Rack of lamb in the oven, is one of our favorite winter recipes. We know we normally focus on grilling lamb, but when it’s 29°F outside, sometimes you have to resort to using the good old fashioned oven. In addition to grilling recipes, we like to a look at how to make amazing cuts at home, no matter what the elements give you. Tonight we made roasted rack of lamb in the oven. While many folks can get intimidated when they hear rack of lamb – its quite easy to prepare at home! One of our tips is to ensure you have a sharp knife for rack of lamb to slice the perfect lamb chops. Another option is to buy pre-cut lamb chops, which is not a bad option at all. We’ll take a look at rack of lamb cooking times, to ensure your meal is cooked to the level of doneness you prefer.
What is rack of lamb?
Rack of lamb comes from the rib section of the lamb. The name rack comes from the bones of the chops, and how they arrange into a “rack.” Note, when it comes to cooking rack of lamb, you can use a roasting pan in the even, or they can be grilled or smoked. When rack of lamb is cut into individual pieces, they are commonly known as lamb chops. Buying whole racks of lamb can be more cost effective as there is less work for the butcher. Rack of lamb can also be prefer to ensure that you cut your lamb chops to the exact size, and you can make sure that you have a nice selection of meat before making your purchase.
How much is rack of lamb?
There are two ways to buy rack of lamb or lamb chops. One will be in a full rack, and the other will be individual sizes pieces. We’ve purchased both – if we know we’re cooking for a large party we prefer to cook a whole rack of lamb, however, if we’re having dinner for two our four, we may end up purchasing a couple of packs of lamb chops.
The other consideration for the price of rack of lamb is where the meat is sourced from. Often times you will see lamb sourced from New Zealand. This tends to be a cheaper cut, but can be a great option nonetheless. The more “premium” cut of rack of lamb is lamb from Colorado. For whatever reason, domestic lamb is priced at a premium, and usually is a bit tastier.
Rack of Lamb Prices:
- Stop And Shop: $7.50 (Australian Lamb)
- Costco: $16.50/lbs.
- Allen Brothers: $50/lbs (domestic lamb)
Rack of Lamb Cooking Time
We were looking for something simple and came across this All Recipes rack of of lamb. What’s the cooking time for rack of lamb? This recipe clocks in with a total cook time of 40 minutes, not a bad evening meal that cooks fast and tastes great. When we think of any meal, we’re always conscious of how long it takes to cook. With a total cooking time of 40 minutes – this can be an easy week day meal as well! We’ll take a look at the breakdown between prepping the rack of lamb, and the amount of time in the oven.
What oven temperature for rack of lamb?
The recipe is fairly straight forward, season the meat with your favorite ingredients for at least 30 minutes. We love cooking lamb with garlic and rosemary (and salt and pepper to taste). While the meat is marinading, preheat your oven to 450°F. The recipe calls for searing the meat – if you have the time I would definitely recommend this to get a little bark going. We were in a bit of a rush and skipped this step, but the lamb came out great anyway. One piece of advice we’ve also heard is using a pizza stone if you’re looking for a more constant temperature. The pizza stone will retain heat and give a more even cooking temperature. The rack of lamb oven temperature in Celsius is: 232°C.
What internal temperature for rack of lamb?
Everyone has a preferred level of doneness. While I would recommend keeping the oven at a consistent 450 degrees, and adjust the cooking time for your level of doneness. It’s recommended to cook your rack of lamb to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
How long should you cook lamb for?
Depending on the thickness of your cut, the rack of lamb cooking time is typically is about 12-15 minutes in the oven. If you prefer a more well done version approximately 20 minutes should do the trick.
Internal Temperatures for Lamb
Here are the lamb rack doneness temperatures. The USDA recommends cooking until 145°F; however, the lamb can be served at the following temperatures:
- Rare: 115-120°F
- Medium Rare: 125°F
- Medium: 130°F
- Medium Well: 145°F
- Well Done: 150°F
Conclusion
Rack of lamb is a wonderful and underutilized cut of meat. It’s more tender than some other red meats, such as steak or roast beef, so it’s not as difficult to cook well. In fact, we found that in terms of preparation, lamb is one of the easiest to cook red meats. It is no wonder that in recent years, lamb has become even more popular when it comes to home cooking and restaurant menus. Along with being easy to cook at home, it’s also very affordable in most supermarkets. And let’s face it: no other type of meat has quite the same rich and earthy flavor as a rack of lamb. The next time you want to have a fancy meal, give rack of lamb a try, we’re confident that you won’t regret it.