California Farm Winter Smoked Rack of Lamb
This is a recipe from shepherds from the Pyrenees mountains who tend sheep here in our California mountains. One choice lamb is field butchered , herb cured, parts smoked and parts boiled at the end of winter season, enough food preserved for six months for one shepherd and one dog. Here is our half rack of lamb recipe, rubbed with herbs, smoked, both in pink and well done versions, a feast. Gamey and tender at the same time.
California Farm Winter Smoked Rack of Lamb
This is a recipe from shepherds from the Pyrenees mountains who tend sheep here in our California mountains. One choice lamb is field butchered , herb cured, parts smoked and parts boiled at the end of winter season, enough food preserved for six months for one shepherd and one dog. Here is our half rack of lamb recipe, rubbed with herbs, smoked, both in pink and well done versions, a feast. Gamey and tender at the same time.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
In food processor, puree rubbing ingredients to a smooth paste. Wash meat with lemon juice, dry. Brush meat evenly, dry overnight in fridge. Next morning, bring to room temperature while starting cold smoke fire in grill.
- 2
Build cold smoke fire in grill: light mesquite charcoal in chimney with straw, needles or paper, when hot, spread coals against side of grill by tempered air intake, put grill cover down, open grill exhaust vent half. Add soaked hardwood on top of coals, add lamb, add rosemary twigs to hardwood, set air intake to half, smoke. Feel grill cover, adjust air intake and grill vents to keep cover handwarm.
- 3
Insert thermometer probe in thickest part of the lamb chops against the bone, bring to 145F degrees, rest 5 minutes. Rack will be pink meat inside. For well done lamb, add 30 minutes. Bottom lamb chop is pink, top lambchop is well done.
- 4
Cut ribs off the rack before serving. Brush ribs with honey, close air intake valve and put ribs back on grill to carmelize the honey on the ribs while fire cools. Serve smoked ribs cold next day with bread.
- 5
Bones go to the dog. He is big enough to lift a piece off the counter when I am not watching.
Linked Recipes
Cooksnaps
Did you make this recipe? Share a picture of your creation!
Similar Recipes
-
California Farm Smoked Leg of Lamb, Greek Style California Farm Smoked Leg of Lamb, Greek Style
Greek Chef Michael Psilakis from Brooklyn, New York, self taught, is my go to inspiration for the best roasted and grilled lamb dishes. I used his rubbing mix recipe to flavor this smoked leg of lamb. My method of smoking comes from shepherds from the Pyrenees mountains, they work here in the California Mountains, herding sheep.It seldom gets below 40F degrees here, and I like to age my lamb 6 days, which has to happen under 40F degrees, so we butcher on a cold winter morning, cut the lamb in four, and age a week in the refrigerator, then wrap and freeze.
-
California Farm Stuffed Leg of Lamb California Farm Stuffed Leg of Lamb
This is the authentic recipe of Michael Psilakis, Greek-American Chef. He taught me to make garlic confit. We self-butcher Dorper Meat Lambs in winter and freeze. Our lambs are big, a butterflied front leg is 3 pounds, the shoulder two pounds, enough for ten. The bones are used to make stew.I have included an easy way to butterfly your leg of lamb, all you need is a fork and steak knife.The meat tastes better when roasted whole. If it is too much food for one dinner, I roast ten minutes less, cut off the unused portions to freeze, then finish roasting. It freezes and reheats very well if meat is cut in one inch thick steaks. The leg makes 12 steaks of one inch thick, half a pound each, with stuffing.Warning.: this recipe overcooks very easily, from medium rare to well done in minutes. Use a probe thermometer. Take meat out of the oven to rest, it will continue cooking for 15 minutes. Enjoy.#GlobalApron -
California Farm Charcoal Grilled Leg of Lamb California Farm Charcoal Grilled Leg of Lamb
