French Trimmed Rack of Lamb

French Trimmed Rack of Lamb

There are several ways a French trimmed rack of lamb could be cooked on the Big Green Egg, this method has to be one of the simplest and produces a fabulous result. There’s nothing better than a crispy golden fatty side with rare lamb inside.

To achieve the crispy fat the lamb is cooked fat side down directly on the plate setter. The heat within the plate setter renders the fat while indirect cooking roasts the meat. It’s then finished by turning it fat side up as shown in the photo.

In this dish, we use a rack of lamb, which is french trimmed and chined.

“French trimmed” refers to a butchering technique used to prepare certain cuts of meat, such as racks of lamb. Cleaning the meat by removing excess fat, sinew, and sometimes flesh from the bones to expose them. This gives the cut an elegant appearance and also makes it easier to handle and serve. 

“Chined” refers to a cut of meat that includes a portion of the animal’s backbone. The butcher loosens or partially cuts through the backbone, making it easier to carve while still providing structural integrity during cooking. In this case, the rack of lamb will have the backbone loosened so the chops can be separated easily after roasting.

Method

1. Setup your Egg for an indirect cook with the ConvEGGtor feet down and the temperature set to 180-190°C.
2. Score the fat of the lamb in about a 1cm squares. Don’t cut right through to the meat.
3. Rub the oil into the fatty side of the lamb.
4. Sprinkle on a generous amount of sea salt over the oiled fat.
5. Place the lamb fat side down on the preheated ConvEGGtor.
6. Cook for about 25 minutes until the fat turns golden and crisps up.
7. Turn the rack and cook until the lamb is 5°C below where you want it (57°C for medium rare).
8. Take the lamb off the Egg, wrap in foil and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
9. Cut down between the bones, separating each chop.