Rack of Lamb, Genghis Khan Style

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A truly decadent and delicious rack of lamb from one of the best restaurants in the metro Detroit area.

The Ghenghis Khan flavoring on the outside is decadent. The reverse-sear method is the reason why it’s pink from edge to edge.

This recipe is from The Lark restaurant in the greater Detroit area, now no longer in business. They used to hand out the recipe to customers, so I’m guessing it’s OK to repost it here, with some tweaks as usual. It’s an exceptional recipe for lamb.

I’ll give you the recipe the way it’s written, which it to bake it in the oven, and then my preferred approach which is to reverse-sear the lamb for more even pinkness throughout. Your choice - they’re both great, but the reverse-seared method is my favorite.

Just to clarify what reverse searing is, and what it’s advantages are:

  • It’s about cooking the meat low and slow initially, so that the entire piece (outside, inside, and everything in between) comes up to the same temperature evenly and slowly. If you start with something that’s not entirely thawed, for example, cooking it low and slow lets the cold inside catch up the the warmer outside.

  • Then you get it within 10 to 15 degrees (Fahrenheit) of what you want your final PULL temperature to be.

  • Then sear it at high temperature, flipping frequently, until it reaches that PULL temperature.

  • Then rest it until it reaches your final TARGET temperature. For lamb chops, 5 minutes is plenty of time for resting, and they’ll come up perhaps 5 degrees.

  • The result is that you get a seared, crispy outside without the grey band of overcooked meat around the edges, and you can get the inside to be more or less exactly the temperature you want it at, time after time. It’s not only delicious, it’s pretty foolproof.

Note that the recipe as provided by The Lark is for 3 entire racks of lamb, so you’ll likely want to scale it down.

The Hoisin glaze adds a delicious sweet crust.

TOTAL TIME: 50 hrs

  • Prep: 15 min

  • Marinate: 48 hr

  • Rest: 1 hr

  • Cook: 25 min

  • Rest: 7 min

YIELD:    6 servings

LEVEL:  Medium

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 Lamb racks (8 ribs each) trimmed and silverskin removed

  • 1 cup hoisin sauce

Lamb marinade:

  • 1 cup onions, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 3 tablespoons curry powder

  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper, ground

  • 2 teaspoons Coleman's mustard powder (or substitute 2 tbsp Dijon mustard)

  • 2 teaspoons black pepper, ground

  • 2 tablespoons salt

  • 1 cup water

RECOMMENDED COOKING TOOLS

DIRECTIONS

How the Lark does it:

Place the Iamb and marinade in a plastic bag, tie, and place in refrigerator for 48 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove lamb from marinade and let stand at room temperature 1 hour before cooking.

Place lamb on rack in shallow roasting pan and roast in hot oven, 450°, for 20 to 25 minutes.for rare lamb, depending on the size of the racks, or longer for a greater degree of doneness.

Brush with hoisin sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Let rest for 6 or 7 minutes before carving.

My recommended process (reverse-seared):

Marinate it the night before. Place the rack(s) in a ziploc bag with the marinade, take all the air out, seal it, and place the bag in a plastic container in case of leaks. Refrigerate, turning occasionally.

Place the rack(s) bone-side down in a smoker or grill over low, indirect heat. 200 degrees F or less is ideal. If using a gas grill, light only one section, let it come up to temperature, and then place the rack on a different section. You can also place it in the oven at 200F.

Monitor the temperature closely. Note: using a cooking thermometer with a probe, like the Thermoworks ChefAlarm or Thermoworks Smoke, really helps here, allowing you to keep the lid closed for the entire cook until the lamb come up to temperature and avoiding stalls (cooking slowdowns). If you do not have one, use an instant-read thermometer like the Thermoworks Thermapen MK4 when they are close to done, but close the lid again as quickly as possible.

Pull the lamb off the indirect heat when it reaches 115 internal temperature.

Move it to a hot grill for the reverse sear. Baste it with Hoisin after each side has been seared for a minute or so. You’ll need to keep the lid closed while searing to keep the temperatures up, but raise the lid to flip the racks every couple of minutes.

Pull the lamb off the hot grill when it reaches 125 internal temperature.

Rest it, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes or until it reaches 135 internal temperature for medium rare.