Pit Boss Smoked Rack of Lamb

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Slicing off a succulent lamb chop and watching it fall away from a rack of lamb makes anyone’s mouth water.

But it’s not that easy to achieve! I’ve noticed that many people treat their lamb like it’s a brisket – they leave it in the smoker for far too long and end up with a kilo of tough inedible meat and a table full of hungry friends.

That’s why, as a lover of lamb myself, I’ve put together a simple recipe below that only needs ingredients from your pantry and comes out of the smoker juicy and tender every time.

Impress your friends with my effortless smoked rack of lamb recipe and be sure to follow along with each step to get the same result.

Why You’ll Love This Smoked Rack of Lamb Recipe

A rack of lamb is an easy way to impress at a dinner party or perfect for a weeknight dinner.

This recipe is so easy, you’ll commit it to memory and want to do it again and again and again, like I have.

This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients that are most likely already in your pantry. 

What You’ll Need to Cook Smoked Rack of Lamb

Lamb Racks

Rosemary

Sea Salt,

Pepper

Garlic

How to Smoke a Rack of Lamb

Step 1: Preheat Your Smoker

Set up your smoker and preheat it to 275°F to 300°F.

Step 2: Preparing The Lamb

Start by mixing the spices in a bowl for the rub. Then give the lamb rack a brush with oil and then apply your rosemary seasoning all over the lamb.

Step 3: Smoking the Lamb Racks

Place the rack directly on the grill or smoker rack, ensuring that the fat side is facing upward and as close to the heat source as possible and allow to sear. Then smoke it for approximately 10 minutes, then carefully move it farther away from the heat source to contain the smoking process.

Cook until the internal meat probe hits 135°F (for medium rare). This should take about 45 min to 1 hour.

Step 4: Searing the Lamb Racks

Turn your flames on high and sear the lamb with the fat side down first. It should be sitting on the hottest part of your grill for 5-10 minutes.

Step 5: Finishing It Off

Then flip the rack fat side up and place it away from the heat source for the rest of the cook. Place a meat probe inside to check the temperature until medium rare, 135°F.

Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before slicing the chops.

What Temperature to Smoke Smoked Rack of Lamb At

For this recipe, the temperature to smoke the rack of lamb is at 275-300°F.

What Internal Temperature You Need to Reach for Smoked Rack of Lamb

Ideally, I like to have the internal temperature of my lamb rack at 135°F. If you want it a little bit rarer you’ll want to be aiming for something around 120°F, and of course, if you’re wanting it to be a little over medium rare, obviously it will be warmer again – looking at 150°F.

How Long to Smoke Smoked Rack of Lamb

I smoked my lamb rack for about 45 minutes for the medium rare doneness.

This again will depend on how big your lamb rack is and whether or not you want your rack rare, medium rare, or well done.

But for a lamb rack of about 500g, finishing at a nice medium rare doneness, 45 minutes was more than enough for me. 

What to Serve With Smoked Rack of Lamb

A juicy lamb rack really is the main event at your dinner, so to complement the lamb, I’ll roast some potatoes with lemon, oil, and oregano and make a mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce salad. 

But there are a myriad of dishes you can serve with your delicious rack of protein starting with a creamy potato salad all the way to roast sweet potato and veggies for that classic Sunday Roast vibe. 

If you’re a wine drinker, I’d pair it with a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. 

How to Store Leftover Smoked Rack of Lamb

Allow the lamb to hit room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Lamb can be stored for up to three days in the fridge and two months in the freezer. 

Best Wood Chips for Smoked Rack of Lamb

For denser red meat, like lamb, I use Hickory wood chips. Hickory is wonderful for smoking lamb because of it has a bold and sweet flavor that brings out the intense flavor of the meat. 

If you wanted to go for something a bit softer, cherrywood and apple wood are softer options that will never go astray when smoking lamb.

You can even combine all three, or a little bit of hickory and cherry wood for example. 

How to Prepare the Lamb

First things first is to let your lamb rack drop to room temperature. This is so the smoker isn’t working as hard to smoke it and it’ll take a long quicker for the connective tissues to break down. 

Do I Need to Trim Any Fat off the Lamb Rack?

If you buy a lamb rack that’s been frenched from your butcher you don’t need to trim the rack any further.

If you’ve bought an untrimmed lamb rack it will still have the fat cap cover over the bones of the rib cage. A good idea is to ask your butcher to trim it, frenched, so it’s ready to go.

Can I Smoke a Rack of Lamb Without Frenching It?

You can smoke a rack of lamb without frenching it.

The reason it’s frenched is purely for that handle look, so it looks appetizing to pick it up and eat it by the handle. It’s not often sold by butchers.

An un-frenched lamb rack will need more time in the smoker.

How Should I Make the Seasoning?

Preparing the rosemary seasoning is easy to do and most of it really is to taste. I love a flavorful rack of lamb and so do my family and friends, that’s why the lamb is always cooked at my house.

The bold flavor of lamb can handle liberal seasoning, so don’t be shy!

I never skimp out on the salt or garlic when I make my seasoning, so add a healthy amount of each to making the seasoning and always give it a taste as you’re going along. 

Do I Need to Sear My Lamb?

You don’t need to sear your rack of lamb, but searing helps to lock in the flavor of the seasoning.

It also helps to caramelize the natural sugars in the meat and cooks the proteins which creates a crispy brown crust on the outside of the meat that enhances the flavor of the lamb. 

I always sear both sides of my lamb rack after I’ve smoked it. 

More Recipes For a Pit Boss

Love your Pit Boss as much me? Then you have to try some more of my most popular recipes for a Pit Boss, let me know which ones you have tried.

Pit Boss Smoked Turkey

Pit Boss Smoker Corn On The Cob

Smoked Baby Back Ribs On Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Smoked Picanha On Pit Boss

Smoked Sweet Potatoes Pit Boss

What’s the Best Way to Sear My Smoked Rack of Lamb?

The best and only way to sear your rack of lamb is over an open flame – the flames are what give it the almost burnt, highly cooked look.

Turn the flames up high on your smoker and place the rack of lamb over them.

For my lamb I like to start on the fat side first and leave it on there to sear for about five to ten minutes on each side. 

500g lamb racks
Rosemary seasoning: rosemary, sea salt, pepper, garlic

Smoke On!

Charlie

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