How do I cook a rack of lamb

Question:
How do I cook a rack of lamb? Any tips or recipes?

Details:
I have had rack of lamb in a restaurant once or twice. I liked it a lot. So when I saw a small rack at the butcher shop I grabbed it. I want to learn how to cook it, but I have never cooked any kind of lamb or mutton before. Does anyone have any tips or recipes?

How do you plan to cook the rack of lamb?

Slow cooked in the oven, on the grill or in an Instant Pot?

I have only had mutton once in my life so I am only curious as to how the best way to cook a rack of lamb.

I found this really interesting with nice photos:

The answer, of course, lay in breaking out my $450 Sous-Vide Supreme and cooking the lamb in a vacuum-sealed bag in a precisely controlled 125°F water bath, finished by a quick sear on the stove top. Perfect, foolproof results, and the ability to hold the cooked lamb for as long as I want, making timing side dishes a snap.

https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-cook-perfect-grilled-or-roasted-rack-of-lamb-recipe

I am sure since many folks on the forum have sheep that someone will give you great advise on how to cook a rack of lamb.

I am hoping for a slow roast in the oven, since I do not have an instapot or sous-vide.

If you have a meat thermometer, I would highly recommend cooking them to rare (145ºF) and then searing with the braise in your oven or on a grill or on a skillet. I'd recommend lots of thyme. Some people like mint, which is also great.

If you're feeling silly/for special occasions, get 2-3 of these and bend them into a crown shape. Then it's called a crown roast.

We like garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil to stick it all on.  If you like rare, I’d cook it quickly in a hot oven (425-450), to get a nice crust. If you prefer well done, 325-350 until it hits temp.  

We do the same as Gray - coat them in a seasoned mix of breadcrumbs.

I always have a bag of stale bread crumbs in the freezer, they mostly get used to make stuffing for roast chicken and/or coat homemade fishcakes.

I have adapted this recipe by reducing the butter and adding a dollop of dijon mustard.

The lamb is placed on a rack above a tray in the oven to allow the air to circulate for more even cooking.

We prefer our lamb medium rare so that the meat is still pink but fully cooked.

Time go out and buy a rack of lamb, been ages since we cooked this!

I think a really fundamental question is how you like your lamb done.
If you like your meat very well-done, low and slow in the oven for a long time will do it just fine. You probably would have done better with a different (cheaper) cut, though.
I like my lamb very rare (rarer than most people do) and I find the rack to tend toward cooking more done than I like it, and would go for a different cut (like the loin chop, just the little meaty part of the rack you have there, without the attached rib. I can slap it in a hot cast iron really fast and it's ready to roll, same way I'd do a steak). We do often roast lamb ribs on the barbecue (like a slab of pork ribs) and if they're fatty enough (and you like the fat) it can be wonderful even if well-done.

We love rack of lamb and we cook it at lower heat for longer time very similar to cooking a prime-rib. Both taste awesome. Just like a prime-rib you can cut slits and push pieces of garlic into the meat and let it become imbued while the meat cooks. Just like a good prime-rib don't be in a hurry. "I will serve no wine before its time" seems to fit right along with this. If we had to choose between the two above we would choose the rack of lamb. It is a healthier meat as well. Good luck and happy tasting. Scott

So I took some ideas from above... modified for what I had on hand.

I ended up using salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried rosemary and extra virgin olive oil. I mixed that up in a bowl and then spread it over the top. Cooked it at 425 for almost 45 minutes until it was 140F. I think I need to trim some fat off next time, and let it sit out for a while (like some recipes all for). It got a nice crust and tasted delicious. Thank you all for giving me ideas and recipes. Now rack of lamb is going to be part of my culinary vocabulary.

Matt McSpadden wrote:Question:
How do I cook a rack of lamb? Any tips or recipes?

Details:
I have had rack of lamb in a restaurant once or twice. I liked it a lot. So when I saw a small rack at the butcher shop I grabbed it. I want to learn how to cook it, but I have never cooked any kind of lamb or mutton before. Does anyone have any tips or recipes?

Somewhat surprised with some of the terms that have been used.  But in my opinion, There is such a difference in the actual lamb ( sometimes breeds, as well as how they were raised, what they were raised on- Think very aird almost desert like conditions, vs the lush midwest of the US,  cool and lush grass lands of New Zealand.)  All of this is part of the variable equation of taste.  Find something you really-really like, odds are you can duplicate the experience if you can duplicate the type of lamb you just ate)  Please read-  This is not saying one type is better than another, but am saying the difference is HUGE.

Also note that the word MUTTON was used at the beginning of this thread, in conjunction with LAMB, again completely different with Mutton basically being 2 years old or more or a wether ( castrated male) of the same age.  Of course these also vary greatly do to breed and environment. As well as the very lamb from the same farm.

I run about 400 ewes for a number of years, and often served lamb to long time "eaters of lamb"  and the first question was almost always, "what type of lamb is this"  NOT " how did you cook this"

Best of success to you all.