Rosemary Stuffed Grilled Rack of Lamb....

As the month of August begins it always sets off an alarm in my head.  The grilling weekend will come to an end soon and we must all retreat back into our kitchens.  The good news is that summer isn’t over yet!  There are a few more good grilling weekend left, so don’t waste them.  One meat I love to grill is lamb, which may not be the most popular (or the cheapest) but it is great choice done right.   There are a few different lamb chops to choose from for grilling:

Lamb Shoulder Blade Chops:

Lamb shoulder blade chops are cut from the blade portion of shoulder and contain part of the blade bone and backbone.

Lamb Shoulder Arm Chops:

Lamb shoulder arm chops are cut from the arm portion of shoulder and contain cross-sections of round arm bone and rib bones.

Lamb Rib Chops:

Lamb rib chops contain backbone and, depending on the thickness, a rib bone. The chops have a meaty area consisting of rib eye muscle. The outer surface is covered by fat but with the fell (a thin, paperlike covering) removed.

Lamb Loin Chops:

Lamb loin chops contain part of the backbone. Muscles include the eye of the loin (separated from the tenderloin by T-shaped finger bones) and the flank. Kidney fat is on the top of the tenderloin, and the outer surface is covered with fat, but with the fell (a thin, paperlike covering) removed.

Lamb Loin Double Chops:

Lamb loin double chops contain top loin (larger muscle) and tenderloin (smaller muscle), but with the flank removed from the cut. They are called double chops since this is a cross-cut of loin containing both sides of the carcass.

Lamb Leg Sirloin Chops:

Lamb leg sirloin chops are cut from the sirloin section of the leg and contain backbone and part of the hip bone, which vary in shape. Muscles include the top sirloin, tenderloin, and flank. There is fat on the outside, but the fell (a thin, paperlike covering) is removed.

* Source: http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/customize?meatcutslamb.html

There is also ground lamb and leg of lamb.  Try ground lamb burgers, or mix lamb and beef and put a spin on your next bbq gathering.  Lamb legs works best B.R.T. (bone rolled and tied) but before you tie it up stuff it with some feta cheese, olives and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and slowly grill it.  You won't be disappointed.

I personally like a good old rack of lamb which would be lamb rib chops in the list above.  You will also have to chose from Australian, New Zealand, or domestic/American lamb.  Domestic lamb runs bigger in size due to the way they are fed and finished, and they also tend to have a milder flavor because of this.  Australian and New Zealand lamb will have more of a gamey flavor compared to domestic but will be smaller in comparison as well.

I stuff my lamb with a blend of oven dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and olives, which brings an extra layer of warm Mediterranean flavor to it.  The markets are overflowing with ripe seasonal tomatoes right now, it's the perfect time to work with them.  When you dry them in the oven they retain more moisture than sun-dried and keep the inside of the lamb juicy.  I recommend making a big batch and serving some as a side for the lamb.

Rosemary Stuffed Grilled Rack of Lamb

Yield 4 portions

For the Lamb:

2 racks of lamb, cut into 4 bone-in portions

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil

kosher salt and ground black pepper

For the Stuffing:

4 med cloves garlic, minced

8 sprigs fresh rosemary from the garden

¼ cup Kalamata olives, chopped

--combined with, for oven-dried tomatoes--

6 whole ripe plum tomatoes from the garden

3 sprigs fresh thyme from the garden, chopped

2 springs fresh oregano from the garden, chopped

1 med clove garlic, minced

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp sugar

Procedure for Stuffing:

First prepare oven-dried tomatoes.  Halve the 6 tomatoes and remove the seeds.  Toss tomatoes in a bowl with vegetable oil.  Arrange on a baking sheet atop parchment paper cut side up and season with herbs, garlic, salt and sugar.  Place into a preheated 250° oven for approximately 2 hours or until the tomatoes appear dried, and have shrunken slightly.

Roughly chop the oven dried tomatoes and mix with garlic, rosemary and olives.  Set aside until lamb is ready to be stuffed.

Procedure for the Lamb:

Insert a paring knife into the cut side of the lamb and push it through to the other end.  Insert the handle of a wooden spoon in the cut and make a ½ in diameter hole.  Mix together the garlic, rosemary, tomatoes and olives and stuff this mixture into the lamb from both ends being sure it is evenly distributed.  Coat the lamb with oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. 

On a med-high preheated grill cook the lamb approximately 8-10 minutes each side for medium rare.  Once cooked let the lamb rest 5-10 minutes before serving.