Last Updated October 22nd, 2020 at 10:22 am by Lisa
An elegant easy entertaining grill recipe ready in 45 minutes, impress your family and guests with this Cabernet-Rosemary Grilled Rack of Lamb sliced into Lamb Chops served with refreshing Watermelon Skewers.
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You Will Need…
- 2 racks of grass-fed lamb
- watermelon, cubed into 2 ” cubes on skewers
rack of lamb seasoning rub:
- 2 tablespoons of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
cabernet rosemary wet marinade:
- 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 shallots chopped
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons cabernet sauvignon red wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Place your lamb chops and marinade in a zip-lock bag and remove all air before sealing. Gently massage the meat for a couple of minutes to work the marinade into the meat. Then let the marinade work its magic. A good time rule is 1 hour for thin cuts; 6 to 8 hours for thick cuts; and overnight for roasting cuts like shoulders and legs of lamb.
Resting – It’s a chef’s trick to let the meat rest between cooking and slicing. Once off the heat, the meat relaxes and starts to reabsorb the juices. Give lamb chops 5 to 10 minutes, and you’ll be thrilled with the juicier results.
Bring lamb chops up to room temperature – For a good exterior sear and a more even interior temperature, take your lamb chops out of the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking or grilling.
Rare: 115 to 120°F
Medium-rare: 120 to 125°F
Medium: 130 to 135°F
Medium-well: 140 to 145°F
Well-done: 150 to 155°F
Grilled Rack of Lamb Instructions:
First, preheat your grill to 450-500 degrees.
1 hour before grilling, pull the lamb out of the refrigerator and add dry rub and wet marinade to both racks of lamb.
Make the rack of lamb seasoning rub: Mix sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Rub all over both racks of lamb on each side. Next, make a cabernet rosemary wet marinade. Mix rosemary, garlic, shallots, Dijon, cabernet sauvignon, and olive oil in a mini food processor or chop ingredients finely, and mix in a bowl. Using a small brush, brush the wet marinade all over the racks leaving a nice thick coating, rest on a tray for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before grilling.
Step 1: make the rack of lamb seasoning rub:
Mix sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Rub all over both racks of lamb on each side.
Step 2: Make a cabernet rosemary wet marinade
Mix rosemary, garlic, shallots, Dijon, cabernet sauvignon, and olive oil in a mini food processor or chop ingredients finely, and mix in a bowl. Using a small brush, brush the wet marinade all over the racks leaving a nice thick coating, rest on a tray for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before grilling.
Step 3: Grilling your rack of lamb:
Heat grill to 450-500. Grill 3-4 minutes on grill rack on each side. (On BGE, pull out the rack, and put on deflector shield, then add grill back down)
How To Grill Lamb Chops Medium Rare:
Finish grilling lamb 22 more minutes or until internal temperature is 135 degrees for medium rare, or more well done if you prefer.
Grill the watermelon just a couple minutes per side until grill marks appear.
How To Test Lamb Temperature Accurately:
One of the best ways to test lamb temperature is to use a professional-grade thermometer. I use one from Thermoworks, it is super fast (3 seconds), accurate within plus or minus.
Easy to clean, and will last for many years! I have broken several thermometers in the last few years : ( and this one will stand the test of time due to its superior quality and design. Oh, and America’s Test Kitchen rated it their top pick in digital thermometers!!
Check the temperature throughout cooking, a wireless digital thermometer makes this really easy, I love my Thermopen from ThermoWorks.
It is the most accurate thermometer on the market according to America’s Test Kitchen, and I use mine for everything from baking, frying, and roasting meat.
What Side Pairs With Lamb Chops?
- grilled peaches
- grilled asparagus
- crispy baby potatoes
- grilled butter corn
- 10 Side Dishes That Are Perfect For Lamb
- oven baked parmesan risotto
Take a look at my Grilling and BBQ Recipes!
Our grill party was one to remember, it was a delight to master lamb on the grill this summer!
All The Best Dishes,
Lisa XO
Other great Lamb recipes to try!
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Cabernet-Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops and Watermelon Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 racks of lamb grass fed prefered
- 1 small watermelon cut into 2" cubes on skewers
lamb chop seasoning dry rub:
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
cabernet rosemary wet marinade:
- 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 shallots chopped
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons cabernet sauvignon red wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your grill for direct heat at 450-500 degrees.
- 30 minutes before grilling, pull the lamb out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature.
rack of lamb seasoning rub:
- Mix sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Rub all over both racks of lamb on each side.
cabernet rosemary wet marinade:
- Mix rosemary, garlic, shallots, Dijon mustard, cabernet sauvignon wine, and olive oil in a mini food processor or chop ingredients finely, and mix in a bowl.
- Using a small brush, brush the wet marinade all over the racks leaving a nice thick coating, rest on a tray for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before grilling.
grilling lamb chops:
- Heat grill to 450-500. Grill 3-4 minutes on grill rack on each side. (On BGE, pull out rack, and put on deflector shield, then add grill back down) Finish grilling lamb 22 more minutes or until internal temperature is 135 degrees for medium rare, or more well done if you prefer.
- Grill the watermelon just a couple minutes per side until grill marks appear.
Notes
searing lamb chops:
Bring lamb chops up to room temperature – For a good exterior sear and a more even interior temperature, take your lamb chops out of the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking or grilling.resting lamb:
It’s a chef’s trick to let the meat rest between cooking and slicing. Once off the heat, the meat relaxes and starts to reabsorb the juices. Give lamb chops 5 to 10 minutes, and you’ll be thrilled with the juicier results.lamb temperature:
Rare: 115 to 120°FMedium-rare: 120 to 125°F
Medium: 130 to 135°F
Medium-well: 140 to 145°F
Well-done: 150 to 155°F
I fired up the grill a bit early to try this one! I saw some racks of lamb at Trader Joe’s and remembered seeing this recipe on your site, so I snagged them and came back here to search for it. They turned out so well!!
This looks wonderful, this will be great for our Easter dinner. Can’t wait to try it
Lamb, is a classic, and always elegant…happy cooking and Thanks for following along Shelli!
Woooow…..Homemade!!! It’s the only thing that taste good! And so easy to do…
I think I will look for these and try your recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Dang Thai from Embeya!