so simple. The marinade takes less than 5 minutes to throw together, and cooking it on the grill couldn’t be easier. Make this grilled rack of lamb for your next dinner party for a refined, yet low-stress main course and serve it with rice, potatoes, or some grilled sourdough for an elegant meal.

Grilled Rack of Lamb: an easy, delicious way to prepare rack of lamb!

Lamb Marinade

This marinade can enhance (almost) any cut of meat. It’s easy and contains staple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The combination of herbs and rich olive oil perfectly compliments the unique flavor of the lamb, but would also be delicious on beef or chicken too!

Make sure not to skip the marinating time– it’s so important. For best results, let the meat marinate for at least 2 hours, but you can leave it for up to 24. Giving your meat adequate time to marinate will simultaneously tenderize the meat and give it great flavor.

Grilled Rack of Lamb: an easy, delicious way to prepare rack of lamb!

How to Cook Grilled Rack of Lamb

Cooking this grilled rack of lamb is a two-step process, but is so simple. First, you’ll light one side of your grill on high heat and leave the other half off. Cook the lamb over indirect heat (on the unlit side of the grill) until the internal temperature reaches 125°F.

Grilled Rack of Lamb: an easy, delicious way to prepare rack of lamb!

Once the meat reaches 125°F, move it to the lit side of the grill and cook it for a few minutes on each side, or until there is a nice char and the internal temperature reaches 135°F.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, we highly suggest purchasing one or borrowing one from a friend for this recipe. Cooking any meat by temperature will revolutionize your grilling and smoking game– zero exaggeration. Meat thermometers are inexpensive and will save you from playing the “is it done?” guessing game, and there’s nothing worse than dry, overcooked meat. Once you use a meat thermometer you won’t cook meat any other way.

Let It Rest

One of the most important parts of this recipe is also one of the hardest: let the meat rest for 5-7 minutes before diving in. This rest period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat so they don’t instantly leak onto the cutting board once you start slicing. It’s hard to wait, but so worth it! Plus, your meat will still be nice and warm thanks to the high grilling temperatures you’ll be utilizing on your grill.

While the meat rests, whip up the board sauce of fresh herbs and olive oil. Any fresh herbs will work great, but thyme, rosemary, and chives are a great compliment to the marinade and the flavor of the meat.

Grilled Rack of Lamb

Jordan Robinson
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Servings: 4 servings
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Marinate Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
The combination of an herby board sauce, a citrusy marinade, and the flavorful charred meat makes this grilled rack of lamb absolute perfection.

Ingredients 

Lamb & Marinade

  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 rack of lamb, frenched*

Board Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, chives, etc.
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Mix all marinade ingredients including thyme, rosemary, garlic, spicy mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in food processor or in small bowl and whisk. Rub the entire marinade over top and bottom of lamb, cover and allow to marinade minimum of 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat one side of grill to high heat with lid closed, leaving other side off. Once heated, place the marinated lamb on un-lit side of grill and cook for 20 minutes with indirect heat and lid closed, or until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees.
  • Transfer lamb to the lit, high heat side, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side with the lid open, until temperature reaches 135 degrees for medium-rare. Remove from grill and let rest for 5-7 minutes. While lamb is resting make board sauce by combining fresh herbs and olive oil and set aside.
  • Once lamb has rested, carve the meat by cutting between each rib bone. Drizzle board sauce on top of lamb and serve immediately.

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Notes

*A Frenched rack of lamb is when the fat and meat are removed from the bones to give the rack a nice clean look. Most butchers or stores sell rack of lamb pre-Frenched, which is typically indicated on the meat packaging.

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