Smoked Rack of Lamb on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Our Smoked Rack of Lamb has a Garlic and Fresh Herb Chimichurri Rub that's smoked and then REVERSE SEARED to perfection on our Pit Boss Pellet Grill.

Like a prime rib or pork roast, a smoked rack of lamb is a beautifully presented and mouth watering feast to prepare for a special occasion, or even just to cook for that special someone.

Unlike our method for smoked lamb chops, the rack is smoked whole, with the bones frenched, and then carved after it is finished

Because it is a smaller, more tender, and leaner cut of meat, it also cooks much faster than a whole leg of lamb.

Smoking a whole rack of lamb also results in a beautiful presentation and can then served however you like it, either carved into single chops or decadent double-thick chops.

Jump to:

• Trimming
• Seasoning
• Setting up the Pit Boss
• Cooking Temperature
• Cooking Time and Target Internal Temperature
• Reverse Searing
• Carving
• Serving
• 📖 Recipe
• 📖 Recipe

Trimming

Here are the conditions you may find the bones in when you go to purchase.

• Untrimmed: The entire fat cap is still in place covering over the bones.
• Semi-frenched: Some of the fat is removed, and some of the bone is visible
• Fully frenched: Most of the fat is removed from the bones and they are almost entirely exposed.

This picture shows what you will typically find when buying a whole rack of lamb.

Semi-frenched Bones that still need some cleaning up.

We are big fans of the iMarku Boning Knife, probably because it also happens to be a Top Rated Boning Knife on Amazon.

Use your boning knife to trim any excess fat from the ends of the bones themselves and any large peices hanging off.

But don't trim the layer of fat off completely. This will help keep the meat moist while it smokes.

Seasoning

Garlic and Rosemary are a classic pairing with Lamb, and we have a recipe for a an easy Garlic Chimichurri that we love to serve with lamb included in the recipe below.

For the rack of lamb itself we are going to season with:

• 2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 2 teaspoon Cumin
• 2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Paprika

Dijon mustard works as a great binder on lamb as ingredients with acidity are said to reduce any gamey flavor present in the lamb.

You should also avoid any BBQ and Spice rubs with a heavy amount of sugar in them if you plan to use high heat searing or else the sugar will burn.

Setting up the Pit Boss

We have previously covered how to season a Pit Boss, how to start a Pit Boss, as well as how to troubleshoot the smoke level of your pellet grill.

So if you need a good overview on how to use your Pit Boss for the first time, check those articles out first!

One of the most fun things about smoking lamb is the freedom you have to play with a lot of different smoking woods and still come out with a great tasting dish.

Lamb pairs well with milder fruitwoods such as apple and cherry, but can still hold up to stronger flavors like mesquite and hickory if you want to go for a bolder flavor.

Because it does not need to smoke all day like a pork shoulder, you don't risk over smoking as much if you choose a stronger flavored wood.

We like filling and lighting a pellet smoker tube as well with a combination of pellets and wood chips for even more smoke flavor, especially on shorter cooks like this.

Cooking Temperature

Relative to something like pork spareribs, a rack of lamb is fairly lean and delicate.

You will need to watch both your cooking temperature and internal temperatures carefully when smoking the rack of lamb.

We like to smoke around 270°F on our Pit Boss so that the lean meat doenst dry out before it coes up to temperature.

Then we reverse sear it to get a nice crust and render all the exterior fat.

Cooking Time and Target Internal Temperature

With your smoker running at 270°F, it should take between 1 to 1.5 hours to smoke your rack of lamb up to an internal temperature of 130°F.

The lamb will still be fairly rare at this point and we prefer a medium donness on lamb, so we need a final internal temperature of 140°F for this.

So if you are not searing the lamb, let it smoke until it hits about 135°F, then you can take it off and it will come the rest of the way up to 140°F while it rests.

Whenever you are smoking meat, you should always use an accurate instant read meat thermometer.

We never start any cook without our favorite instant meat thermometer at the ready standing by.

Reverse Searing

If you ARE searing the lamb, which we highly recommend and is very easy to do on a Pit Boss, then move it over to the side of the grill when it gets to 130°F.

Keep your lid OPEN, turn the temperature to the HIGH setting, and pull the lever on your Pit Boss to open the flame broiler door for direct heat.

"Reverse Searing" is just a fancy term for searing your meat at the very end, once it is pretty much all the way cooked through, in order to get a nice crispy exterior crust that you sometimes just can't get from low and slow smoking alone.

Give the Pit Boss about 5 minutes to heat up and start producing some high heat in the firepot.

Using a good pair of heat resistant BBQ Gloves to protect your hands and a pair of long handled tongs, hold the rack of lamb by the bones so as not to rub off your seasoning.

Sear each side of the rack of lamb 10-20 seconds at a time, constantly rotating so that you don't burn any part of the lamb over the hot fire.

After about 2-3 minutes total, when the lamb has a nice color on all sides and the crust is sizzling, remove it from the heat to cutting board or wire rack.

The rack of lamb will now be up to about 135°F internally and should rise the rest of the way up to 140°F while it rests for the next 10 minutes.

You can tent loosely with foil, but do not wrap tightly or lay multiple racks on top of each other.

This will cause the lamb to continue cooking and they will end up overdone.

Carving

If you are serving 2 racks, you arrange them as a crown roast, or prop the two racks against each other with the bones interlaced on a platter if you want a cool presentation.

After the rack of lamb has rested, use a good meat slicing knife and only cut the portions you are planning to immediately serve.  Leave the rest of the rack intact so that in does not dry out.

We particularly like this meat slicing knife from Mairico.

You can slice the rack of lamb into single chops or into larger double boned chops for an ever more juicy treat.

Don't forget the Chimichurri Sauce!

Give this a stir and let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before serving if its been in the refrigerator.

Serving

You can't go wrong with Smoked Asparagus or Smoked Brussel Sprouts for your side dishes.

These can be cooked right alongside the lamb on the smoker!

Smoked Red Mashed Potatoes and a glass of spicy Australian Malbec will pair nicely against the richness of the lamb.

📖 Recipe

📖 Recipe