Rack of Lamb with lemon and garlic

Meat is very expensive at the moment. You can easily pay R129.99/kg for lamb chops or steak. Even mince costs approximately R70/kg. It is far more affordable to buy meat in bulk, if you have freezing capacity. Our local Checkers recently sold lamb at R49.99/kg and I am already sorry that I did not buy 2 lambs.                                                           

I will however never buy pre-cut lamb since I prefer my lamb to be cut in specific cuts as follows:

The leg of lamb – both whole (with the shanks removed);

All 4 shanks whole (not sliced into knuckles);

The rib whole with the flap attached;

2 whole racks;

1 whole shoulder;

the neck, sliced and

the rest sliced into chops. 

This illustration from www.supermarket.com shows it well:

I crave citrus fruit at the moment. As you will see in recent posts, Mushroom and lemon risotto and Aubergine and bocconcini salad, lemon are my favourite ingredient at the moment, after salt, onions, olive oil, butter, basil

 ……ok I cannot make up my mind!

This lamb rack was cooked on the Weber, using the indirect method, but it can also be done in an oven pre-heated to 160ºC. To see how to prepare the Weber for indirect heat please go to Ilovemyweber. 

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (I did not French trimmed mine)

salt and freshly grounded black pepper

loads of fresh thyme

1 whole garlic bulb, wrapped in foil

rind of 1 lemon 

Season the lamb rack with salt and pepper and place with loads of fresh thyme and the garlic bulb onto the Weber or into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, turn over and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn over again and cook for another 10 minutes. (If done on the Weber, the Weber’s lid must be on.) 

Remove from the weber or oven and sprinkle with the lemon rind. Let the meat rest for a few minutes. Remove the garlic from the foil and cut in half. Serve the soft baked garlic with the lamb. Delicious!