Smoked Rack of Lamb with a flavorful Greek-inspired garlic herb marinade and cool Tzatziki dipping sauce. The smoked lamb rack is cooked low and slow on the smoker then finished with a quick sear to develop a perfectly seasoned crust.
This lamb recipe, along with Smoked Leg of Lamb and Sous Vide Leg of Lamb, make for a great holiday dinner.
More popular smoked recipes: Smoked Prime Rib, Smoked Beef Tenderloin, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Smoked Ham, Smoked Chicken Wings, Smoked Turkey and Smoked Turkey Wings.
Rack of Lamb Marinade
Our recipe for smoked lamb chops uses a simple, yet flavorful, garlic herb marinade comprised of fresh or dried herbs. It’s a Greek herb mix to compliment the tzatziki dipping sauce.
The lamb marinade recipe includes: olive oil, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. It’s the marinade version of our dry lamb seasoning recipe.
Or you could always use our mint chimichurri sauce from our Sous Vide Lamb Chops recipe, mint-less chimichurri from our Coulotte Steak recipe or Garlic Chipotle marinade from our Smoked London Broil recipe.
How To Smoke A Rack of Lamb
Smoking a rack of lamb is easy when using the best smoked lamb chops recipe! This rack of lamb recipe can be made on any grill. Smoking lamb chops on an electric smoker works great, as does as gas grill, electric smoker or manual smoker. We provide instructions for all methods. Just make sure you have the supplies called out below.
- Gas Grill – depending on the brand, a good setting to test out is turning half the burners (on the same side of the grill) to medium-low while the other burners are off. You’ll create smoke by using a smoker box to add chips/chunks
- Charcoal – Pre-heat the coals until just washed over. Dump them on the far side (either left or right) of your grill and open the vents to 25%. Create smoke by placing wood chunks directly on the pre-heated coals.
- Pellet/Electric Smoker – Pre-heat your grill to 225 degrees F. Follow the manufacture’s instructions to get an even smoke.
Lamb Chop Temperature
According to the USDA, rack of lamb should be cooked to 145 degrees F, a medium-well finish. Personally, that’s a bit overdone for my taste so I stick with medium rare. But you do you!
- Rare Lamb Chops: 115 – 120°F (Final Pull temp is 110-115°F)
- Medium Rare Lamb Chops: 125°F (Final Pull temp is 120°F)
- Medium Lamb Chops: 130°F (Final Pull temp is 125°F)
- Medium Well Lamb Chops: 145°F (Final Pull temp is 140°F)
- Well Done Lamb Chops: 150°F (Final Pull temp is 145°F)
For more cooking tips, visit our Lamb Temperature Chart guide.
How Long to Smoke Rack of Lamb
It takes about 45 min – 60 min to smoke a rack of lamb to medium rare. The lamb marinade can be made in under 10 minutes, so you’re looking at less than 90 minutes total from start to finish (including the 10 minute rest period).
Best Wood To Smoke Lamb
Wondering what wood to use to smoke rack of lamb? There are quite a few that work well. Stick to a fruit wood, like Cherry wood and apple wood as to avoid masking the flavor of the lamb. Some chefs opt for pecan wood or hickory, however the smoke flavor really overpowers the greek forward flavors.
Smoked Rack of Lamb Recipe
As mentioned above, you can use any vehicle to smoke your rack of lamb. Each has its own benefits. Just remember the most important thing is to create indirect heat and maintain the temperature.
- Electric Smoker – Perfect for beginning smokers as it’s easy to maintain the temperature.
- Pellet Smoker (Traeger Rack of Lamb) – Any brand will work. Pellet smokers are awesome for maintaining smoke and temperature without much effort.
- Gas Grill – A gas grill is perfect for shorter cook times like this one. It’s easy to maintain the temperature and you’re not utilizing a crazy amount of propane.
- Charcoal Grill – A bit more “manual” than the other options. This is the method we prefer, simply because we enjoy managing the grill.
