We recently went for a roast rack of lamb dinner at a relative, Cathy's, house. Cathy comes from a family of Chinese restauranteurs. We actually went to her house so that her folks could show my family how to make traditional Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings 咸水角) which will be later featured on the blog.
Not only did we get to learn and enjoy the Ham Sui Gok, we feasted on delicious racks of lamb. Cathy makes excellent roasts. This roast rack of lamb was amazing and easy to make. I asked Cathy if I could share the recipe, especially for Easter, and any tips she had for making this roast. Thanks Cathy for your contribution!
Tips for making roast rack of lamb.
Cut of lamb.
The rack is the section of the lamb with the ribs. This is the premium part of the lamb in both quality and price! However, due to the natural tenderness of the meat, it requires less work to prepare.
Dijon Mustard.
Dijon mustard together with other herbs are massaged into the meat. The viscosity of the mustard makes it easy for the marinade to adhere to the rack of lamb well, making it a perfect marinade.
Garlic.
Garlic is a wonderful aromatic, especially for lamb. For this recipe, the garlic is chopped into larger pieces rather than a fine mince. This creates a wonderful crust without the garlic burning.
Acid.
Many cuisines use a type of acid, like lemon juice, to marinate the meat. The acid breaks down the meat fibers, making it more tender and easier to absorb the marinade. For the lamb rack, acid is optional due to the nature of the meat and if used, should not marinate over 6 hours in the acid.
Marinating the rack of lamb.
Marinate the rack for at least 6 hours. For best results, plan to marinate your roast for at least 24 hours.
Roasting the rack of lamb.
When roasting, place the roast on a rack on a pan. Adding water to the bottom of the pan keeps the rack moist and prevents the oven from smoking as the fat is rendered.
Internal temperature.
It's better to undercook the roast than to overcook it. When the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees fahrenheit, the meat will be medium rare after resting. This internal temperature is different from the boneless leg of lamb due to the density and thickness of this cut of meat.
Resting the rack of lamb.
After the meat has roasted, allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes. The meat is still cooking. During this time, the internal temperature of the meat will rise about 5-10 degrees fahrenheit. Resting the meat allows the juices to re-absorb into the fibers of the meat.
I would love to know how your roast turned out in the comment section!
RACK OF LAMB ROAST
Equipment
- instant read /leave in thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 rack of lamb approx 5 lbs.
- 1½ Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, coarse chopped
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
- 1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Make marinade
- Coarse chop the garlic cloves.
- Finely chop the rosemary and oregano.
- In a bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together.
Prepare lamb
- Rinse lamb rack and pat dry with paper towel.
- Spread the marinade onto the meat and using your hands, work the mixture into the lamb rack until well coated.
- Place the lamb rack on a pan, cover and allow to marinate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
Roasting lamb
- Allow the lamb to rest at room temperature 1 hour before roasting.
- Preheat oven to 400° fahrenheit (204° celcius).
- If you have a leave in meat thermometer probe, insert it into the thickest part of the lamb.
- Set your temperature for 130° fahrenheit for medium rare.
- Place it on a rack on a shallow pan, fat side up.
- Add some water to the pan to prevent oven from smoking and add moisture to the meat.
- Roast the leg of lamb for 20-30 minutes at 400° fahrenheit (204° celcius).
- Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130° fahrenheit (57° celcius), remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!