Smoked Rack of Lamb

Treat everyone to a fancy, restaurant-quality meal at home with this smoked rack of lamb! This lamb rack is covered in a simple but flavorful herbed dry rub and creamy Dijon mustard and then smoked until the meat is wonderfully tender and juicy on the inside to make your favorite lamb dish yet. You'll never want to cook a rack of lamb any other way.

Smoke a Rack of Lamb for Impressive Results

Let’s fire up the smoker because we’re about to bring gourmet cooking right to our backyard. Best of all, this is easy gourmet.

All we have to do is cover the lamb in a simple dry rub blend with a little Dijon mustard and let the smoker take care of most of the work. We’re rewarded with a beautiful cut of meat, showing off just the right touch of smoky notes on the outside. I don’t know about you, but I can never resist a rack of lamb when I’m at a fancy restaurant. Now we can enjoy all those elegant vibes at home.

Whether you’re hosting an intimate dinner party or a holiday dinner, like Easter or Christmas Eve, this smoked lamb always impresses.

Ingredients

Rack of lamb: Look for a frenched rack of lamb. This means the lamb has already been trimmed. These days, most lamb racks come frenched, but if yours isn’t, you can always ask the butcher to take care of this.

Dry rub: We use a simple mixture of dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.

Dijon mustard: This adds a nice flavor and makes it even easier for those dried herbs to adhere to the meat.

Oil: We use this to reverse sear the lamb after smoking to develop an exterior crust.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: As the smoker heats with a water pan, we check to make sure the membrane on the backside of the bones has been removed. This is a thin silvery skin, and we can simply remove it by pulling it off with our fingers. Now we cover the rack of lamb with a layer of Dijon mustard and then rub the herb mixture on top (photos 1-3).

Step 2: Once the smoker reaches temperature, we place the rack of lamb directly on the grill grates with the fat-side up. To cook the meat to perfection, we insert a leave-in thermometer, close the lid and allow it to smoke (photo 4).

I like to smoke a rack of lamb at 225 degrees F. Some people smoke it at 250 or 275 degrees F, but I prefer to use a lower temperature to give the smoke more time to infuse into the meat.

When cooking to rare to medium-rare, expect the lamb to smoke for about an hour and a half at 225 degrees F. If using a higher temperature, it may cook closer to an hour. That said, cook to the internal temperature, not time.

Step 3: When the lamb is about 10 degrees under our desired final temperature (see the chart below or recipe card for temperatures), we remove it from the smoker and add it to a hot cast-iron skillet to reverse sear (photo 5). After just about three minutes, we should have a nice crust.

Step 4: Now we remove the lamb from the skillet, allow the meat to rest loosely under foil and then carve in between the bones (photo 6).

And with that, our elegant smoked rack of lamb is ready.

Internal Temperature Guide

To make sure we don't end up with overcooked lamb, we want to pull it about 10 degrees before it reaches its final internal temperature. The internal temperature will rise both as we reverse-sear it and the meat rests. Use the chart to determine what temperature to pull the lamb from the smoker.

Note: I recommend rare or medium rare for rack of lamb — at the very most, medium. If you cook a rack of lamb beyond that, you'll dry out the meat and zap the flavor.

Doneness	Internal Temperature
Rare	115 degrees F
Medium rare	125 degrees F
Medium	130 degrees F
Medium well	140 degrees F
Well	150 degrees F

Serving Ideas

What’s a special meal without plenty of appetizers or side dishes? These are some of my favorites.

Elegant appetizers: smoked trout dip, fig baked Brie, truffle deviled eggs, and whipped ricotta dip.

Holiday-worthy side dishes: smoked mashed potatoes, smoked mac and cheese, croissant stuffing, and fresh green bean casserole.

And if you’d like more fancy meals you can prepare in the smoker, you can also try my smoked prime rib and smoked lobster tails. Of course, you'll also love this smoked leg of lamb.

Expert Tips

Don’t let the thermometer hit a bone: This skews the reading.

Let the lamb sit at room temperature before smoking: This takes off the chill from refrigeration to make for a more even cook. About 30 minutes will do.

Use a fruit wood: A fruit wood, like cherry wood or apple wood, is especially great with lamb. Hickory or pecan also work nicely. Save the mesquite for the times you cook a brisket.

Don’t skip the resting period: This allows the juices to redistribute to the meat. It only takes 10 minutes, so you can use this time to pour or mix drinks, finish any side dishes or heat a loaf of crusty bread in the oven.

Perfect Pairing

A brown bière de garde is lovely with lamb. This beer is known for working well with herbs because of its earthy quality, and it comes with some sweet esters that pair with the fruit wood.

For a wine, pick a pinot noir. Similar to the bière de garde, pinot noir has lots of earthy flavors that pair well with the dried herbs. We also get a nice berry profile that contrasts the lamb's gamey flavor.

For a beautiful, impressive meal, you and your guests will love every succulent bite of this smoked rack of lamb. You'll want to make this a family tradition.

Cheers!

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