Supplies
- Rack of Lamb – The lamb roast should be 100% defrosted.
- Energy Source – Make sure to stock up on your selected energy source: charcoal, pellets, propane, gas, etc.
- Smoking Wood – Chunks, chips or pellets.
- Thermometer – Always use a thermometer. Always. Our go-to digital thermometer is the Thermaworks Dot. It never fails.
- Smoker Box – You’ll need one to impart the smoke flavor if using a gas grill. We’ve used this one from Amazon in the past.
Recipe Tips
- Always use a thermometer. ALWAYS. Our go-to digital thermometer is the Thermaworks Dot. It never fails.
- Prepare the lamb by trimming the excess fat and silver skin prior to seasoning.
- I always opt for the frenched rack of lamb as to minimize the prep work.
- Make smoked asparagus whist making to cut down on cooking time.
Smoked Lamb
You can utilize this smoking method for other cuts of lamb, such as: smoked lamb shoulder, smoked lamb shanks, smoked lamb ribs or smoked boneless leg of lamb. The smoke time will be elongated depending on the cut and weight of the meat you utilize. The “pull time” and final temps will stay the same.
How Many Lamb Chops Per Person
Plan on serving two chops per person, if you’re having a nice selection of side dishes, such as garlic mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts or air fryer artichokes. If your side dishes are slim, plan on serving three chops per person.
What To Serve With Lamb
Roasted Mushrooms in Garlic Butter
What Wine Pairs With Rack of Lamb
Pinot Noir, Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Rack of Lamb
HERB MARINADE:
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Fresh Rosemary (*Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme (*Note 2)
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano (*Note 3)
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
OPTIONAL: TZATZIKI DIPPING SAUCE
- ½ Large Cucumber, Unpeeled (*Note 4)
- 1½ Cups Plain Full-fat Greek Yogurt
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp White Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Minced Fresh Dill
Instructions
OPTIONAL: PREP THE TZATZIKI SAUCE
- Grate the cucumber, place in a towel or fine mesh sieve, and gently squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
- Combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl and chill for at least an hour. Right before serving add the fresh dill and serve with the lamb lollipops. Note - the tzatziki sauce tastes best if chilled for 12-24 hours.
PREP THE LAMB:
- Trim excess fat from the lamb.
- Up to 24 Hours Prior to Cooking: Add all of the marinade ingredients to a blender and blend for approx. 15 seconds, until well combined. Apply evenly over the lamb. Cover and refrigerate until ready to smoke.
SMOKE THE LAMB:
Pellet or Electric Smoker
- Pre-heat the smoker to 225 degrees F. Add the wood chips to the smoker and place the lamb chops on the smoker rack.
- Smoke the lamb for 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 110 degrees F for medium-rare (or your preferred "pull" temp). Pull the lamb off the smoker and crank up the heat to about 400 degrees F to sear. (*Note 5)
- Transfer the lamb back to the grill, once the grill reaches the higher temperature, and sear for 2 minutes per side. The internal temperature will be around 115 degrees F at this point.
- Remove the lamb from the grill, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. The final temperature, after resting, will be 120 (Medium Rare). Slice into individual lollipops and serve with a side of tzatziki dipping sauce.
Gas or Charcoal Smoker
- Pre-heat the smoker to 225 degrees F. Add the wood chips to the smoker and place the lamb chops on the smoker rack. Aim to keep the temperature between 225 - 250 degrees F., if using a charcoal grill.
- Smoke the lamb for 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 110 degrees F for medium-rare (or your preferred "pull" temp). Pull the lamb off the smoker and crank up the heat to about 400 degrees F to sear. (*Note 5)
- Transfer the lamb back to the grill, once the grill reaches the higher temperature, and sear for 2 minutes per side. The internal temperature will be around 115 degrees F at this point.
- Remove the lamb from the grill, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. The final temperature, after resting, will be 120 (Medium Rare). Slice into individual lollipops and serve with a side of tzatziki dipping sauce.
