Smoked lamb ribs are tender and full of flavor. Learn how to smoke rack of lamb with our easy BBQ recipe.
You’d be hard pressed to find a meat lover who doesn’t love their ribs. If you have a BBQ smoker, you’re in luck. Nothing beats rack of lamb slow-cooked for hours.
Our Smoked Lamb Ribs recipe is no different. This trimmed down version of our smoked rack of lamb is prepared with a nice dry barbecue marinade, slow smoked and then coated in barbecue sauce. These beauties are juicy and full of flavor and there’s nothing quite like them.
Meat preparation
If you’ve smoked beef ribs in the past, you’ll be glad to know that the cooking process for lamb isn’t much different. The spices and flavors differ slightly, but the preparation of the meat and the approach to smoking are very similar.
The first step in our meat preparation is to remove the membrane from the rack . On the non-enhanced IS, a layer of silver skin that sits on the underside of the rib cage dies. It’s similarly found in pork ribs and beef ribs, and lamb is no different.
Some pitmasters and grill fans prefer to keep it but find it becomes tough and inedible as it cooks. Let’s get rid of that.
Find out where the membrane or silver skin starts at the end of the frame. Use a dull knife(or a spoon if you prefer) to slide under the skin and begin to gently remove it from the grate.
Pull back is slowly until two fingers pass underneath. Then use your hands to pull it. Get as gentle as possible so you don’t tear or cut the skin.
Using a paper towel to go shopping, slowly peel off the skin, making sure to keep it intact. If it breaks don’t worry, just use the paper towel to remove as much of the membrane as possible.
BBQ rub dry
It is best to season our rack of lamb and rub it dry. You can buy spice mixes at the store, but I prefer to make them myself. What better way to change the flavor of your dish than by making it yourself?
Our dry dressing is easy, requiring just four simple ingredients: dried rosemary, dried thyme, ground black pepper, and garlic salt. The combination of these four components gives us a nice balanced taste without distracting us from the lamb.
Just mix all four ingredients together with a little pain. Once everything is mixed well, apply the mixture liberally to the rack of lamb. Work both sides of the ribs and you are done.
Smoking times and temperatures
Rack of lamb should be smoked at 107°C for about three hours. Unlike other meats, we don’t have to rely on the internal temperature for ribs. Instead, we need to look for changes in the texture and appearance of the meat.
Just like when we say if the pork ribs are done , we can use the toothpick test. To do this, gently press a toothpick into the meat between the bones on the grill. Your ribs are done when the toothpick slides in with little or no resistance.
If you are happy with the inside temperature, the recommended value is 145°F or 63°C( source ).
The best wood for smoking lamb ribs
Lamb has a strong flavor, so it pairs well with hardy woods like hickory or mesquite. Hickory has been a popular grill wood for years thanks to its sturdy, nutty flavor.
Likewise, mesquite has a powerful flavor profile and is a staple of Texas barbecue in particular . Its intense and pungent smoke flavor makes it a classic choice for wood.
It’s easy to overdo it with hickory and mesquite, so I recommend starting with just a small handful of chips.
If you want to add a hint of fruit to your smoke, try mixing some applewood with your hickory. This should add a gentle, sweet touch to the ribs.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