American lamb is meat from sheep under two years old. Born in early spring, we prefer second year lambs because they eat more green grass second winter. The more green grass, the more tender and bigger the lambs will be.A first year leg of lamb is about five pounds, and ten or more pounds after the second winter. To keep the tender young lamb taste of the meat, we marinade the leg of lamb overnight in full milk, mild garlic and fresh rosemary.If you like to serve your leg of lamb woth both medium rare and well done meat, here is the recipe. When you barbecue with the bone in, you get more juicy medium rare meat than if the bone is removed before the grilling. -
California Farm Wedding Leg of Lamb California Farm Wedding Leg of Lamb
Farm raised spring lamb, butchered in winter, kept frozen for special occasions. -
California Farm Air Fryer Rack of Lamb Dinner California Farm Air Fryer Rack of Lamb Dinner
It only takes 18 minutes to bake a whole rack of lamb, 8 lamb chops, in my counter top air fryer and I can bake a second layer of french fries and vegetables at the same time, much quicker than in my big oven.The lamb chops baked medium rare with a nice crust and stayed juicy when baked on the rack and then cut.#GoldenApron23 -
California Farm Honey Roasted Lamb Ribs California Farm Honey Roasted Lamb Ribs
Tender, lean fingerfood, hot for dinner or cold as party appetizers. -
California Farm Cold Smoked Pork Ribs California Farm Cold Smoked Pork Ribs
Cold smoke is keeping your barbecue temperature under 250 degrees, it is safe to slow cook that way. You can put your hand on the barbecue cover to check the temp. You get your mesquite charcoal barbecue started, put the dry rub on the meat, put the half slab of ribs on the grill, come back 4 hours later, put water soaked oak wood on the smoldering coals, smoke one more hour in cold smoke, the ribs will be juicy , tangy , and tender, ready! -
California Farm Valentine’s Lamb Saddle Roast California Farm Valentine’s Lamb Saddle Roast
I saved the lamb saddle roast from last years’ farm butchering for Valentines. I am combining the family recipe for lamb saddle from Julia Child with a recipe of my favorite greek chef, Michael Psilakis, called rack of venison with leeks and candied cherries, on this tender lamb. The Valentine’s Day’s camelia flowers are blossoming two weeks early, so Valentine’s dinner is two weeks early.I f you do not have lamb, this recipe works well with a half a bone-in pork loin, too.#february2026 -
California Farm Lamb Winter Soup California Farm Lamb Winter Soup
Pears give tender lamb ribs a sweet flavor in soups, and adding dried sour cranberries, lemons, fresh ginger, carrots, peas, mushrooms and avocado make a tangy sweet and sour colorful meal in a mild tasty broth. -
California Farm Tomato Crusted Lamb Ribs California Farm Tomato Crusted Lamb Ribs
Lamb spare ribs are thinner and tastier than pork spare ribs, but they dry out more quickly, so we encrust them. This recipe is used by my favorite Greek chef Michael Psilakis to cook loin of lamb and I use that to encrust lamb spare ribs as well.Served on a bed of pickled grapeleaves and onion rings and greens with fresh yoghurt Tzatziki sauce.#CA2025 -
California Farm Broiled Lamb Kebabs California Farm Broiled Lamb Kebabs
Dorper Lambs are the only meat lambs approved to carry the designation lamb beyond 12 months because they maintain their tenderness into the second year. We just butchered a big lamb from last year’s spring, 106 pounds of tender meat, enough for the year. We mince lamb meat and mince beef to make kebabs the size of american hotdogs, 2 ounces, 57 grams. The meats are mixed with spices and sparkling water and baking soda which marinade and tenderize the meats when rested overnight.These kebabs were broiled medium rare, half of them broiled on barbecue and other half broiled in air fryer. Both are delicious. We keep them in the fridge to reheat for luncheons and dinners with tzaziki sauce and puffed new harvest potatoes, or spicy green mango in pepper sauce.#GlobalApron -
California Farm Grilled Lamb Shank Dinner California Farm Grilled Lamb Shank Dinner
Lamb shank can be just as tender as leg of lamb if marinaded before grilling. I rub a two pound shank with granulated garlic and soy sauce, no salt, then white pepper, then soak overnight in tomato juice.While the shank is on the grill, I cook quartered potatoes and green pepper slices, onion slices, celery slices and carrot slices in the leftover marinade.I save the marinade to make tomato soup with the leftover bone from the shank by simmering an hour. Bones will be soft enough to go to the dog.
More Recipes
Comments